Game Market 1983

Chapter 27: Sponsor Game

Kang Junhyuk couldn't contain his excitement as he stood among the crowd at the gaming event.

"Introducing the world's first handheld console with cartridge exchange!" the presenter exclaimed.

"Wow!!!" Kang Junhyuk exclaimed.

"This is the prototype of a new handheld console model that is still in development. It allows you to insert game cartridges at the back, giving you the ability to enjoy countless games on a single device. It also features both speakers and headphone options, so you can plug in your earphones and enjoy music while gaming in crowded places."

"Wow!!!" Kang Junhyuk's enthusiasm knew no bounds.

"Although it has a monochrome display, it can dynamically represent various graphics. Let's try playing a game using the actual cartridge we've created."

The presenter, Mr. Gunpei, inserted a demo cartridge into the device and showed it to a boy in front of the stage.

"It's Super Mario!!! It's Super Mario!!"

The boy marveled at the smoothly moving Super Mario on the small black-and-white screen, and the people around him also cheered as they watched the in-game action.

"It's... It's real. Super Mario is running!"

While those behind the crowd couldn't see it clearly, they yearned to catch a glimpse of the action, causing a wave of excitement. Mr. Gunpei smiled proudly, gazing at the ecstatic gamers, and then he put the Game Boy back in his pocket.

"We aim to release this Game Boy prototype by the end of next year. You can find more details in next month's Famitsu Communication. That concludes our surprise announcement from MinTendo."

"Wow!!!!"

The presentation was a huge success. As people left the venue, they couldn't stop talking about the incredible announcement. One person, still in shock, ran to the back of the event area and shouted.

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"Wow, Gunpei, you adorable guy! Where are you?"

It seemed that Kamakouchi, the company's president, was the most touched of all.

...

The Legend of Karin turned out to be a massive hit, just as I had anticipated. The event had been covered by the news, and a special documentary was even aired, highlighting the game's impact on society.

MinTendo was at the forefront of it all, and the Family Computer, which had been on sale since July 15, 1983, had sold around 70 million units worldwide in just three years, solidifying MinTendo's position as the undisputed gaming empire.

However, due to almost every game company jumping on the MinTendo Family Computer bandwagon, there weren't enough in-house developers to handle quality control for the games. In response, President Kamakouchi decided to expand the workforce and established a Quality Control department in February 1986.

Over the past three years, I had been shuttling back and forth between the United States and Japan, sometimes as a game developer, other times as a sales representative, steadily establishing myself as one of MinTendo's key figures. While my primary role was in the next-gen console development department, these days, I found myself out in the field more often.

"Mr. Kang, where are you off to this time?"

"Oh, just a quick business trip."

I always used formal language with my subordinates, and I was quite popular not only within my department but also throughout the company. It was a far cry from the guy who had been stuck in the development room in 2015, solely focused on making games.

Had I realized the importance of building relationships with people? My experience in the Customer Satisfaction team in 2015 was a constant reminder of the awkward atmosphere that I couldn't forget.

"I can't let that happen again. To avoid that, I need to make at least one person on my side and establish a presence both within and outside the company. Even though I'm currently working under President Kamakouchi, I need to be prepared for a future where I'll have to compete with him on equal terms."

I revved up my recently acquired Toyota sedan and hit the road. A short while later, I arrived in front of a game company building in Osaka. This fairly large company was known as FOX SOFT, primarily specializing in arcade games.

Actually, a shooting game they had released here last month had garnered an incredible response. The game was called "Twindy," and I fondly remembered playing it with a friend when I was younger. Twindy was a unique piece of work compared to traditional shooting games.

Since the introduction of Super Mario to the gaming world, side-scrolling games had rapidly gained popularity. Among them, the shooting genre had been a particular favorite. Shooting games primarily involved controlling aircraft and used a vertical-scrolling system, with the background moving from top to bottom, providing exhilarating gameplay where players had to dodge enemy projectiles.

When people thought of shooting games, the first thing that came to mind was "1945." Twindy, however, had captured the players' hearts with its unique fantasy theme rather than the typical wartime setting of shooting games. It supported cooperative two-player gameplay, allowing players to combine forces and take on enemies together. The catch was that elements similar to friendly fire, like in Balloon Fight, were scattered throughout the game.

Items to power up your missiles also required collecting different items for player 1 and player 2. Players could shoot at each other to disrupt the other's collection, adding a layer of complexity to the game.

With so much going on against the enemies, players often found themselves fighting each other due to the opportunities presented by these disruptive elements. Looking back, was this where Real PK (Real Player Killing) began?

"This game caused so many fights between friends..."

With a bitter smile, I shook my head and headed towards the FOX SOFT lobby. FOX SOFT was a company that had been making arcade games long before Twindy, and it was quite large for an 80s company.

The reason for my visit today was to provide technical consultation from FOX SOFT's development team. As there wasn't much for me to do within MinTendo at the moment, I came here at Shige-san's request.

"Hello, I'm Kang Junhyuk, a MinTendo employee. I'm here for a meeting with the Family Game Development Department today."

"Oh, I've heard about it. Could you please sign in with your company and name, as well as your contact information?"

The entry process turned out to be more complicated than I had expected. I filled out the guest book, raising an eyebrow at the strict security measures. It almost felt like visiting the presidential Blue House. Did they really need such rigorous security measures, even if they had already heard about the meeting?

The building was massive, but there wasn't a soul in sight in the company's interior corridors. It seemed that everyone was cooped up in the development room. FOX SOFT had installed CCTV cameras on the ceilings throughout the building to monitor their employees' movements.

"Hmm, FOX SOFT takes security very seriously."

"That's right. That's why we call it 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' among our employees. Our president is very strict about security. If a staff member has even one floppy disk on them when they come and go, it causes a commotion."

"Haha, I see."

A while later, I was guided to the Family Game Development Department by the lobby staff. It was located in a somewhat remote corner, smaller in scale compared to the arcade game development room that I had passed on my way here. Upon entering the development room, four developers looked up from their work to greet me.

"Hello, I'm Kang Junhyuk, a MinTendo employee here for technical consultation with the Family Game Development Department."

"Kang Junhyuk? Who's that...? Did MinTendo have a Korean employee?"

"Even if it's not Kumamoto Shige, we at least expected someone like Kawai Satoshi from Balloon Fight. MinTendo is too much... Sending a console planner and a person here for technical consultation."

Huh... Am I being completely ignored right now?

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