CH32

"Hyungang?"

The Nintendo guy had a look on his face that clearly showed he wasn't familiar with what Hyungang was.

However, from words like "group" and "third generation," along with the translator's respectful demeanor, it seemed he had grasped that this was something significant.

"It means a conglomerate."

That seemed to confirm it for him.

He hurriedly fumbled through the pockets of his jacket.

"My, my business card… where did I put it…?"

He pulled out his wallet and extracted a single sheet of paper from its deepest pocket.

"Ah, I haven't printed my American business cards yet. Since we don't even have a proper office, we've just been using pamphlets as a substitute. But in the meantime, here's this…"

The card he handed me was a Japanese business card with kanji characters on it.

'宮本茂'.

"You can read it as Shigeru Miyamoto."

As I suspected.

It was indeed that name.

"You're Mr. Shigeru Miyamoto?"

"Yes, that's correct. Is there… some sort of problem?"

Problem? No, it's just that this is incredible!

Shigeru Miyamoto, the father of Super Mario.

A legendary figure at Nintendo, known for establishing the principles of modern video games, and an eternal developer in the industry.

'Wait, that Miyamoto is out here doing sales in America?'

I stared at him in disbelief.

He seemed equally taken aback.

"I came here to sell a game board… and I ended up meeting a member of a conglomerate. It's an honor."

"Shall we step out? I'd prefer to talk somewhere quiet."

At my suggestion, Shigeru quickly gathered his things.

***

Though we left the arcade, nothing had been decided yet.

Part of me wanted to invest.

The other part wanted to back off before attracting too much attention.

As the pendulum of my desires swung back and forth, I kept walking steadily.

"How about here?"

"Anywhere is fine with me."

We headed to a nearby café.

I sat next to the translator, and Shigeru sat across from us.

We all ordered Americanos.

Naturally, I was the first to speak.

"You must have been quite surprised."

"Huh? Oh, yes… Well, I was. I thought you were just an ordinary student, so it was a bit overwhelming."

I briefly explained the reason I had come to the United States.

Details about selling the painting.

Understandably, Shigeru looked quite astonished.

"Do all conglomerate families start businesses while they're still students?"

"No. I'm a special case."

"Ah, I see."

Considering Shigeru was probably around thirty years old, he likely didn't have much experience with situations like this.

I decided to take the lead in the conversation.

"Did I give you enough of an introduction?"

"Yes. More than enough."

"Then let's hear more about you, Mr. Miyamoto."

"Me?"

I nodded.

"Hmm."

Perhaps he thought this was all related to potential investment.

Shigeru began speaking as clearly and carefully as possible.

"I joined the company through my father's introduction. I didn't study game design, but since I've entered this field… I'm doing my best to contribute."

This was a time when the gaming industry was just beginning.

Dreaming of becoming a game developer was a bit premature.

"Fortunately, the company seemed to value my work, so they appointed me as the head of the American branch. Though, to be honest… it's just a title, and I don't have much authority."

"What about support from the head office?"

"There's almost none."

"Is the company in financial trouble?"

"Well, until a few years ago, we were selling toys. So, we're not exactly flush with cash."

Toys, huh.

From what I knew, Nintendo started as a company that made Hanafuda cards.

Then, around the late '70s, they ventured into the gaming market.

"Thankfully, some of our games have done well, which helped us transition to this new field… but the problem is that all the revenue goes right back into development. So we have no choice but to tighten our belts."

"Which is why the employees are out here doing sales?"

"Yes, for now. If we can sell around five thousand units, we might be able to scale up with the help of distributors… but it'll take some time to get there."

In short, they lacked the initial capital to seek professional assistance.

So the employees had to handle both sales and promotion themselves.

'Clearly, they're in desperate need of investment.'

"I noticed the pamphlet said Nintendo America. Did you set up a separate corporation from the head office?"

"Yes, it's run independently from the Japanese headquarters."

"Is that why the head office doesn't provide support?"

"Pretty much."

Even to someone like me who didn't know much about business, this situation seemed like a tempting opportunity.

The Japanese Nintendo was a fairly large company.

But Nintendo America was practically a mom-and-pop operation.

If I invested now, I'd be considered one of the founding investors.

'And I wouldn't need to put in that much.'

Just a few billion won would do.

Then I could keep reaping the profits from North America for a long time… it would be an unbelievably sweet investment!

The pendulum of my mind, which had been swinging back and forth, suddenly started leaning to one side…

If it weren't for the attention this might attract, I'd sign the contract right away. Sigh!

I tried to rein in my thoughts as I asked another question.

"May I ask something personal?"

"Oh, yes, of course."

"What do you think about games as a medium, Mr. Miyamoto?"

Maybe he thought I was asking this as a potential partner in business.

Shigeru again spoke with great caution.

"I'm afraid I can't give you an impressive answer. I don't know enough to express a well-formed opinion. To be honest, I like manga more than games…"

"Manga?"

"Yes. I originally dreamed of becoming a manga artist."

A man who dreamed of being a manga artist and later became the king of games?

Curious, I asked.

"But you ended up in the gaming industry?"

"Yes, somehow… I actually planned to debut as a manga artist right after high school. But unfortunately, I wasn't skilled enough. I realized I wasn't going to make it, so I decided to go to college. But that was my mistake."

"…?"

"I got so caught up in my studies that I drifted far from my dream. Before I knew it, I had become just another working man."

"But aren't games somewhat related to manga? Aren't they like siblings?"

Shigeru nodded in agreement.

"You could say that. As technology advances, games will become more like manga. Right now, we're stuck with simple gameplay due to storage limitations, but eventually, story-driven games will become mainstream. At that point, they won't be much different from animation."

Maybe because he was talking about something related to manga.

Shigeru's eyes sparkled, in stark contrast to when he was discussing the company's troubles.

"So you believe games should evolve to focus more on stories?"

"No. The story is just a tool. A tool for giving characters personality."

"So, in the end, the most important thing is the character?"

"Yes. That's what I think."

Maybe he thought he had said too much.

Shigeru tried to wrap up the conversation.

But I felt the opposite.

'It's just starting to get interesting…'

It wasn't every day that I got to hear Shigeru's philosophy firsthand.

"I'd like to hear more. About characters. The character I played earlier was very cute."

"Ah, that little guy's name is Super Mario."

Finally, he said it. Super Mario!

"That's not an official name, but I gave it to him personally… Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned that. It's probably not of interest to you."

"No, I'm the one who brought it up."

Shigeru scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.

Then, as if to shake off his awkwardness, he quickly added.

"As I was saying, whether it's manga or games, I believe the most important thing is the character. Making the characters come alive is the top priority."

Characters that come alive.

"If a character feels alive… users can identify with them. It's a kind of empathy. That's how they come to love the character…"

"So, the ultimate goal is for the player to fall in love with the character?"

"That would be ideal. Of course, there's no one right way."

Shigeru still seemed a bit shy.

"A wannabe manga artist who never got published… I ended up talking like I was giving a lecture."

"It was great."

"Great? Everyone knows that stuff."

Is that really true?

If everyone knew that, as Miyamoto claimed…

Then everyone should be able to create a character like Super Mario.

But what's the reality?

Only Shigeru has created characters that will go down in history.

And not just one, but two.

I looked at Miyamoto Shigeru calmly.

Well, I tried to look calm, but I'm sure my eyes held a glimmer of admiration.

The games that had colored a page of my childhood.

Realizing that the person who made them was so pure-hearted, I couldn't help but feel grateful.

Thanks to that, the pendulum of my mind finally came to a halt.

And with that, I made a small decision.

I would wholeheartedly join this man's dream.

"You said you're the head of Nintendo America?"

"Yes, though the company only has three employees, including myself…"

"I'd like to invest. Can we discuss that?"

"Excuse me?"

The words he had been waiting for.

Sure enough, Miyamoto's throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.

"What do you mean by investment?"

"I'll cover all the costs for distribution and promotion."

"All… the costs?"

I nodded.

"Then what would we owe you in return…?"

"Obviously, we'd share the profits."

"Hold on a moment."

Shigeru downed his hot Americano in one gulp.

I wondered if he had scalded his mouth, but he didn't seem to care.

"What if we don't make any profit and end up failing?"

"That won't happen. You've put your heart and soul into this game."

"Well, that's true… but you never know… luck can play a part…"

It seemed like he had more to say.

I waited quietly for him to continue, and he cautiously spoke again.

"If, by some chance, we do lose money… would we have to return the investment?"

"Of course not. I'm taking on the risk in exchange for sharing the profits."

Shigeru was overjoyed.

But that reaction was brief—he quickly tried to contain his excitement and asked.

"How should we divide the profits?"

"I think a 70-30 split would be fair."

"What? But taking the risk..."

"Then how about 80-20?"

For a moment, a huge look of confusion flashed in his eyes.

He had naively assumed that the 70 referred to Nintendo's share.

Sorry, but.

Even though I genuinely respect you and have decided to support your dream.

'I actually know the future.'

So I do need to charge a bit for guiding you.

Of course, Shigeru had no way of knowing this, so he could only gulp nervously.