Nintendo's North American sales report had been compiled and was now being reviewed in the company's conference room.
Based on reliable data, out of nearly 400,000 games sold in North America, 170,000 were FC titles, and the remaining 230,000 were MS titles.
Although they had agreed to release the game on both platforms, the sales revenue sharing couldn't be adjusted to match Sega's model of allowing independent cartridge distribution.
In North America, Nintendo had contracted specific companies to manufacture the FC cartridges. The 170,000 cartridges sold generated over $8 million in revenue. According to their agreement, this meant Atlas would receive $1.2 million from the actual sales.
This was their first collaboration, and Nintendo had made a concession based on Atlas's reputation. Otherwise, a standard contract would typically be below 10%. This time, Atlas's contract reached 15%.
Of course, as mentioned earlier, Atlas receiving 15% didn't mean Nintendo took the remaining 85%. Nintendo still had to distribute funds to factories, sales channels, and other parties involved.
Hiroshi Yamauchi didn't need anyone to report the figures to him; he could estimate them himself.
This game's lifecycle would bring tens of millions of dollars in profit to the FC, indirectly boosting the cartridge factory, driving console sales, and so on.
By all accounts, this collaboration was a huge success.
Yamauchi asked, "Has Atlas announced their next development plans?"
Miyamoto Shigeru immediately replied, "It's an arcade game. There's also a side project they're working on for employees, but they don't seem to plan to release it officially or promote it."
He'd been interacting with Iwata Satoru more frequently lately and had picked up some information.
Yamauchi nodded, a hint of regret in his voice.
Nintendo had an arcade business, but it couldn't compete with the "Big Four": Sega, Namco, Konami, and Taito.
This meant there was little chance of collaborating with Atlas on arcade titles.
"For that training game on the console, see if you can negotiate a multi-platform deal with Atlas. If necessary, we can offer more favorable terms—losing money is fine; the important thing is that it drives console sales!"
After giving his instructions, Hiroshi Yamauchi suddenly asked, "How is Super Mario doing in North America?"
Miyamoto Shigeru replied, "It's thriving, steadily improving."
Yamauchi pressed, "How does it compare to Sonic?"
"It's neck and neck," Miyamoto answered.
"Neck and neck" meant the situation was fluid—sometimes Mario outsold Sonic, sometimes Sonic did, but over the course of the year, their performance was roughly equal. North American players preferred Mario as a character—who didn't love a mustachioed plumber?—but as a game, Sonic currently had more fans.
Yamauchi nodded slightly.
At least, this performance was more than satisfactory!
When Kobayashi Tetsu's press release went out, the most shocked wasn't the players, the rival companies, or the other competitors. It was Tanimura Masahito.
What happened to the predicted flop?!
Tanimura Masahito immediately wanted to curse, but after reading the article in detail, he couldn't find a single point to criticize.
The game's first-week sales in North America were already excellent. Based on the sales curve, it was projected to sell 700,000 units in its first month, with a lifetime sales figure in the millions.
The article explicitly stated that these were projections based on sales across both the MS and FC platforms.
Tanimura Masahito could certainly continue his tirade, arguing that projections don't always reflect reality or that dual-platform releases don't compare to single-platform competition.
But that would be pure sophistry!
Tanimura Masahito's critiques were always logically grounded. His argument that the game would fail was based on the premise that Dragon Quest was an exceptional title, and that RPG cartridges, with their large capacity and high price, would inevitably sell less than standard games.
Unless Atlas released a title that could rival Dragon Quest, Tanimura Masahito was sure to find fault.
But now, he had to reconsider his position.
After reading the newspaper article several times and pondering the numbers, he couldn't help but sigh.
Could he still go back to Atlas now and grovel a few times for Kobayashi Tetsu? Would it be too late?
After all, everyone in Development Division 2 answers to him!
The mailman knocked, and Tanimura Masahito rose to retrieve the envelope. He opened it to find a million yen in activity funds from an unknown person named "Ponyma," along with a neatly written message: Keep fighting! I hate Atlas too!
Tanimura Masahito's spirits soared instantly.
"No way! I won't kneel! As long as I'm alive, I'll keep fighting! I'll fight Atlas to the bitter end!"
Dressed neatly, Tanimura Masahito headed to the nearest game store to buy a game.
As soon as he arrived, someone he knew pointed at him and laughed.
"Mr. Tanimura, you predicted wrong this time! Look at the latest news—Final Fantasy is selling incredibly well overseas!"
Tanimura Masahito brushed his hair aside dismissively.
"I only predict things in Japan. It's natural I don't understand overseas matters. At least this game won't outsell Dragon Quest in Japan!"
Tanimura Masahito's predictions were met with laughter as he declared, "Predictions don't always reflect reality," "Atlas is still struggling in Japan," and "What do Americans know about games anyway?"
After his laugh, Tanimura Masahito moved on. As a former industry insider, his predictions were usually accurate, not just wild guesses.
Final Fantasy had finally admitted defeat. Now, Tanimura Masahito was ready to review the next game!
Kobayashi Tetsu, who wrote under the pen name "Ten Cents" and anonymously as "Ponyma," had just sent back his report. Tanimura Masahito had done a great job; the million yen had been well-spent.
Passing through Central Avenue, Kobayashi Tetsu stopped by the Shimayose Game Store. Before he even got close, he heard two people call out to him. He raised his hand in greeting to Manager Chiyama and Shimayose Yosuke.
"President Kobayashi! What a surprise to see you here!"
"Just passing by to see how the game is selling. After all, some people were already predicting it would flop before it even released—"
"That's good to hear," Kobayashi Tetsu said with a smile, casually asking the two, "How are the games selling?"
Manager Chiyama replied, "They've been selling well these past few days. To be precise, they're selling better and better."
He'd previously worried that the cartridges wouldn't sell out, but now it seemed his concerns were unfounded. They'd need to place another order soon.
Shimayose Yosuke suddenly interjected with a follow-up question.
"President Kobayashi, these days, it's been the development teams under Atlas that have been making games. Not that I'm complaining—I think Iwata-kun and Nakahiro-kun are both excellent developers. But it's been a while since your name has been associated with a project. When will you come back and make a game for us again?"
Kobayashi Tetsu stopped in his tracks.
He actually didn't have any ideas at the moment. Street Fighter had been entrusted to Naka Yuji and the others, while Kobayashi Tetsu had only provided the initial concept.
But Shimayose Yosuke's question did make him pause and reflect.
Since leaving the garage and moving up, he hadn't personally overseen a project in quite some time.
"Maybe next time," Kobayashi Tetsu said. "I'll definitely do it next time."
The regular customers turned to look.
"We still need President Kobayashi to make games!"
"President Kobayashi's games have that special touch!"
"His games are always substantial—great value, plenty of content. We can't go a day without playing one!"
Kobayashi Tetsu couldn't help but chuckle.
With a few words and effusive praise, they had given him a significant emotional boost.
He agreed: "Alright! It won't be in the first half of next year—the development schedule is already set.
But in the second half of next year, I'll definitely bring you a new game!"
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