CH198

Satoshi took a large machine out of his bag.

“May I try running this?”

“What is that?”

“Project SD. It’s the Sega Drive development kit.”

Is he trying to show me a live demonstration to get proper advice?

Well, I do vaguely remember the finished product.

“Of course, go ahead.”

“Thank you.”

While Satoshi was busy setting things up, I briefly drifted into thought.

In my previous life, I recall that Hyungang and Mega formed a partnership.

That game console being set up now was probably imported under the name ‘Hyungang Aladdin Boy.’

In contrast, Daebo partnered with Nintendo and released the ‘Daebo Comboy.’

Nintendo was the winner of the 16-bit era, after all.

A disgraced Hyungang eventually exited the console business.

At least, that’s how it went in my past life.

‘Things are completely different now.’

Just then, Satoshi turned to me, apparently done with the setup.

“Would you like to give it a try?”

Hmm.

The controller he handed me looked quite different from what I remembered.

Originally, I think it had about six buttons.

Maybe it’s because it’s still in the development phase.

The controller had four buttons arranged in a diamond shape, seemingly inspired by the Super Family.

“Uh… do you not like the controller?”

“No, it’s not that. It just looks a bit similar to a competitor’s.”

“Ah, yes. Other designs have been suggested internally, but… since this is just a prototype, we went with a simpler approach.”

In other words, development hadn’t progressed very far.

It became quite apparent once the game started running.

The Sega Drive’s signature vibrant colors were missing, and the music felt rather bland.

‘Hmm.’

It felt awkward to give an answer in just a minute after being paid a consulting fee of a billion won, but…

I still had to say what needed to be said.

“It’s going to be difficult.”

Maybe he had already anticipated my response.

Satoshi’s reaction appeared relatively calm.

“If we were confident, we would’ve launched it already.”

So, they knew it too.

“But giving up now is hard… we’ve already invested a lot.”

“If there’s one thing gambling and business have in common, it’s that clinging on because of sunk costs often leads to ruin.”

Even so, it wouldn’t be easy for them to give up.

Frankly speaking, corporate politics are a thing, aren’t they?

If the project gets canceled, the planning team will be held accountable with no way out.

In such a scenario, the planning team, with nothing to lose, will insist on launching the product no matter what, regardless of the damage it might cause to the company.

My guess is…

They came all the way to me because they wanted an objective judgment from an outsider.

“What do you think, Mr. Satoshi?”

“Sorry?”

“You’re part of the development team, so I figured you might have an opinion.”

“Ah, well…”

He seemed a little shy about expressing his own thoughts.

However, when I looked at him seriously, Satoshi straightened his posture.

“I… I support the development of the console itself. In the end, home consoles will dominate the market.”

Home consoles will dominate?

“For now, we can generate revenue just by developing arcade games. That’s what we’re best at. But… eventually, the landscape will change.”

“On what basis?”

“RPG games, which incorporate story and growth elements, will become mainstream… so naturally, home consoles will….”

At that point, Satoshi scratched the back of his head.

“Sorry, I came here for consulting, but I ended up rambling on about my personal views.”

“No, I asked you.”

Satoshi’s prediction was surprisingly accurate.

I continued asking similar questions, and he responded with sharp answers every time.

This guy… who exactly is he?

“Mr. Satoshi, you mentioned you’re with Development Team 1, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Are you working on a project right now?”

“Oh, yes. We’re developing an action game.”

When I showed interest, Satoshi added more details.

“Since we need to showcase the device’s performance, we’re developing a game that maximizes the sense of speed.”

A fast-paced game developed by Mega.

A certain speedy blue hedgehog flashed through my mind.

No wonder he didn’t seem ordinary.

“I originally wanted to develop an RPG, but you know how company policies go. So, for now, we’re working on something to compete with Super Mario.”

It sounded like they were only making it because they were told to, but…

For something they were ‘just making,’ it seemed to be turning out exceptionally well.

‘Hmm.’

Enough with the small talk.

Since this is still a consulting session, it’s time to give them my conclusion.

“If it were up to me, I would drop the console business. Instead, I’d convert the game under development and release it for the Super Family. That way, you can recover at least half of the development costs.”

“Are you suggesting we become a third-party developer for Nintendo?”

For people who had drawn their swords intending to defeat Nintendo…

Becoming subordinate to them might feel humiliating.

But letting pride get in the way and acting recklessly would only lead to disaster.

Preparing for the future is a hundred times better.

Fortunately, Satoshi seemed to somewhat agree with that point.

“Conversion isn’t difficult, but… I’m not sure if our game will suit Nintendo’s style….”

“If you’re worried about sales, partnering with me is another option.”

“Sorry? You mean partnering with JH?”

“You transfer half of the North American distribution rights to me. In return, I’ll guarantee 20 million units sold.”

“Wait, how could you guarantee 20 million units…?”

The game has solid potential.

For me, just making a fun advertisement would be enough.

For example—

“We could create an ad where the fastest monster in Capsulemon competes in a speed race with your character. That would grab the attention of Capsulemon fans. They’d wonder, ‘What’s so fast about it?’”

And that’s not all.

If we make an ad where the speedy hedgehog drinks a can of Redbull and becomes even faster, it would benefit both Redbull and Mega.

“Traditional marketing strategies can’t be ignored either. We could create collaboration cards with Dragon Quest, or even produce an anime based on the game’s story.”

This is all JH’s area of expertise!

“If… if you could do all that, we would be incredibly grateful….”

He looked like he still had more questions.

Understandable, given they had already spent a billion won.

He might as well ask everything he wants before leaving.

“Even if we somehow give up on the 16-bit console, what about the 32-bit era? If we prepare in advance, do you think there’s a chance…?”

A chance? Yeah, right.

Mega’s history of attempting to break into the console market is a series of failures.

They were completely crushed by Play Studio, commonly known as ‘PlayStation.’

Even their final bold attempt at the 128-bit era, with a grand launch declaration, ended in complete defeat at the hands of PlayStation 2, plunging Mega into a long, dark period.

“Just drop it.”

They probably won’t understand if I put it that bluntly.

“I’m a shareholder of Nintendo. If you want to challenge the console market, you can’t avoid competing with me.”

Right about now, memories of the many successful ventures I’ve launched should be flashing through his mind.

And not just that—

The instant marketing strategy I came up with using the Capsulemon IP must still be bothering him.

“But if Mega joins as a third-party developer for Nintendo, we’d become partners. The choice is Mega’s.”

It didn’t seem like there was much of a choice to be made.

He appeared to have made up his mind, quietly gathering his things.

Ah, one more thing.

“If you’re sick of office politics, considering a career move might be an option.”

“Sorry?”

“Once you’ve finished developing your current project, let’s talk again in more detail.”

“…!”

“Come see me personally next time. Don’t worry about any consulting fees—I won’t charge you.”

A pointed joke.

Gulp.

Satoshi’s Adam’s apple bobbed visibly as he swallowed hard.

Back in my room,

I paused to reflect for a moment.

Was guaranteeing 20 million units a bit too much?

Historically, it sold about 15 million units in North America alone.

But that was when it was released for the Sega Drive.

If it’s launched for the Super Family, it’ll sell far more than that.

‘And if I pour serious effort into marketing…’

Maybe 30 million units isn’t impossible.

Come to think of it,

Between signing a business agreement with Mom and now consulting for Mega,

‘Am I running a business from home now?’

Even though I said that, honestly… I felt a rush of dopamine exploding inside me.

It was a hundred times more thrilling than drinking alcohol.

‘At this rate, I probably won’t be able to sleep anyway.’

With that in mind, I headed over to the phone on my desk.

With a target revenue of 1 trillion won,

Since we’re already on the topic of games… why not dig deeper into this area?

I immediately picked up the receiver.

The recipient? Tennessee.

‘No idea about his home phone.’

On the off chance, I called the dormitory.

(Who’s this?)

Oh, he actually picked up.

“It’s me, Park Ji-hoon.”

(If you went to Korea, you should be out having fun. Why are you calling me?)

Acting like he doesn’t like it, huh?

“Got some time?”

(Why? Planning to invite me to Korea?)

I called to give him work, but…

Hearing him react like that made me feel a little guilty.

‘No, Park Ji-hoon….’

Now’s exactly the time to stay calm!

“I need you to find someone.”

(What am I, a private investigator? Why do you keep asking me to find people?)

“You’re a shareholder.”

(…?)

“You’ll be in charge of future business deals related to games.”

(What?)

“You said you wanted to be a businessman. Or are you expecting special treatment like a spoiled noble when things get serious?”

The moment I threw out a provocative comment, he immediately flared up.

(When did I ever say I wouldn’t do it?)

Heh heh heh.

(So, what is it this time?)

“You know Tetris, right?”

(Of course I do. Well, maybe not of course, but yeah, I’ve heard of it. Here and there.)

I chuckled.

“Track down the developer of Tetris and secure an official license contract.”

(What do you mean?)

What do I mean?

“Remember that handheld game device we talked about on the cruise?”

Tetris and handheld devices are a perfect match—it’s a killer title that would dominate.

The only problem is… because of its simple gameplay, there are countless knockoff versions of Tetris flooding the market!

“We’ll secure the official license, slap the JH name on it, and release Tetris.”

(Will it sell?)

“Of course.”

Among all handheld game titles, Tetris holds the record for the highest sales in history.

If we nail this deal, we can easily secure 200 billion won toward our 1 trillion won target.

(So who owns the rights?)

“Alexey Pajitnov. He’s a developer born in Moscow.”

(Is he still in the Soviet Union?)

“Who knows?”

(…?)

“Your job is to find out where he is and get the contract.”

By now, he seemed halfway resigned.

(Can I bring Professor Jo with me?)

“No, the professor’s busy with the department store business.”

(Then… too bad. How about Dmitry at least…?)

“He’s got his own work.”

(Work?)

Once I’m done with this call to Tennessee, it’ll be Dmitry’s turn.

He’s got someone to track down in the U.S. too… Come to think of it, I’m starting to feel like I’m running a half-decent detective agency.

Hmm.

Anyway!

“Dmitry’s out too.”

(Then… who do I go with?)

“Wouldn’t this be a good opportunity to recruit someone? Someone who’s a good fit, someone you can work well with, and who’ll come running whenever you call.”

(It can’t be someone from the family. If my work gets exposed, it’ll cause all sorts of complications….)

“Who said anything about bringing in a family member?”

(…?)

“Someone from school.”

(Who?)

“You know, the guy who turned over a new leaf and whose whole vibe is completely different now.”