114 Gaining the attention of many and Shounen Jump new issue
[USA]
KiShin's sales went from a thousand to several thousand, gradually approaching the daily sales figures of 20,000 to 30,000 for Tora and Suzuki.
Word of Street Fighter and Contra making waves in the United States' video game community spread rapidly.
Furthermore, several people came to realize that Tora and Suzuki were the ones who initially imitated in Japan.
[Tora US Branch Headquarters]
Luther, the president of Tora US, was discussing their strategy for dealing with KiShin.
One of the executives, wearing a concerned expression, commented, "I can't believe it... Despite having only an 8-bit system, they're still able to sell..."
Luther nodded gravely and stated, "That's why we must remain vigilant and enhance our competitiveness." He paused and continued, "KiShin just released new video games named 'Contra' and 'Street Fighter.' However, 'Street Fighter' garnered the most attention." After saying this, he directed his gaze towards their in-house game developers.
These game developers belonged to Tora's separate game development department in the US.
They had no direct contact with Tora JP's game developers because the developers at the main headquarters were actually affiliated with the Yakuza, and even the Tora JP president couldn't manage them.
This led the Tora Corporation to establish an independent game development department in the US free from Yakuza influence.
Luther then turned his attention to the middle-aged creative director leading the game developers, Terry Carter.
Luther pondered, "What are your thoughts? Can you take on KiShin's new games, especially 'Street Fighter'?"
Terry Carter exchanged glances with his colleagues and expressed hesitantly, "Honestly, after playing the game, both myself and my colleagues felt inadequate... We absolutely admired the gameplay, but at the same time... we detested it..." He paused before adding, "It's because it's so good, and we're struggling to come up with something to compete against it in a short timeframe..."
President Luther and the other executives nodded, and President Luther suggested with a smile, "You don't need to reinvent the wheel to compete with it." He paused for a moment and continued, "You can replicate the gameplay with different characters..."
President Luther and the other executives smiled, and one of them chimed in, "Indeed. Just emulate the game. It's that straightforward."
Upon hearing this, the game developers and creative director Terry felt their pride as game developers stung.
After all, Terry Carter had previously worked as a game developer at Atari and possessed experience in game development. However, following Atari's bankruptcy, Terry lost his job and settled for a programmer role at Microsoft.
Then, Tora surprised the US by introducing video game products. Terry was pleasantly surprised as video games were gradually making a comeback in the US. Because of this, Terry left his cherished job and applied to work for Tora as a game developer once again.
Initially, things were going well, but as time passed and Suzuki entered the US market, the competition intensified. Tora's game developers were pitted against Suzuki's in a race to create superior video games.
Terry Carter was fired up competing with Suzuki until KiShin entered the US market.
As Terry and his colleagues tried playing KiShin's video games, they gradually grew disheartened as they realized what 'true' video games were like...
From 'Super Mario Bros.' to 'The Legend of Zelda,' and even 'Metroid,' all of them were masterpieces despite KiShin's weaker specs compared to Tora. They finally grasped how inferior and laughable their own games and competition with Suzuki were.
The blow to Tora's game developers was substantial. KiShin released two new video games, and when they played 'Street Fighter,' they felt overwhelmed.
"Can we really compete with such an incredible company?" Terry and his colleagues wondered simultaneously...
Now tasked with emulating KiShin's 'Street Fighter,' Terry and his colleagues felt underestimated.
That's why, a slightly younger game developer than Terry dissented, "I'm sorry, but President... We want to develop our own video game with unique gameplay!"
Another game developer also objected, "We will create our own original game that can rival KiShin's video games!"
Terry also addressed the astonished President Luther and the executives, "You're right. We may not be able to come up with a game that can compete with KiShin's 'Street Fighter,' especially not in a short time, but that doesn't mean we should resort to copying. We'll brainstorm and strive to create ideas to compete — no, to potentially surpass KiShin's 'Street Fighter'!!" He spoke passionately, and his colleagues were equally fired up.
President Luther and the executives exchanged surprised and concerned glances.
President Luther fixed a serious gaze on Terry Carter and the game developers beside him and asked solemnly, "Are you all absolutely sure about this?"
Creative Director Terry and his colleagues nodded with unwavering determination.
Some of the other executives sighed helplessly, thinking, 'These guys... They're incredibly prideful...'
President Luther turned his attention to the game developers and spoke solemnly, saying, "Very well. Just ensure that you can stand by your words."
Creative Director Terry nodded resolutely and replied, "We will, President..."
President Luther nodded, though uncertainty about the future clouded his thoughts.
---
[Suzuki™ Entertainment]
Suzuki™ Entertainment was a video game development subsidiary of the Suzuki Group.
Seki Suzuki had just received a report from the CEO of Suzuki's US Branch, indicating that KiShin was gradually establishing a presence in the US market.
Seki's expression darkened slightly.
For him, KiShin's status as the king in the Japanese or Asian markets was of no concern. Suzuki could follow closely and secure the second position. However, KiShin's attempt to assert its dominance in the US market was something he found unacceptable.
KiShin had always excelled at creating video games, which is why they covertly dispatched individuals to entice KiShin game developers to join their company.
Seki's phone emitted a beep, prompting him to answer it.
"Boss, we've successfully secured three programmers from KiShin..." a deep voice sounded on the other end of the phone.
Upon hearing this news, Seki couldn't contain his excitement. He exclaimed, "Really?"
The man on the other end of the phone replied, "Yes, we've finally managed to recruit game developers from KiShin."
Seki smiled and responded, "That's great."
The man then added, "However, these three programmers didn't hold high positions at KiShin, and the reason they agreed to join was because they were let go from KiShin several weeks ago..."
Seki furrowed his brow and asked, "They were let go a few weeks ago?"
The man confirmed, "Yes, and they also weren't privy to deep information about KiShin's game plans and strategies since they didn't hold significant roles."
Seki frowned but sighed, saying, "That's alright. They're still from KiShin, regardless of their positions..." He said this, but deep inside, he couldn't help feeling somewhat disappointed.
---
In the meantime, as KiShin's games and their newly released video games began making waves in the US market, and had already ignited a frenzy in Japan and several Asian countries, a new manga co-authored and sponsored by KiShin's young founder made its debut in 'Shounen Jump.'
KiShin promoted it extensively on television.
The new manga was titled 'Dragon Ball,' and while many people, particularly video game players, showed little interest, there were still numerous young manga enthusiasts who eagerly purchased the latest issue of 'Shounen Jump.'
