Atlas has acquired Capcom!
The news hadn't officially broken yet, so only a few people knew.
Still, the announcement was enough to make Namco feel nauseous.
They had been targeting Capcom, knowing the company was in financial trouble, only to be outmaneuvered by Kobayashi Tetsu!
Nakamura immediately instructed his subordinates to try and contact Capcom again. Even with a signed contract in hand, there was still a chance to reach them. At the very least, they'd try to poach some of Capcom's talent!
But before Nakamura could make his move, the news broke that same day.
[ Atlas Spends 500 Million Yen to Acquire Capcom, Plans Major Push into Arcade Industry! ]
"In the spring of 1986, an arcade game burst onto the scene: the legendary Demon Tower. Through four months of innovative puzzle design, Atlas created a title that would become a benchmark for the genre. Today, we received shocking news: Atlus Studio has acquired Capcom for 500 million yen."
"Who is Capcom? It's a game company based in Osaka that developed games like Ghosts 'n Goblins."
Nakamura took a sharp breath, his mind reeling from the Iron Plate Formation.
This is a bit much!
The news hadn't even been officially announced, yet the newspapers were already running with the story.
It was obvious Kobayashi Tetsu had arranged this in advance, just waiting for the right moment to release the information!
Approaching Capcom now wasn't impossible, but the price was simply prohibitive.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to admit defeat.
Namco had strong cash flow, having used the profits from the Iron Plate Formation to build an "Iron Plate Formation Tower." But spending 500 million yen to acquire Capcom? That required serious consideration. After all, Capcom was only just beginning to make waves in the arcade world, not yet a household name.
Nakamura pondered the situation. The news might be exaggerated; the price reported in the papers could be inflated. At least, he didn't believe Capcom was worth 500 million yen.
Maybe it was only a hundred million, and Kobayashi Tetsu is just hyping it up!
"Never mind," Nakamura chuckled, dismissing the matter.
It's just Capcom. Whatever. If they sell, they sell. I have other targets in mind.
Namco's priority was to compete with Taito and Konami, not to clash with Atlas over an expendable company like Capcom.
The same news, of course, elicited different reactions from different people.
Arcade enthusiasts remained indifferent, or even pleased.
Because Demon Tower was so much fun!
Even without participating in the offline puzzle-solving events, Demon Tower was an outstanding game in its own right, with truly commendable gameplay.
This proved that Atlas could also excel in the arcade sector.
Atlas and Capcom—this could be called a union of titans. The arcade games they'd release next were worth looking forward to.
Nintendo remained silent.
Acquiring companies was common practice. Even Nintendo's own development departments weren't entirely internally cultivated; acquiring external departments was a routine occurrence.
Sega also showed no significant reaction.
Though Capcom was an arcade giant, it was dwarfed by Sega in scale. The acquisition of Capcom was of little consequence.
Unless Kobayashi Tetsu announced the acquisition of Namco, then Sega would have to reconsider, likely severing its partnership with Atlas. Namco's arcade business, combined with Atlas's development capabilities, would pose a significant threat to Sega.
The arcade business was Sega's very foundation! Sega feared losing the console war to Nintendo less than it feared the complete collapse of its arcade operations.
Only Tanimura Masahito, after receiving funding from the reclusive Kobayashi Tetsu, launched another tirade.
"Have they even finished the RPG? What's this 'Project FF'—shouldn't it be 'Project Die'? I doubt their planned RPG will be half as fun as Dragon Quest. They think they can bury this news with such announcements? They're not content with their own destruction—must they drag Capcom down to hell with them?!"
Although this was just a trial balloon, it still garnered some approval from players.
Didn't they say they were making an RPG? Where's the game? They can't possibly be acquiring Capcom, can they?!
Shinjuku, Mitsui Building.
Inside Atlas's office, the atmosphere was slightly agitated, especially after the news broke.
"President!"
Seeing Kobayashi Tetsu return, Naka Yuji and the others stood up in unison.
Naka Yuji, who had arrived earliest and had the closest relationship with Kobayashi, felt bold enough to ask the question on everyone's mind.
"President, is the news about Capcom true?"
Kobayashi Tetsu casually replied, "Yes, I leaked the information to the media. As an arcade company, Capcom could be useful for developing Street Fighter. I just happened to pick them up while I was in Osaka."
Naka Yuji: ————??
Kobayashi Tetsu continued, "It cost a bit, but we now have a controlling stake in Capcom. So, the fighting game for the arcade will be developed jointly by the First Development Department and Capcom. Nakahiro-kun, you'll likely need to travel between Tokyo and Osaka frequently. Once Capcom finishes developing the arcade hardware, we can officially start development on Street Fighter!"
The CPS1 hardware hadn't been developed yet, so the corresponding development kit was naturally unavailable to Kobayashi Tetsu.
This was why Kobayashi Tetsu only asked Naka Yuji to have the First Development Department research the project, create proposals, and study action videos, rather than actually start development. The real work would have to wait until the CPS1 was ready.
Naka Yuji was still caught up in the casual tone of Kobayashi Tetsu's remark.
When Kobayashi Tetsu casually mentioned buying Capcom, his tone was as nonchalant as when he'd told Takahashi Kazuki the previous day, "I went downstairs and bought some sushi." Naka Yuji couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
When will I reach the President's level? Buying Capcom as casually as buying sushi!
Though it might be some premium sushi, it's still too casual!
Kobayashi Tetsu checked his watch.
"We should get the Capcom development kit soon. Street Fighter development should start a little later than Project FF, aiming for a mid-1987 release. In the meantime, you're free to explore your ideas."
Naka Yuji replied, "I plan to develop a practice action game on the MS. The main goal is to gain experience in action game development. As a small project, it should be finished in about a month."
Kobayashi Tetsu waved his hand.
Whatever, Naka Yuji can do whatever he wants!
These practice projects are usually never released; they're mostly for the developers to play internally. Unless it turns out exceptionally well, there's no point in publishing it.
As Kobayashi Tetsu entered his office, Naka Yuji fell into contemplation.
Since it was a practice project, the scope wouldn't be too large, nor did it need a big marketing push. Still, it had to have the basics: punches, kicks, and the like for an action game.
For the content, he decided to follow Kobayashi Tetsu's suggestion of a fighting tournament and set it up as a tower-climbing story.
"As for the protagonist..."
Naka Yuji mused. The action star who kept appearing in the films he'd been watching recently was a certain Hong Kong action star.
Big nose, long hair, and great skills.
Ever since Snake Fist grossed hundreds of millions of yen in distribution revenue in Japan, Jackie Chan had become a massive star. A significant portion of Japanese celebrities were his fans, and his films regularly broke the billion-yen mark.
It should be fine if the protagonist looks like Jackie Chan, right? Naka Yuji thought.
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