That afternoon, Tanaka Minoru cleared his entire schedule so he could personally pick up Kobayashi Tetsu.
The sedan rolled into SEGA's underground parking lot. From there, Tanaka led Kobayashi through the side entrance into the SEGA building.
The security guards recognized Tanaka immediately, but stared blankly at Kobayashi. Kobayashi only pulled his cap lower and followed Tanaka inside.
Tanaka glanced at him curiously.
"You really don't want people to know you're the head of Atlas Studio, do you?"
"A four-person studio hardly needs a president. It just sounds nicer," Kobayashi replied. "Besides, I have no intention of becoming a celebrity game developer."
Some creators weren't especially good at making games, but they loved standing in the spotlight to boost sales. That was what people called a "star game designer."
Tanaka didn't press the issue. He shifted topics quickly.
"The sales of Jormungandr are remarkable—far beyond expectations. No one in SEGA can find a single complaint. So SEGA intends to entrust Atlas with the arcade port. Or, if it's inconvenient, SEGA can handle the porting instead."
"As for payment—"
Before he could finish, Kobayashi cut in casually:
"We're already working on it."
Tanaka blinked.
"…What?"
"I started before the home version even launched. Yuji Naka has been working overnight. The arcade version should be almost ready—as long as SEGA supplies the board."
Nintendo's licensing system was truly awful. Even arcade games fell under it—if you wanted to publish, you had to let SEGA's designated factories handle manufacturing.
Kobayashi hated the system, but since he couldn't overthrow it, he could only make sure he benefited wherever possible.
Tanaka was surprised, but more than that, relieved.
As they walked down the long corridor, employees greeted them one after another. Only when they were out of earshot did Tanaka speak again.
"You really have good foresight. Launching the arcade version now will make a killing. Previously, SEGA bought out the arcade rights completely, but this time, why don't we change the deal? We could switch to a revenue-share model—split a portion of the arcade token income with Atlas."
Kobayashi stopped walking.
"That sounds good. But the token split should be different from home-console royalties, right?"
"Of course. Arcade tokens are practically daylight robbery. Aside from the arcade keeping most of the revenue, for every hundred tokens sold, thirty-three automatically go to SEGA. I can authorize giving you sixteen tokens out of each hundred—"
"Seventeen," Kobayashi said.
Tanaka laughed.
"You want to haggle over even this? Fine—seventeen."
Arcade revenue splits were complicated: events, promotions, fluctuating token value… Directly splitting cash was messy. Converting based on consumed tokens was the standard method.
Kobayashi didn't bother with details. Someone else could negotiate the fine print later.
When they reached the office door, the assistant was already waiting.
"Director Tanaka, there is a foreign visitor inside."
Tanaka froze.
A foreigner?
Kobayashi raised his brows.
A foreigner—now that was rare.
They stepped inside. Immediately, a plump, slightly greasy man lunged forward with a bear hug. Kobayashi stepped back swiftly, positioning Tanaka in front like a shield. Tanaka was swallowed into the embrace, nearly knocked out cold by a wave of body odor.
"Director Tanaka! Please—you must listen to my request!"
Kobayashi, in that moment, desperately wanted to use a certain line:
I'll give you thirty seconds. Explain how you lost your mind.
But Tanaka, held back by professionalism and oxygen deprivation, steadied himself, pushed the visitor away gently, and gestured for him to sit.
Kobayashi sat on the opposite sofa, studying the man.
He looked like the stereotypical American businessman—middle-aged, soft around the middle, thinning hair, but dressed neatly and clearly accustomed to international travel. His Japanese was understandable, but stiff.
"I'm Jim. Jim Williams. I'm a business manager at Hasbro."
The name made Tanaka frown in confusion.
Not surprising—most Japanese businessmen in the '80s spoke poor English, and Jim's half-English, half-Japanese phrasing only made it worse.
But Kobayashi was genuinely surprised.
Hasbro—one of America's top toy manufacturers, also involved in board games and a bit of gaming. They dipped into the video game market in the '90s, realized they weren't good at it, and retreated.
"Hasbro? That is unexpected. But Hasbro doesn't distribute products in Japan, does it?" Kobayashi said, folding his hands and watching Jim with interest.
Jim looked between Kobayashi and Tanaka, baffled that Kobayashi was the one speaking with authority.
"Stop staring. Talk to me," Kobayashi said, sweeping back his hair. "I've never heard of Hasbro having any partnership with SEGA. Even if you did, you'd be talking to SEGA of America, not SEGA of Japan."
"Oh my God—" Jim whispered. "A young man is the one with decision-making authority? Fine, then I'll speak plainly."
"I came to Japan recently on business. By complete accident, I encountered an outstanding game. I want to acquire the license to release an arcade version in the United States!"
Kobayashi blinked.
"…Hasbro produces arcade cabinets? Really? I thought the U.S. market was still struggling."
"Not often. But for bars or billiard halls, there's always space for one arcade machine," Jim replied. "So I hope SEGA will grant Hasbro the arcade rights to Jormungandr. I must say—the quality is extraordinary. It's perfect for arcades."
Kobayashi clicked his tongue.
What timing—he had just finished talking about arcade rights with Tanaka.
Normally, North American distribution should go through SEGA of America. Approaching SEGA Japan directly was overstepping.
But Kobayashi wasn't a SEGA employee. He didn't care.
Holding his breath, he stepped forward and extended a hand.
"Then you're talking to the right person."
He removed his cap and bowed slightly.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm from Atlas Studio. Jormungandr is our creation."
Jim's eyes went wide. He looked back and forth between the two men.
"I thought— I thought SEGA owned the rights…"
"No. The rights are mine. SEGA only handles publishing. If you want to talk about North American distribution, you should be speaking with me."
Hasbro, Kobayashi thought.
This was worth negotiating.
The only thing that surprised him was how sharp the man's instincts were.
Please Support me by becoming my patreon member and get 15+ chapters.
[email protected]/Ajal69
change @ with a
Thank You to Those who joined my Patreon