A new revenue stream! At those words, the shareholders perked up, hushed whispers falling silent.
Over the past year, they'd seen Takuya's money-making prowess. Projects like the handheld Tetris flooded suppliers with orders, enriching shareholders with stakes in them. Fatal Fury and the Sega esports tournament delighted those with arcade interests, not to mention the perks most reaped from Sega's distribution channels.
Such was the power of a blockbuster hit.
"As for the specific project, I'll detail it at the next planning seminar to save everyone's time here," Takuya said, bowing and exiting.
The conference room fell quiet again.
Seeing no comments, Hayao Nakayama took charge. "Any thoughts on Takuya's report?"
Whispers stirred; some nodded, others frowned.
Hayao didn't wait long. Standing, he declared:
"Sega, from its inception, has never been a company to play it safe."
"We bet on unseen opportunities, daring to challenge giants."
"That's Sega's DNA!"
"The esports tournament proves we can create trends, ignite markets."
"The next-gen 16-bit console is the platform for our greater ambitions—to truly shake Nintendo's reign!"
He slammed the table, a dull thud echoing.
"As president and major shareholder, I propose a vote: accelerate the 16-bit console development plan, effective immediately!"
"Who's in favor? Who's against?"
His knife-sharp gaze swept the directors.
Silence. No objections.
Nearly half raised hands promptly; the rest, after brief hesitation, followed.
Resolution passed—unanimously!
Takuya left the top-floor boardroom and returned to the Third Development Department, spotting Yuji Suzuki.
"Suzuki-san, what brings you here? Isn't your team working on Out Run?" Takuya asked, filling his teacup.
"Heard you were called to the top. What's up? New plans?" Suzuki asked eagerly, rubbing his hands.
Takuya chuckled. "Probably. Wait for official word—you'll likely sign an NDA."
"Oh, sweet!" Suzuki exclaimed, knowing that was all he'd get. He dashed back to the Second Department.
Seeing Takuya send Suzuki off, Group Leader Shimizu and team members crowded around. "Nakayama-san, new project coming?" Shimizu asked.
"Yeah, assisting other teams is getting dull," another chimed.
Takuya set down his cup, gesturing for calm. "No details yet, but wrap up current tasks this week, got it?"
"Woo!" "Knew it!" The team cheered, returning to their desks with renewed vigor.
Friday, before the planning seminar, was the hardware development meeting.
Takuya outlined his shareholder meeting pitch: a 16-bit console built on the System 16 arcade board with a Motorola 68000 CPU.
"Here's the plan I presented: a 16-bit console leveraging the System 16 board. Since developing Hang-On and Fatal Fury, you've upgraded the pre-System 16 to System 16. You know this board and the Motorola 68000 better than I do—likely its performance limits too."
Seeing nods of agreement, Takuya continued: "Hardware team, you can estimate the Motorola 68000 and memory costs in two years. Its use is growing, production rising, so its cost-performance should hit a sweet spot."
"This keeps our 16-bit console's production and arcade porting costs low, giving us pricing flexibility for promotion."
The hardware department head, prepared, responded: "We endorse this approach. We'll use mature components with room for cost drops in two years, enabling a stable development environment for game teams to prep flagship titles early." A low-risk, high-value project—they wouldn't pass it up.
Other group leaders pledged to dive into System 16-based game development after current projects.
Thus, news leaked subtly: "Sega, impressed by System 16's performance, will boost investment in System 16 games." The console project was disguised as a new light gun peripheral—after all, Nintendo's Duck Hunt sold better in North America than Japan.
"Sega's doubling down on arcades," most Nintendo and third-party developers thought. Sega's arcade dominance mirrored Nintendo's console reign.
But Hiroshi Yamauchi wasn't fooled, wary of Takuya's track record with Tetris and Fatal Fury.
Namco's Masaya Nakamura and Konami's Kagemasa Kozuki, both stung by Takuya's moves, were equally skeptical. "Trust him? No way!" they thought, noting Sega's shift from straightforward to cunning since Takuya joined. Heavy punches, veiled moves—utterly ruthless.
On Yamauchi's orders, Nintendo ramped up espionage on Sega, seeking hidden intel. Short-term, it was futile. Post-board meeting, the hardware team signed NDAs. Meeting records listed only System 16 game development and light gun projects—no trace of the 16-bit console on paper.