Chapter 123: Noblesse Oblige
Knock, knock.
As I lightly knocked and opened the door to the CEO's office, I was greeted by Gunpei's pale expression.
"Hello, Gunpei-san."
"Huh? Oh, Kang. Long time no see."
Watching Gunpei wipe his cold sweat while setting down the Super Family gamepad, I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.
Chandra, sitting across from Gunpei, seemed to be forcing a smile, judging by the stiffness around his mouth.
"I tried playing the game that Pentagon Soft is currently developing this time, and I thought my heart was going to stop."
As Gunpei, sipping on a drink brought by his secretary, shivered at the chilling BGM playing on the TV, he also seemed impressed.
"By intentionally muffling the sound to increase the tension, you've really outdone yourself. I felt this way with Mintendo as well, but Kang, your ideas are always ingenious. If Shige-san gives it a try, he'll be pleasantly surprised, for sure."
Gunpei beamed with satisfaction as he looked at me.
After everyone from the Super Family had taken their seats, I sat down opposite him.
"How are President Kamauichi and Shige-san doing?"
"Of course, they're doing well. Thanks to the Tamago Monster released last summer, the handheld Game Boy is selling like hotcakes. Even President Kamauichi is playing Tamago these days."
"Even President Kamauichi? That's quite unexpected."
"He's really fond of your work, but at the same time, he seems quite bitter about it. It seems he regrets not holding onto you until the end."
"Haha, just hearing that is gratifying. But why have you come here today?"
"Oh, right. In fact, after a meeting within Mintendo, I've come to deliver some great news from Pentagon Soft."
"Good news?"
Gunpei then replied with a pleased smile.
"Pentagon Soft wants to become Mintendo's second party."
"What!?"
Chandra, taken aback by Gunpei's words, wore a bewildered expression.
Second party...
For a brief explanation, in the console gaming industry, there exist first-party, second-party, and third-party companies.
Leaving aside one-man or two-to-three-person indie game developers, they fall into these three categories.
First-party refers to games produced by the company that manufactures the console itself, such as the games created by Shige, like Super Marigi and Karin's Legend, or Doncom, for instance. Since these games are made by the company that produces the console, there is zero chance of them being converted to other consoles.
I used to wonder why NEGA Drive's "Super Sonic" wasn't released when I played with the Super Family as a child. The popularity of the Super Family was so overwhelming at the time that I had hoped "Super Sonic" would be released someday. But in the end, it never happened.
Secondly, let's talk about third-party. If you're wondering why I'm explaining third-party before second-party, it's because companies that make games universally belong to this category. Unlike first-party, they were free to release games on any company's console. With the right conditions and technology, they could develop games for both the Super Family and NEGA Drive. Moreover, they could release games on other consoles as well, relatively freely, according to the users' requests.
Of course, in the early '90s, it was an era where nearly everyone was loyal to Mintendo to the extent that it could be called a Mintendo monopoly, so most third-party companies tended to release games for the Super Family.
However, the drawback of being a third-party was that they had to pay a substantial amount of royalties to Mintendo every time they released a game, making it challenging to break even. If a game with a substantial investment failed to become a hit, they would bear all the responsibility and eventually face bankruptcy.
Despite this, many game companies that thrived during the Super Family era have now disappeared, leaving only a few major players. (Although new software companies are emerging during this time...)
Currently, Pentagon Soft falls into the third-party category, and while being part of the third-party, they were primarily creating console games for Mintendo. They were quite loyal to Mintendo, unlike Phoenix Soft, which produces Dragon Warrior and other games.
Now, let's talk about the second-party.
By now, everyone probably guessed what second-party means. Second-party refers to a company from the third-party category that goes under the wing of a first-party company. They keep their company name but are forced to develop games exclusively for the console made by the first-party company, and conversion to other consoles is not allowed. In return, they can minimize the royalties they pay to Mintendo and have their games released under Mintendo's name, ensuring a certain level of sales income.
Many game companies in Japan wanted to become Mintendo's second-party because even if they remained as a third-party, all the games they developed were exclusively for the Super Family.
The impact of the Super Family, the most popular console in Japan, couldn't be ignored, making Gunpei's proposal seem very enticing.
Chandra, however, wore a disappointed expression, despite the sweet offer from Gunpei.
But my thoughts were different.
Going back under Mintendo's wing was essentially the same as going back to square one. While becoming a second-party would allow you to receive investment and support from Mintendo, it would also mean being subjected to Mintendo's scrutiny regarding development periods, game stories, concepts, genres, and more.
"In other words, releasing a game like Valentine's Day will become an unattainable dream."
As Chandra hesitated in response to Gunpei's proposal, I glanced at him and subtly twitched my nose, signaling my refusal.
"Gunpei-san, I think it would be best to just remove that feature."
"Really? Haha. I created it, but it seems a bit too extreme. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I'm sorry, Gunpei-san."
However, Gunpei remained silent, just staring at me.
"Gunpei-san?"
"... ... ."
"This is bad. Call 119 immediately, CEO! Gunpei-san!!! Wake up!!"
I quickly laid Gunpei, who had lost consciousness, on the sofa and began performing CPR, pressing on his chest with force. I repeated it several times.
"Ugh! Cough... Ugh!!"
Fortunately, Gunpei regained consciousness.
Wow... I never expected him to be this surprised. I could have accidentally become a murderer.
...
Beep... Beep... Beep...
Gunpei-san, after coming to his senses, found himself being transported to the hospital in an ambulance, his legs weakened by the tremendous shock. Chandra and I followed behind in a car, feeling somewhat responsible for the whole incident.
During our journey to the hospital, Kawaguchi-san, who was sitting beside me, asked a question.
"Why did you refuse Gunpei-san's proposal? Right now, every third party wants to become Mintendo's second party, and I don't quite understand Junhyuk-san's decision."
Kawaguchi-san seemed genuinely curious, and I knew that the question was bothering her. I replied, "I understand what you're curious about, Kawaguchi-san. However, we need to look further ahead."
"Further ahead?"
"The current Mintendo is undoubtedly the best console company that nobody can touch. But their era won't last forever."
"What? Are you saying that Mintendo will crumble?"
"Sitting on the throne for too long can make everything seem trivial. Mintendo has been on that throne for too long, and as a result, they no longer feel the tension of the current gaming market."
"But there's no other company that can compete with them, right?"
"Right. Currently, Mintendo is the top console company. But in a few years, a 'new breeze' will blow in. What we need to do is not to miss that new trend."
"A new breeze..."
Kawaguchi-san seemed puzzled by my words, but she didn't press further.
It seems like she took my words to heart, and maybe she was right to do so.
"Excuse me, are you the guardian for Mr. Nisekoi Gunpei?"
"Oh, yes!"
Kawaguchi-san and I hurried over to the nurse's voice as we sat waiting in the chairs.
"The patient seems to have suffered a significant shock, so I administered a sedative. He should rest today and be discharged tomorrow. But may I ask what caused the patient's shock?"
"What? Oh, it was because of a game..."
"A game?"
The nurse looked puzzled and made a note on her chart before walking away.
Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any serious issues. Kawaguchi-san and I breathed a sigh of relief and entered the patient's room.
"Gunpei-san, are you feeling better?"
"Hehe... This is so embarrassing. To faint just from looking at a game screen. But weren't all the Super Families turned off?"
"Indeed."
"But how did a game screen suddenly appear?"
"Well, I put a transmission device in the cartridge. Over time, it sends power to the Super Family through an electric shock generated inside the cartridge."
"Is that even possible?"
"You saw it with your own eyes."
"Hehe... I saw it, but it's still hard to believe. You really do have interesting ideas, Kang-san. Like, 'How can I make users even more addicted?' You must have been thinking that since the days of 'Dragon Emblem,' right?"
"Yes?"
"Kang-san, do my eyes look like they're full of holes? Even though I'm getting older, I'm not a fool. Custom chips used in 'Dragon Emblem,' and that mysterious email address... I may not know the numbers, but I already knew that a Korean developer named kjh was you."
"Oh..."
"You gave too many hints."
"Did I? Hehe... Does that mean Shige-san and Kamauichi-san knew too?"
"No. As far as I can tell, they didn't know."
"Well, if they did, Kamauichi-san wouldn't have left it alone."
Gunpei-san smiled and looked at me. Despite the age difference, it felt like we had built a deep friendship over the years.
After a moment of hesitation, I spoke up.
"Gunpei-san, on our way to the hospital, I talked to Kawaguchi-san, and we decided to decline Mintendo's offer."
"Oh? Why? All the gaming companies want to be Mintendo's second party now."
In response to Gunpei's question, I hesitated for a moment and then smiled before continuing, "Because if we join Mintendo..."
Once I hesitated for a moment, I finally smiled and continued, "We wouldn't be able to make games like Valentine's Day."
Upon hearing this, Gunpei-san chuckled and replied, "Well, that's true."
"I want to create more diverse and new game genres."
[Break]
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