91 < EP. 20: Production Presentation (4) >

“This part is explained by the head of our company, Kawaguchi, but I will answer for you as you come to the top. First of all, the porting of Final Frontier 4 and Dragon Emblem I showed you is not intended for superfamilies. ”

I said, "What? Could it be the NEGA drive? ”

“Well, don't you think the graphics stripe is too much to implement as a NEGA drive? It's not impossible, of course, but it must be very difficult, right? ”

“So which platform are you launching? ”

“Literally, not yet." In fact, the console that we're launching has not yet been launched. ”

At that moment, I was appalled by the faces of the developers sitting at the table.

That's because what I just said in the official seats is that there is now another console other than the Super Family and the NEGA drives.

“As Joon-Hyuk said, there are other next-generation consoles that are being developed besides Minten and the NEGA? ”

In Yuji's question, I took a moment to look around and slowly opened my mouth.

“Before I do, I'd like to explain why I invited you here today. why we sent private invitations to people in the gaming industry who are not ordinary users at the gaming conference.”

“Actually, I'm curious about that. With a production presentation like this, we'll be able to get a tremendous response from our users. Why did they call us? ”

“Ironically, Minten and members of the NEGA refused to attend our presentation today. Well, in such a narrow industry, as many of you may have heard, there is a slight disagreement between Mintendo and our Pentagon software. ”

“So is it true that the Pentagon rejected Mintendo's second party offer? ”

“Yes, it is. ”

My answer began to make me nervous in the president.

From their point of view, they could not comprehend Pentagon Soft's choice.

It is unimaginable to refuse the offer of Mintendo, the world's most recognizable console developer, not just Japan.

I waited for the conversation to subside for a while before speaking again.

“The reason I'm here today is to offer you a new business to lead the gaming industry today. Can you dim the lights for a second? ”

The brightness of the light that was shining on my request decreased by about two steps, and a white screen brought up the current revenue structure graph for the gaming industry.

“If you're an industry person, you know what that means, right? ”

Then an employee who was sitting at the table replied.

“Isn't this the revenue distribution structure for Minten and Third Parties provided by NEGA? ”

“That's right. If you look at this chart, you can see that the revenue structures for First and Third Parties are very different. Of course, the prices of the games users buy are completely different. ”

“Isn't that obvious? The first party games will take away the loyalty part and the cartridge making unit price will be much cheaper.”

I nodded my head to the man's answer and followed the explanation.

“Exactly. That's where the fist party and the third party get separated.

Research shows that the cartridge price for Super Maridge World, which Mintendo launched at the same time as the Super Family, is 4,800 yen.

But last month, the cartridge was 8,700 yen from Capco Soft for Arcade Final Fight 89 for the super family. That's roughly 4,000 yen different from the regular price of the Super Maridge World.

So who's going to take advantage of 4,000 yen? Do you take it? Of course not. Currently, Mintendo is increasing cartridge production unit prices and royalties slightly due to the rise of the super family.

The next generation has expanded graphics that can be expressed differently than before, and the capacity of the cartridge has also required high capacity. We're holding out for now, but what about next year? And the next year? ”

All those who were sitting at the table at my words did not refute me like a mute honey.

“We're third parties, but what we do is like minten first parties. Raise your hand if you have a gaming company working on a different company console than minten. ”

Then again, no one raised their hands.

Even after paying an expensive royal tee, we have to launch it as the most popular console for current users, but we will still be able to get more than we used to.

From what I've heard, some people think the Third Party is a poor company.

But you see, that doesn't mean the Third Parties pay all the royalties they pay for Mintendo. They're in the business of making money anyway. How could they sell it for damages?

So who pays for the loyalty?

That's the consumer.

That's why there's 4,000 yen difference between First Party and Third Party gaming.

“At this rate, the Third Party's price will soon be 10,000 yen per title. But even if the unit price goes up that much, your profit will be the same. There's a company that makes that money anyway. ”

“You're right. It's not that our users are aware of our situation, we're just growing frustrated with the price of the game as we enter the superfamily.”

When complaints erupted from Capco's table that issued 'Final Fight 89’ last month, similar complaints began to erupt from various tables as if a fire had spread over rotten leaves.

“But you can't lower the price of soft as minten or as low as the game. because it's a market structure that you have to insult and then pay for. ”

“The higher the price, the more affordable the secondhand market will be. The game cartridge will never wear out the program even if it is used... In the end, it will only be self-destruction. ”

It is an accurate interpretation.

Because the number of users who were already looking for the super family's second-hand software was growing...

Hojima in Fox Soft, who has been making a serious face until then, raised his hand.

“Ask a question. Houjima.”

I had felt it when I visited Fox Soft before, but I was really looking forward to asking Hodgey Ma who was quite difficult.

“Fox Soft also fought against the unreasonable royalties of Mintendo and launched a game called 'Full Metal Gear’ on the NEGA drive and MSX, but that was quite a drop in sales. That's how important console penetration is.

I don't know what the new console companies are thinking about jumping into the console market at this time, but just because they're doing well doesn't mean the third parties are moving. That's what the device penetration rate should be, and the marketability of the console company's brand. So I ask you, is the Pentagon Soft console company about to launch a new piece that much awareness for its users? ”

In Houjima's remarks, all the developers looked at me.

If you say anything wrong here, you'll get stoned.

“I can relate to your concerns. We haven't been able to go into the details of the new generation of consoles yet, but one thing is clear.”

I paused for a moment and spoke behind.

“Our Pentagon software is fully supported. ”

“ ……!! ”

“Pentagon software in console business!? ”

“I see!! Is that why you turned down Mintendo's second party proposal? ”

“If the Pentagon Soft takes the lead, it might as well be recognizable... Wait, so the game from the Pentagon Soft becomes the first party of a new console? ”

It looks like people from the same industry are gathering together, so if you tell me one thing, I'll notice heat...

Then Houjima asked me again.

“Can you tell us more about what it means to have the full support of Pentagon Soft for the next generation of console companies? ”

“Just as you expected. We are currently investing a portion of the proceeds from Pentagon Soft into your company, and as you can see in the promotional footage, we are planning to invest all of the main software from Pentagon Soft in the future. ”

“The idea you're talking about... is exactly like the NEGA sales strategy. In the end, the software of the company itself is not going to get any recognition. just like the current NEGA drive. ”

In Houjima's cold-blooded analysis, I put out my tongue, but it seemed relaxed on the outside.

“Why do you expect to take the same train as the NEGA drive? ”

“There's a limit to the number of titles a company can pay in a year. First parties tend to ignore our Third Party, but you have no idea that our help is never the enemy to suit everyone's tastes. ”

“Of course I do. because no other employee in Mintendo has ever had the technical support of another company like me. ”

Then, an employee nodded at my words at the popular Hudson table as the 'Bomb Man'.

“Well, Joon-Hyuk really helped me a lot. When I was working on my family game, I called them and asked them a nice question, but if they said they didn't know, they would come to the company the next day and fix it. And I don't think any of these people have ever seen Joon-Hyuk during game development. ”

“That's right. That's right. ”

Ah, it's only now that I've had the audacity to support technology for five years...

I listened to people's conversations and smiled gladly. And they opened their mouths again to unravel the question.

“Mr. Houjima is right. And I know what you're worried about. That's why I've invited you on behalf of each company to a private production presentation today. The new console against Mintendo's super family will give you a third path to symbiotic life with our Pentagon software. ”

“The third path..? ”

People looked confused about my business proposal.

The console company had never seen the benefits of a first party and would walk the Third Party and symbiotic path before.

Yuji from Phoenix Soft, who was listening to me, asked me.

“Does that mean you want to create a new distribution structure? What kind of...? ”

“We will offer new solutions that benefit everyone, both our Pentagon software and you and the users who buy our games. ”

At that moment, the screen behind my back reminded me of a plan to explain the new method of distribution structure.

And as I walked into the middle of the stage, I pulled out something that had been hidden in my suit's pocket all this time.

“And this is the new storage medium that you and I can collaborate on. ”