……

If it is simply to start a war with Sony in the field of consoles, Qing Zhiyuan said that he is not ready.

However, if you can unite Sega and Nvidia, there is really a little possibility.

At the technical level, Sega has enough console accumulation, and the DC game console developed in the previous life is actually not bad in performance, and the support in game image quality is far more than Sony's PS game console.

However, there were several reasons for the fiasco in the end.

The first one is the problem of the game.

The biggest, most appealing and influential work on DC is Shenmue.

Shenmue's painters were also very good, making the game's graphics to the top of their time, but they failed to meet expectations in terms of gameplay, and spent a lot of money and finally failed to recoup the cost, which led to further losses for Sega.

The second is to fall for Sony,

In order to seize the market ahead of the launch of Sony's PS2, Sega announced the actual demo and technical specifications of the DC early. The graphics of the game based on DC's high performance really amazed the players at the time.

After Sega launched DC, Sony's PS2 console was actually a long way off.

However, just a few months after the DC launch, Sony also came to a press conference to show the technical details of the PS2 console.

The Final Fantasy 8 footage shown at the press conference made players start to think that DC was nothing more than that, and Sega was once again abandoned by players.

While the "savvy" gamers know that this is not the level that the PS2 can achieve, Sony is once again playing with what they do best.

But ordinary gamers don't care about this, in their eyes, the performance of the PS2 that has not yet been released will far exceed DC, so many players who originally planned to buy DC have been holding on to their coins and waiting.

And many third parties who had promised to develop games on DC have also backed down, preferring to wait two more years for PS2.

This made Sega President Peter Moore hate Sony for false propaganda at the time, and after DC was delisted, Sega fans hated Sony far more than Nintendo.

The third is naturally the problem of the rupture of the capital chain mentioned by Satoshi Iwata now.

……

If you can really acquire Sega now and unite with NVIDIA, you may be able to achieve the ultimate in this era in terms of picture support for the next generation of consoles.

With Pokeni's game works that transcend the times, the exclusive release may be able to drive a wave.

Moreover, Qing Zhiyuan is not only thinking about the host.

There is also great potential for developing the next generation of handhelds.

In the future, the host and handheld can be made into networkable devices, not through infrared networking, nor the so-called online interaction with the machine, but the kind that can really be connected to the Internet.

WiFi technology was invented in 1991, and now the technology is relatively mature, and it has become commonplace in the Omi region, but it has not yet been promoted in neon.

In 1999, when the IEEE defined the 802.11 standard, it officially recognized the wireless network technology developed by CSIRO as the best wireless network technology in the world and was formulated as the core technical standard for Wi-Fi.

Since the beginning of this year, WIFI has entered thousands of households.

What Qingzhiyuan has in mind is that after the future game console and handheld are connected to the network, then the TANPOPO game platform can be connected to it logically, from the PC to the console to the handheld, players can download and play games through the corresponding game platform.

A game platform spans multiple devices at the same time, and users naturally continue to flow after the unification.

What a great feat that must be.

Just imagine how scary it would be if steam could be put on PC, PS5 and NS?

As for third-party game manufacturers, Qingzhiyuan thinks so-

As long as your platform is big enough, you're sure to attract them.

To put it bluntly, it depends on how many people you have on this platform, how much traffic and market you have, just like PS, when it first came out, there was no way to change Heaven and Segabi.

Industry insiders think how can such a company that makes music equipment for CDs make a good game console?

It may be that the third party is still waiting, but when PS has sold more than tens of millions of units and occupies the game market, they will naturally move over.

Of course, there is a reason why Ren Heaven died by himself, and the reason why Ren Heaven has been suffering in the world for a long time, but more is that the platform provided by Sony is big enough and the market is good enough.

PS's game performance crushing and the company's willingness to burn money, Pokeni also played a key role in it, which made PS work.

……

Qing Zhiyuan communicated his thoughts to Satoshi Iwata, whose eyes widened in surprise.

I was completely shocked by the president's idea.

In Iwata's view, he just proposed a strategy to join forces to fight, but the president had already thought of it that far.

"Multi-platform ecological strategy. This one is fantastic! ”

Satoshi Iwata was so excited that he got up from his chair.

Thinking about it carefully, Iwata Satoshi originally depicted nothing more than a big West Lake, but when he came to Qing Zhiyuan, it directly turned into a vast ocean.

How not to be amazing.

It's terrible, what kind of imagination does this idea have to be combined to get to this point?

A multi-platform ecological strategy, connected by the network.

Now Satoshi Iwata has truly felt the charm of the Internet.

"Not only can it connect multiple hardware platforms, but also can network friends around the world through these platforms in the future," Qing Zhiyuan said, "After this thing is done, the global light will be lit up." ”

"Yes, the whole world is connected." Satoshi Iwata let out a sigh.

The corners of Qing Zhiyuan's mouth rose slightly, this is only a small part, and after the emergence of smart phones in the future, open up the mobile phone platform, and then it will be truly the era of global connection.

But what......

"But where did we get that much money to buy Sega?" Qing Zhiyuan asked suspiciously, "Iwata-san, according to your estimates, how much will it cost to acquire Sega?" ”

"$3 billion." Satoshi Iwata said, "It's all about talking. If the other party can take into account the future strategic cooperation and prospects, it is possible to choose us even if the price is lowered. ”

Well......

Qing Zhiyuan silently closed his mouth and pretended to think, but he didn't say a word.

Where the did I get $3 billion?

Some time ago, Qing Zhiyuan only spent 100 million to buy Blizzard, and then didn't you want to take 400 million to buy Marvel?

Qingzhiyuan also commissioned Takahashi to make some investments, which almost cost about $100 million.

The remaining cash is probably only about 1.5 billion, and this amount is still depreciating.

"If we can't acquire it completely, we can completely control Sega by buying a majority stake, not 100%, just more than 50%."

In 1998, Sega owed 50 billion yen in debt, and this figure continued to increase as business conditions deteriorated.

In order to fill the funding gap, Sega issued a large number of junk bonds, which eventually triggered the largest bankruptcy in Japanese history. (Bankruptcy: It means bankruptcy.) ）

In the past, Microsoft also considered buying Sega, and Sega quoted a price of $2 billion at that time.

However, later on, Koshi Okawa, the president of Sega's parent company, CSK, wanted Xbox to be backwards compatible with games on DC consoles in the form of an emulator.

Microsoft could do this, but Okawa also demanded that Xbox be compatible with the DC network, and Microsoft wanted the Xbox Live connection service to start from scratch, so negotiations fell through.

Yes, in fact, if you want to buy Sega, you don't want to go to Hayabusa Nakayama, although Hayao Nakayama is indeed the president of Sega, but Sega has already been acquired by CSK, and Ko Okawa is the boss of the parent company.

This is the same reason that if you want to buy Blizzard, you have to negotiate with Blizzard's father.

As for the person of Dachuan Gong, Qing Zhiyuan admires it very much, he really loves games, and hopes that Sega will be good.

And Okawa Gong has a famous saying:

"The cause is only the cause of a generation, and what you get from the cause must be reinvested in the cause"

In the end, he also did this, and in 2001, before his death, Mr. Okawa donated his personal assets of 85 billion yuan to Sega, fulfilling his life ideals and returning what he had gained from his career to his career.

I only hope that the Sega he loves can go all the way, but unfortunately, this company finally withdrew from the stage of history and disappeared from everyone.

As a traverser, Qing Zhiyuan knows that these contents are normal, but Iwata Satoshi can make judgments at this point in time, completely based on his analytical ability and acuity, and his natural sense of smell as a businessman.

From this point of view, Qing Zhiyuan still admires him very much.

Sure enough, Satoshi Iwata is a natural entrepreneur.

……

"It would be nice if it could go as smoothly as you said," Ching Chi-won frowned, "but I'll try to negotiate, and President Okawa will see if we can make some concessions based on the close cooperation and good relationship we have with Sega in the past." ”

The most important thing is that Qing Zhiyuan is a little sure that he really loves games, and Okawa Gong is also a good president who really loves games.

The two people are very compatible, if it is Xiaozhi who moves with emotion and reason, maybe he can really move him.

"It's about funding." Satoshi Iwata said tentatively again.

"Huh?" Qing Zhiyuan raised his head.

"It's better to spin off RTT separately in the United States to set up a pokeni network communication subsidiary, and then sell the RTT subsidiary in the United States," Iwata Satoshi said, "The cost of RTT maintenance itself is very high, on the one hand, it is to save costs, on the other hand, the review of the United States is strict, and the future road of RTT is actually not easy to walk."

Selling it directly can replenish part of the company's funds in a short period of time. ”

Satoshi Iwata's idea coincides with Qing Zhiyuan, RTT was originally a product he used to cash out in the United States, and any non-American entrepreneur who wants to make a network product with a mouthpiece in the local area will not end up very well.

If it works well, it is possible to sell for hundreds of millions of dollars, not to mention more.

"Hmm." Qing Zhiyuan nodded, "Just do as you say." ”

The financial pressure is high, which Qing Zhiyuan has not felt for many years.

The last time there was so much pressure was in '90 when the company was on the verge of bankruptcy.

Sure enough, the acquisition is the most expensive.

For the future of P company, I fought hard!

……

After the discussion of the meeting, Satoshi Iwata took the trust and entrustment of Qing Zhiyuan on the plane to New York, the United States, and set out to acquire Marvel.

Qing Zhiyuan's side doesn't seem to be in such a hurry.

Meals should be eaten one bite at a time, and things should be done one by one.

So he went to Hiroyuki Hattori to eat with him first.

The two of them ate omakase in an upscale private restaurant.

The Japanese word for omakase means to deliver, entrusted to you. It can be understood that the decision of what to eat and how to eat is handed over to the chef (chef), which is translated as "chef's customization" and "chef's menu".

A more appropriate translation could be "seasonal package".

That is, according to the season, the chef will present the seasonal ingredients to the guests one by one in the form of a set meal according to the order of appetizers, appetizers, main dishes, staple foods, and desserts, and the guests do not need to order their own dishes, as long as they go to the banquet on time, and the meal time is generally about 1.5 hours to 2.5 hours.

Omakase is a high-end restaurant business model developed by combining traditional Japanese cuisine with French cuisine, and most of them adopt a reservation system.

Two people sit in a delicate, elegant, quiet private room or courtyard, and the female general will bring in and introduce the food one by one, so you can enjoy the beautiful scenery while enjoying the food.

This set is actually not cheap, just the meal that Qing Zhiyuan asked Hattori Hiroyuki today is 50,000 yen per capita.

50,000 yen is already a month's worth for many people.

The two chatted for a while, drank a little wine, and Yuichi Hattori sighed while admiring the heroine's graceful figure and good-looking appearance.

"It's going to change."

It's June, but Hattori Hiroyuki is shivering with cold.

"It's been a big event in the industry for a while,"

Among the major events that Hattori Hiroyuki said, it naturally also includes the Pokeni reorganization incident of Seichiyuan.

"It's going to change, but it doesn't feel like a bad thing." Qing Zhiyuan said with a smile.

After entering the millennium, it is really a different scene, you can feel the world and life accelerated by the Internet at any time, everyone is pushed by the times, fast-paced life, ubiquitous information explosion, those are the real changes.

Thankfully, Pokeni is on the cusp of the times.

……

For a businessman like Hiroyuki Hattori, the changes in the game industry are closely related to him, but they don't feel so relevant.

Because no matter how things change in these families, he sells them all.

It's just that you sell more and sell less, just like the movie theater chain, what movies do you producers, and when you come to me, it's just a film schedule.

Whether it can sell well or not depends entirely on the quality of the film.

So compared to those vain things, Hattori Hiroyuki is more interested in practical interests.

For example, Qing Zhiyuan came to him for dinner today, which means that there are new games to be put on the shelves, as long as there are new games on the shelves, Hattori Yuyuki will earn it.

Of course, it also depends on the quality of the game.

"The Insect Master?"

Hattori Hiroyuki glanced at the cover, and felt a little furious in his heart, "This can't be a horror game, right?" ”

"Hmmm......"

Qing Zhiyuan thought for two seconds, smiled and shook his head, "It's definitely not going to be a horror game, don't look at the name of the insect master, it's scary."

But the content of the game is actually very warm and healing, President Hattori, if you have time, you can experience it, and you will definitely not be disappointed. ”

"Uh-huh, okay, okay." Hiroyuki Hattori casually fooled around.

It's definitely impossible to play a game, and for a while this game disc will have to be sacrificed to the trash can god.

Qing Zhiyuan continued to explain with a smile, "In the precise sense, this should be a new game genre, or it can also be classified as a puzzle RPG.

However, "Bug Master" is not quite the same as a traditional RPG, it is very special, and the most special thing is that this game will be the first open-world game made by Pokeni. ”

"Huh?" Hiroyuki Hattori was a little curious, "Open world games? ”

"Yes, weren't the previous games all linear games, where you can only move on to the next task after completing the previous task, and then you can move on to the next node from here......

However, in the Insect Master, players are free to explore, go wherever they want, do whatever they want, and in most cases, we encourage players to travel more.

It's like our real world, and it's a walk-and-go. ”

"Huh?"

Hiroyuki Hattori blinked, imagining the picture that Aochigen had described.

He didn't know anything else, but the last sentence [Trip to go] moved him a little.

In this world, who doesn't want to take a trip that is very romantic, and it is very desirable and free.

And now Hattori Hiroyuki is particularly eager for freedom.

Especially after getting married, Hiroyuki Hattori went from a wild horse to a foal in captivity, and this feeling of being tied up was really uncomfortable.

"Qingsang, let's have time to make an appointment with us on a trip in the future, right?" Hiroyuki Hattori smiled, "After listening to you finish this game, I want to go around the world." ”

"Do you want to bring your family?" Qing Zhiyuan asked.

"Ah......h

Hiroyuki Hattori frowned, piercing his heart, which pot is not opened, why do you have to use such a heavy topic to pull people back to reality in the romance we imagine the future.

However, looking at Qing Zhiyuan's innocent expression, Hattori Yuyuki knew that this man must be finished.

If you say that you don't bring your family, he won't agree.

Nao Tsuda didn't know what ecstasy had been poured into him.

How wonderful it would be if two single men traveled around the world.

"Let's talk about it later, if it's a family trip." Hiroyuki Hattori smiled bitterly twice.

The two chatted for a while, and the time was almost up, so they walked out of the store and parted.

"Then, "Insect Master" will be entrusted to you." Qing Zhiyuan sent Hiroyuki Hattori to the car.

"No problem," Hiroyuki Hattori said to him an OK, "Leave it to me." ”

……

Still to the familiar old place, Hattori Hiroyuki got out of the car and respectfully threw the "Insect Division" game disc into the trash.

"Bless the trash can!

The game is a big hit! ”

……

——————————————————————————

There is another chapter in the afternoon

(End of chapter)