The clash of narrative logic between film directors and game directors will ultimately benefit the players.
"The key point is 'Pokémon'," Hisao Oguchi said, opening another memo. "Satoshi Tajiri's team has submitted a live demo for 'Pokémon Great Adventure'. They've made a big leap this time, turning it directly into a 3D action-platformer while retaining the series' light puzzle-solving elements."
Takuya Nakayama looked at the proposal on the paper.
In his previous life, Pokémon was very cautious—or one could say conservative—on the path to 3D, or perhaps it was just because Game Freak's capabilities were lacking.
Now that Sega holds a powerful platform like Jupiter, they naturally cannot let this top-tier IP continue to be confined to a 2D turn-based framework.
"Satoshi Tajiri's team has fine-tuned the animation modules for the main Pokémon, adding many expressions and movements for idle states," Hisao Oguchi added. "Utilizing Jupiter's capabilities, the jumping and skill casting of the Pokémon in 3D sandbox environments feel very solid. The feedback from the testing department is that this type of gameplay has extremely strong appeal to younger demographics and female players."
"The direction is correct," Takuya Nakayama evaluated. "The core of Pokémon is collecting and raising, but the form of expression must keep pace with hardware iterations. 3D sandbox exploration can maximize the display of the ecology of those Pokémon. Tell Satoshi Tajiri that scene interaction can be even bolder. There are far more ideas to explore in dynamic environmental scenes; this is also the advantage of 3D game interaction."
Hisao Oguchi quickly took notes in his notebook.
"The rest is just the standard lineup," Hisao Oguchi continued reporting. "The motion capture data for 'Pro Soccer World 1996' has been updated, including the new season's player rosters. 'Super Robot Wars 2' and 'Metal Slug 4' are following a steady and reliable path to ensure a solid foundation. The new entry in the 'Harvest Moon' series is also ready to have a trailer released at E3."
He paused, specifically pointing out one title.
"And there's 'Kirby,' making its debut on the Jupiter platform. They have remade Kirby's swallowing and copying animations using pseudo-3D effects, retaining the 2D side-scrolling gameplay while making the scenes and backgrounds have more depth. It's mainly about improving visual quality. We're not attempting 3D for the first Jupiter title for now."
Takuya Nakayama tapped his fingers on the desk.
"The first-party lineup is solid." Takuya Nakayama closed the proposal. "But for this year's E3, Sega's main stage cannot be reserved solely for these games."
Hisao Oguchi stopped his pen and looked up at Takuya Nakayama.
"Allocate forty percent of the promotional budget, along with the two most prominent giant billboards in the central exhibition hall, to third parties," Takuya Nakayama ordered.
"Allocate them to whom?"
"Square's 'Final Fantasy VII' and Core Design's 'Tomb Raider'."
Hisao Oguchi quickly ran through the information on these two games in his mind.
Since announcing their switch to Jupiter, Square's "Final Fantasy VII" had become the focus of industry attention.
Hironobu Sakaguchi had bet his entire company's future on this 3D project.
As for Core Design's "Tomb Raider," that was a trump card in the hands of the European publisher Eidos, focusing on 3D sandbox exploration and a female protagonist.
"I can understand 'Final Fantasy VII'," Hisao Oguchi questioned. "It's a nuclear weapon in the RPG field that can help us lock down Sony's PlayStation in both the Japanese domestic market and the US market. But is 'Tomb Raider,' a new IP from a European studio, worth us allocating such significant resources?"
"Worth it," Takuya Nakayama said in a calm tone. "Lara Croft from Tomb Raider will become a cultural icon of the 3D gaming era. Its full 3D perspective and complex level design perfectly match the desires of North American and European players for exploration and action. The potential of this game in those markets is no less than the dominance of Final Fantasy VII in Japan. Just think about the craze around Toy Story last year—aren't the underlying gameplay and programming design very similar to Tomb Raider?"
He looked at Hisao Oguchi.
"We need to send a signal to the entire industry," Nakayama continued, explaining the business logic behind it. "Jupiter is not just a garden for Sega's first-party games; it is also a money-printing machine for third-party manufacturers to earn excess profits. First-party games are used to demonstrate the hardware's ceiling, while third-party games are used to prove the prosperity of the ecosystem. Letting third parties steal the spotlight at E3 is more effective than us standing up there and bragging about our sales. A company that tries to hog everything for itself won't get far; expanding the pie is the only real path to success."
Hisao Oguchi understood.
This was a calculated gesture to signal their commitment.
Sony is waving its checkbook around everywhere to buy exclusives, while Sega uses tangible promotional resources to elevate third-party developers to stardom.
As long as "Final Fantasy VII" and "Tomb Raider" sell well on the Jupiter, the Jupiter's market share advantage will be unshakable, and those developers still on the sidelines will lean toward Sega without hesitation.
"I will readjust the booth layout plan." Hisao Oguchi drew a circle on his memo pad, circling the names of these two games.
The work report came to an end. Hisao Oguchi packed up his documents, preparing to leave.
"Oguchi-san," Takuya Nakayama called out to him.
Hisao Oguchi sat up straight again.
"For future game development projects, other than launch titles that involve brand-new hardware features, or projects that I specifically request, you and the general managers of the Development Department can decide on regular sequels and genre expansions yourselves. You don't need to bring every little detail to me for approval."
Hisao Oguchi was stunned for a moment.
Sega's current situation largely depended on Takuya Nakayama's almost prophetic, acute sense for game products.
From The King of Fighters to Pokémon, from Metal Slug to Golden Sun, every project was launched with a precise finger on the pulse of the times. Now, the Managing Director wants to delegate authority?
"You are..." Hisao Oguchi said, carefully choosing his words.
"Sega's game development system is already running smoothly," Takuya Nakayama replied, leaning back in his chair and looking out the window. "Producers are responsible for creativity, the technical department provides underlying support, the planning department controls commercial prospects, and the finance department calculates costs. This process is healthy. If every game from a multinational giant requires a single executive to make the final call, then the company's resilience to risk is far too fragile."
He pushed the financial statement on the desk toward Hisao Oguchi.
"This is where I should be focusing my energy," Nakayama said, tapping his finger on the report. "Integrating the industrial chain, maintaining a healthy cash flow, negotiating IP licensing with Hollywood, and dealing with Wall Street capital. The enemies Sega faces in the future will be more than just Nintendo and Sony. As we extend our reach into every corner of the entertainment industry, cultivating our internal strength will be more important than selling a few tens of thousands more games."
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