The Second Party War (3)
"A light gift?"
"Yes. I sent over some dried seaweed. You know how delicious Korean seaweed is, right?"
"Oh... I haven't had Korean seaweed in a very long time. I will receive it with great gratitude."
"I didn't mention it was from the President, though?"
"Ah... ahh..."
"I'm joking."
Yoon-gi’s giggling voice reached Nakayama over the phone, and the sound of Nakayama’s wry chuckle followed.
"You startled me. It’s been so long since I’ve had Korean seaweed; you have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to it since I heard."
"You can amplify that anticipation even more. This is seaweed you can’t even buy with money in Korea. I had people scour the southern provinces to find the absolute best, so please tell them to eat it with pride."
"Ohhh...!"
Nakayama felt his mouth water before he could stop it. It was understandable; Japan, like Korea, had an incredible consumption rate for seaweed. However, the varieties produced in Japan were notoriously tough, making Korean seaweed popular. Since the export of Korean seaweed had been blocked, it had become extremely difficult to get a taste of it. At best, one could only get it when travelers returned from Korea. But to hear that he had been sent not just any seaweed, but the best of the best, Nakayama’s expectations hit the roof.
"I look forward to the initial planning draft."
With those final words, Yoon-gi hung up, and Nakayama was left listening to the dial tone, busy imagining the moment the seaweed would arrive.
The top-tier seaweed arrived just as the initial excitement was beginning to wane. It was enough to reignite the developers' drive. While they had been 'normally fond' of it when they first received it, they became 'seaweed addicts' the moment they took it home and tasted it. Soon, the seaweed bestowed upon the development department became such a hit that it was even being traded internally within Sega.
However, the supply of seaweed was limited, and there were many who wanted to taste it. Consequently, the number of applicants for the Genesis Project steadily increased, and accordingly, Nakayama began to manage the project personally. It was rare for a president to manage a project so directly, but it was possible because Nakayama saw a positive future for the Genesis Project.
And another fifteen days passed.
Yoon-gi visited Sega again at Nakayama’s request.
"He has arrived!!"
At the development manager’s shout, all the developers voluntarily bowed their heads or waists toward Yoon-gi. It made even getting to the president’s office a struggle, but Yoon-gi never lost the smile on his lips, waving at everyone as he entered the office.
"Your popularity is truly immense. Now I understand why you wore a mask."
Yoon-gi, wearing the mask, looked like a young nobleman in his early twenties. In Japan, where men enter society early because they don't have to serve in the military, it was an age where one could sufficiently jump into the social front lines.
"Mystery is a good medicine when used appropriately."
With those words, Yoon-gi began to read the project plan.
'Oh... it’s quite similar to the Sega Genesis I saw back in my labor days.'
The Sega Genesis, which should have been released in '89. It was called the 'Mega Drive' in North America and the 'Super Aladdin Boy' in Korea, but Yoon-gi used the term 'Sega Genesis' as he remembered it. This was because the version Yoon-gi had been lucky enough to play was a product brought in by a peddler, so he didn't know the name Aladdin Boy. As a result, it turned out to be the best move for naming, and Yoon-gi ordered several modifications while reading the report.
"This plan shows three buttons, but what if we had four?"
"Four buttons?"
"If you line up three buttons, the pad has to be long horizontally, but if you arrange four in two rows like this, you can prevent it from getting too long, making the pad—the controller—more ergonomic."
"Oh... that sounds like a very good idea. I will order a meeting regarding that matter."
"Yes, and..."
The maximum amount of content he could remember. In truth, Yoon-gi had to make a tireless effort to pull these fragments of memory back out. And, unexpectedly, the one who contributed to this part was none other than Choi Deok-bae. In the past, when wandering around the Samwoo Group, Choi Deok-bae often saw the group’s descendants playing games, and he watched them for quite a long time whenever he was bored. As a ghost who loved YouTube, he had essentially been watching game broadcasts (?) since the 80s. Yoon-gi gave a wry smile at the absurdity of this coincidence, but he was able to recover quite a lot of memories thanks to Choi Deok-bae’s excellent memory.
And what was really helpful was that there was even information about game consoles Yoon-gi had never played. Therefore, Yoon-gi was inserting as many features as he thought were currently feasible, and cutting out all the useless ones.
"Network features are completely meaningless. Furthermore, don't even think about attaching upgrade kits later. The Sega Genesis must be perfect as it is. Later, the Sega Genesis 2 should be perfect in its own right; if you make it thinking about expandability, the completeness of the base product might suffer because of it."
"But wouldn't it be better for sales to include such things?"
"Instead, it’s the number one contributor to tarnishing the brand image. Think about it carefully. The child will ask to buy it if an expansion kit comes out. But what about the parents? The child is the one asking, but the parent is the one spending the money. A game console ignored by parents can never succeed."
"Hmm... I understand!"
Nakayama couldn't help but click his tongue at the fact that the report was being edited in real-time like this. Nakayama had expected an answer like 'I'll review it and get back to you,' but Yoon-gi had finished judging the report in real-time.
"Well, let's stop here for the report."
"You can take it with you if you'd like."
However, Yoon-gi shook his head.
"Aren't you worried about information leakage?"
"If someone were aiming for information leakage, they wouldn't have any reason to tell us things like this in the first place."
"Right, that’s accurate."
As Yoon-gi smiled, Nakayama also smiled and urged Yoon-gi to take the report again.
"Please take it. If you see anything you might have missed, I hope you will let me know at any time."
"I will do that. Oh, and there is one more thing I need to say today."
"What is it?"
"Do you remember what I proposed when we met for the second time?"
"Ah, I remember. Honestly, I was perplexed at the time, but now I think it’s a decent method."
"The reason?"
"Because I trust you."
Yoon-gi shrugged his shoulders and opened his mouth again.
"Anyway, I’m going to visit the companies I hold stock in soon and start negotiations regarding second parties. And I’m going to call in developers from the companies that agree to the negotiations to create a 'standard'."
"To be honest, it doesn't seem like an easy idea to pull off, and it doesn't seem like it will be easily achieved, but if it succeeds, I think we can create a very efficient development system."
Yoon-gi, who nodded while listening to Nakayama’s answer, stretched out his left index finger with an exaggerated smile.
"Well then, here is a question. What gain do I get from going this far?"
Nakayama shook his head firmly.
"None."
"Right?"
As a hint of craftiness began to settle on Yoon-gi’s lips, Nakayama nodded this time.
"That is correct. You might receive dividends as a major shareholder, but honestly, it’s a very losing business. Even though you aren't in a position belonging to the company, you are showing moves that surpass even top-tier S-class planners. No, it’s not just planners. S-class business acumen, S-class personnel management. Honestly, you are in a situation where you are losing money in an absurd way."
"As expected, I think I judged you well, President."
Currently, Nakayama was being very cooperative with Yoon-gi. If one thought about it differently, it meant that he had already grasped what kind of words Yoon-gi would say.
"How are you planning to pursue profit in this project, Yoon? I’ve grabbed the string, but I don't really know what’s at the end of that string."
"Would you like to get on the same boat?"
"Of course. According to my thinking, you wouldn't have any intention of ruining Sega, Yoon."
"Of course."
Yoon-gi, who nodded, finally stated the true purpose of this work.
"A common development standard. And the exclusive release of games for that console. Summarized, this also means I could supply exclusive parts."
"Have you already decided what parts to use for the Genesis Project? Are you already in control of the companies that produce those parts...?"
Yoon-gi shook his head.
"No. The developers have only just submitted the first report, so I’m not a prophet; that would be impossible."
"Then...?"
"Game packs. If there’s a game console, there obviously must be game packs, right? Since the standard for game packs will naturally be created when we make the console, I want to have the exclusive production rights for these game packs."
"Exclusive production of game packs..."
"I intend to procure the parts from the outside, of course. But the finished product must be produced by a company that I have influence over."
"Ah, I think I understand what you mean."
The parts that go into game packs would generally be widely used parts. However, assembling those parts and inserting the software must be done by a specific company. This was exactly what Yoon-gi was aiming for.
"What if a certain game sells 1 million copies? How much would the production royalty gained from that be? And the number of games that the first and second parties will create? The profit this will bring is truly unimaginable."
"Certainly..."
Based on the Famicom, the number one selling game sold nearly 7 million copies in Japan alone. Therefore, if the Genesis Project hit at least a medium success and he could prepare the production facilities before that, sitting on a pile of money was just a matter of time.
Gulp! Hearing the sound of Nakayama swallowing his saliva, Yoon-gi asked in a subtle tone.
"President, will you join me?"
"Is it limited to this project, or is it a future-oriented meaning?"
"It’s a future-oriented meaning, of course. The production of Genesis Project game packs will take place at Japan Commodity, which I own, and you will have a 20 percent stock option. The current Japan Commodity is an unlisted company. So, you just have to hop on board. And I will continue to employ you for the work I do afterward. There’s no reason not to use a capable person, is there?"
Ryu Geun-tae and Choi Chul-kyu received a 5 percent stock option for YK Department Store. On the other hand, Nakayama received an unconventional offer of 20 percent of Japan Commodity from the start. But this was a matter of course. Ryu Geun-tae was a secretary in the secretary's office of a conglomerate, and Choi Chul-kyu was a deputy at a conglomerate, excluding the fact that he was a blood relative. But Nakayama was a person sitting in the president’s seat of a company called 'Sega'. Of course, considering the current net profit scale of YK Department Store, the 5 percent of the two might be larger, but in any case, the number 20 percent was never a number to be ignored.
"The golden car you’ve prepared, Yoon. I will board it."
Hearing the answer, Yoon-gi reached out his hand, and Nakayama grasped it.
"Now, only a smooth road will unfold before you and me, Yoon."
However, Yoon-gi laughed and shook his head.
"If only a smooth road unfolded, I wouldn't have employed you. I employed you because it’s a difficult path."
"Ah... hahahaha..."
Toward Nakayama, who was laughing sheepishly, Yoon-gi elaborated.
"Nintendo won't just sit by and watch, will they?"