Early April in Tokyo, inside Sega's executive operations office, a warm, freshly printed fax landed on Takuya Nakayama's desk, rushed in by a subordinate. Department heads gathered, their faces grave, voices hushed and urgent.
"Is Konami insane?" one muttered. "Giving *Gradius* to PC Engine? Have they forgotten who backed their rebellion against Nintendo?"
"This is trouble. PC Engine was barely alive, propped up by Hudson and Namco. Now Konami's shot in the arm means we're fighting on two fronts."
To them, Konami's move was a betrayal, a knife in Sega's back before their first MD title even launched. But Takuya's gaze didn't linger on their alarmed analyses. His fingers traced *Gradius* and *Salamander* on the report, his eyes reflecting a different vision. The room's chatter faded, walled off by his focus.
In his mind, it wasn't PC Engine's white console but a red-brick fortress labeled "Nintendo." Konami's "nuclear bomb" hadn't hit Sega—it had struck Nintendo's foundation, blasting a gaping hole in its impregnable wall. Kagemasa Kozuki's gambler's madness had handed Sega a fleeting, golden opportunity.
Takuya shot to his feet, the chair screeching against the floor, silencing the room. His mix of urgency and fervor stunned everyone. Without hesitation, he grabbed the report and charged to the president's office.
Knock, knock, knock. Hayao Nakayama, buried in files, frowned at the interruption but said, "Come in." Seeing his son's expression—not panic or anger, but a hunter's thrill as prey entered the trap—his irritation turned to curiosity.
"Father, call all directors for an emergency meeting this afternoon," Takuya urged, his tone ironclad.
Hayao studied him for three seconds, sensing Takuya had glimpsed a hidden shift. Without a word, he dialed the secretary's line.
By afternoon, Sega's top-floor boardroom was thick with cigar smoke and somber faces. Konami's news had reached them, and they knew the meeting's purpose. A white-haired, respected director broke the silence, addressing Takuya. "Executive Nakayama, Hudson, Namco, and now Konami are betting on PC Engine. Won't this siphon developers and players we've pulled from Nintendo? Our resources are stretched—shouldn't we focus on Nintendo, not get dragged into a war of attrition with PC Engine?"
His words echoed most directors' fears, seeing PC Engine as a rival and Konami's move as a liability. Some even urged pressuring Konami. Takuya, silent, walked to the whiteboard, marker in hand. He drew a large, closed circle labeled "Nintendo," surrounded by small squares for third parties once under its thumb.
"We used to think about chiseling a hole in this wall to pull third parties out," he said, sketching a small gap leading to a "Sega" square. The image was clear. "But now, it's different." His voice rose, the marker slashing an explosive symbol beneath Nintendo's circle, like a blinding sun.
"Konami isn't chiseling. They've detonated dynamite under every third party's feet, shaking the wall's foundation!" His gaze swept the room. "What's Yamauchi's dominance built on? The fear that 'without me, you can't survive.' Now, Hudson's *Star Soldier*, Namco's *Yokai Dochuki*, and Konami's *Gradius*—their PC Engine successes and hard sales data—prove you can not only survive without Nintendo but thrive!"
"This isn't just PC Engine's win—it's a victory for all anti-Nintendo forces! When fear vanishes, greed takes over. Nintendo's wall is crumbling from within!"
His voice echoed, and he delivered his core point. "We're in a unique, fleeting 'golden window.' Yamauchi faces a trust crisis and will act to recover. But his pride means it'll take time—days, a month, maybe three—before he compromises with 'traitors' like Konami and Hudson. Once top third parties climb down his ladder, that window closes. That's our time!"
His tone sharpened, eyes hawk-like. "If Nintendo revises its royalty terms and woos third parties, wavering developers will retreat to FC's massive install base. We must pull them to our ship—permanently—before that window shuts."
He wrote "Blitzkrieg" on the board and outlined his plan. "First, form a 'Third-Party Task Force,' led by me, with elite staff from all departments, fully supported. Second, strike everywhere simultaneously. List every wavering first- and second-tier third party—Taito, Capcom, Jaleco, Data East. Send teams with engineers, MD consoles, dev tools, and irresistible contracts to their offices all at once. Third, offer more than money: royalties far below Nintendo's, third-party control over production and sales with Sega only reviewing content, no exclusivity demands, no IP control grabs—equal terms. Plus, our best engineers will provide on-site support, sharing core dev tech to help them deliver top-quality MD games fast."
Takuya's passionate vision painted a future where third-party MD exclusives flooded the market, proving MD's generational leap over FC. The market's tide would irreversibly turn to Sega. The room fell silent, only faint breaths and cigar crackles audible.
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