game trailblazer

Chapter 233 Sony's Hidden Worry

就在万代挣扎于破产边缘的时候，同样是在金融风暴的背景下，索尼公司却过得十分滋润，继去年11月30日PS游戏机全球出货量（非销量）突破1000万台后，今年8月20日PS游戏机全球出货量再次突破2000万台，其中其中RB850万台、北美640万台、欧洲510万台。而这段时间PS游戏平台上的大作也是频出，《前线任务2》、《生化危机导演剪辑版》、《最终幻想7国际版》、《泡泡方块SUN决定盘》《古惑狼2》、《陆行鸟迷宫》、《GT赛车》等精彩游戏接二连三的上了市。

On the surface, Sony should be living a happy life, but in fact, it hides a lot of hidden worries. The global shipments exceeded 2000 million units, but the actual cumulative sales volume was only 900 million units. More than half of the PS game consoles shipped were actually The above is right in the seller's warehouse.However, Nintendo's N64 game console, which was launched almost a year and a half late, has gradually caught up, especially after the North American market has been so prestige, the cumulative sales volume has reached 700 million units.

Sony overwhelms Nintendo in the global and RB markets, especially in the RB market. However, in the North American market, Sony is struggling. The sales of games in North America are even more exaggerated. The top ten sales this year are N64 games. There are seven seats, PS games only have three seats, and the top five are all N64 games. It seems that Nintendo may make a comeback in North America.

Sony Electronic Entertainment (SCE) president Takeshi Taragi is very worried about this. He is particularly worried about the weakness of SCE's first-party and second-party game development capabilities. Almost all the best-selling masterpieces on the PS game platform are controlled by other companies. , which is a big hidden danger for Sony.Just like SCE poached Square from Nintendo and brought a series of best-selling masterpieces such as "Final Fantasy", "Front Mission", "Chocobo Maze", others can use the same method to poach SCE's corner, In case something like Square Enix's job-hopping really happens, Kutaragi Ken knows that it will definitely bring about a very big negative impact, but there are not many ways to prevent it, and he can only try to create a better environment for third parties, but this It's always hard to say anything about interests.Therefore, the best way is to strengthen the strength of SCE's first-party and second-party game development forces, and invite some powerful companies to join. As long as SCE itself has strong game development capabilities, even if there are game companies that change jobs , and it is not that there is nothing to do when things come to an end.

Since last year, Ken Kutaragi has commissioned a survey company to investigate some of the game companies he is more optimistic about. When the final survey results came out, he was even more worried. He found that many development companies with best-selling masterpieces ended up with a company called Touhou The enterprises of the industrial group are related, even wholly owned by it, such as 86.33% of Capcom, 83.82% of Konami, and 93.8% of Naughty Dog, the developer of "Crash Bandicoot". Equity, wholly owned Tianzhiyuan (Shanghai), etc., are all important game developers on the PS game platform. Ken Kutaragi is very worried about this. He thinks that Dongfang Industrial Group has too much influence on the PS game platform. This situation must be changed.

How to change it? The best way is of course to turn other people’s into your own. However, after further investigation of the strength of Dongfang Industrial Group, Ken Kutaragi gave up. He wanted to forcefully buy those game development companies from Dongfang Industrial Group. It's huge, not to mention big companies like Capcom and Konami, even a small guy like Naughty Dog, even with the entire Sony behind him, there is no good way.Orient Industrial Group has Standard Chartered Bank for financing. Unless Sony is willing to fight an endless war to completely defeat Oriental Industrial Group and Standard Chartered Bank, SCE will be able to detect leaks and win companies like Naughty Dog. But in this case It was impossible, so Ken Kutaragi had to choose another target.

Soon a game development company named Chipper Interactive entered Ken Kutaragi’s sight. This is a game development company similar in size to Naughty Dog. It previously launched a 3D game called "Burst Police" on the PS platform. The action horizontal version of the customs clearance game has also achieved quite good results.Coincidentally, Zipper Interactive is currently planning to expand its manpower and develop new projects, but there is a gap in funding, and SCE can just provide support in this regard.In order to ensure that Zipper Interactive can be won, Kutaragi Ken sent his capable general, Ichiro Fukai, to Santa Monica, California, USA, to negotiate with Boreal, the president of Zipper Interactive.Fukai Ichiro is an old man in front of Ken Kutaragi. He is currently the director of the planning and development department. He has worked in the United States before and his English is quite good. This is one of the reasons why Ken Kutaragi took a fancy to him.

……

The plane landed slowly at Los Angeles International Airport. Not far from the terminal, Ichiro Fukai saw two employees of SCEA (Sony Computer Entertainment America) Paul and Kuzo Aoki. Come to assist Ichiro Shenjing in this acquisition negotiation.After a night of rest and rejuvenation, the next morning, Ichiro Fukai and his party drove a rented car to Santa Monica, which is about 20 kilometers away from downtown Los Angeles.

Unfortunately, there was a traffic jam on the road, and after driving for an hour and a half, the car arrived at the building where Chipper Interactive's office is located.Ichiro Fukai got out of the car, looked at the ordinary, even a little old building in front of him, and asked Kuzang Aoki who was standing beside him: "Mr. Aoki, is Chipper Interactive here?"

Kuzo Aoki nodded, and said: "Minister Shenjing, Chipper Interactive is currently on the 6th floor of this building. After they have achieved good results on our game console, they are planning to move to a new office. I want to expand the development team, so funds are a bit tight now."

At this time, Paul had parked his car and walked over. Ichiro Fukai waved his hand and said, "Okay, let's go up." After finishing speaking, he took the lead and walked into the building, and Paul and Kuzang Aoki hurriedly followed .

He took the elevator to the sixth floor of the building. In the office facing the elevator, Ichiro Fukai saw the president of Chipper Interactive, Boreal, a tall white man in his 30s, wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses.Ichiro Fukai did not expect that the negotiation process would go very smoothly. As soon as he mentioned SCE's plan to acquire Zipper Interactive, Boreal agreed on the spot. The smoothness made him wonder if he was dreaming.But then Borrell put forward two more conditions. One is that Zipper Interactive must have independent development authority, that is to say, Zipper Interactive will have the final say on what games will be developed in the future, even if the development funds come from As for SCE, Ichiro Fukai agreed on the spot, because before going out, the president Taragi Ken specifically explained that what SCE needs is a powerful game development company, so some concessions can be made, such as decentralizing independent development Right etc.

However, the second condition that Borrell could come up with later made Ichiro Fukai dumbfounded. He actually wanted to own SCEA's core technical team IceTeam, that is to say, the technical team originally controlled by SCEA should be assigned to Chipper Interactive. Shimoshenjing Ichiro was worried, obviously this condition was not something he could agree to.Ichiro Fukai had no choice but to immediately contact Jared, the president of SCEA, and Takeshi Taragi, the president of SCE, by phone. Jared became angry when he heard that someone wanted to poach his corner. He said it in Jared's face, maybe Jared would explode on the spot.Fortunately, Ken Kutaragi understood righteousness, and after some persuasion from him, Jared reluctantly agreed.

Now the obstacles to the acquisition of Zipper Interactive were gone. On the third day, Ichiro Fukai formally signed an acquisition agreement with Zipper Interactive on behalf of SCE, and IceTeam was merged into Zipper Interactive as Borrell wished.

Ken Kutaragi, who had achieved the first goal, breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to ask Ichiro Fukai to advance to the second goal, a game development company in London, England, an unexpected person appeared in front of him.

The person who came to visit Ken Kutaragi was none other than Masashi Miyamoto, one of Square's shareholders, who holds 18% of the shares.Although after Square joined the PS camp, the two parties had frequent contact, but usually Kutaragi Ken was visited by Nangong Yun, Miyamoto Masashi has always been very low-key, and even made people forget that he was the original owner of Square.

"Kudaragi-kun, long time no see!" Miyamoto Masashi said with a smile on his face.

Kutaragi Ken also smiled, and said, "Miyamoto-kun usually seldom comes out, why do you have time to come to me today?"

"I have two news, one good news and one bad news. I wonder if Kutaragi-kun is interested?" Miyamoto Masashi said with a smile.

"What?" Ken Kutaragi sat up straight all of a sudden, staring at Miyamoto Masashi in front of him, and asked, "What good news and bad news?"

Miyamoto Masashi did not answer directly, but instead asked: "I wonder if Kutaragi-kun wants to hear the good news or the bad news first?"

Kutaragi Ken pondered for a while, and said, "Miyamoto-kun, tell me the good news first."

"Square can completely invest in Sony Computer Entertainment, Kutaragi-kun, do you think this is good news?" Miyamoto Masashi said with a smile.

"Isn't Square already in the PS game camp now? Do you still need to vote?" Ken Kutaragi asked pretending to be puzzled, but suddenly thought of a certain possibility in his heart, and couldn't help but feel a little more expectation.

"What I mean is that Square Enix will become a second-party development company of Sony Computer Entertainment in the future, and only develop games on Sony's game platform." Miyamoto Masashi explained.

"It's impossible. As far as I know, Square has never had such a policy." It's not that Ken Kutaragi has never investigated Square. This company that has brought great help to the popularization of PS game consoles has always been Ken Kutaragi. A heart disease, so he never stopped paying attention to Square.

"It's a little different now..." Miyamoto Masashi explained mysteriously.

After listening to Miyamoto Masashi, Kutaragi finally figured it out for the time being. For some unknown reason, Square Enix's major shareholder has recently reduced the company's stock holdings, and the ownership has dropped to 32%.Masashi Miyamoto, who has always been dissatisfied with being at the bottom, feels that the opportunity has come. He conducted secret contact with other shareholders and found that many shareholders are willing to sell their shares as long as the price is right, but this reasonable price is his I can't afford it at all.So Miyamoto Masashi thought of SCE, and thought of Sony. He hoped that SCE could come forward to do a favor by paying back part of Square’s equity from other shareholders. It is possible to oust the representative of the major shareholder, and also kick out the person he has installed in the company, so that Masashi Miyamoto has the opportunity to regain control of the New Year company.

In order to convince Kutaragi Ken, Miyamoto Masashi also said that if Sony and SCE can help him, Square will only develop games on Sony's game platform in the future.This is very tempting to Ken Kutaragi, but all this is not enough to persuade him to intervene. After all, Square Enix has already joined the PS camp. Then it will really become a chicken-and-egg fight, and both ends will be empty.

Seeing that his rhetoric didn't work, Miyamoto Masashi couldn't help but said: "Kudaragi-kun, the good news has already been said, let me tell you the bad news. I believe that Sega and VisualSystem Group will cooperate to develop the next-generation game console "Demon Sword" You should have heard of the news..."

Kutaragi Ken was startled by the bad news from Miyamoto Masashi. He knew that Square was controlled by KF-Panda, and he also knew that VisualSystem Group controlled KF-Panda, but he had no association with it.But it is different now that Sega and VisualSystem Group have cooperated, and it involves the research and development of the next generation of game consoles, which means that many things are possible. Then Masashi Kutaragi confirmed Kutaragi Ken’s conjecture.

"I heard a message from within the company that due to the partnership between Sega and the VisualSystem Group, Square is likely to fall to Sega..."

This is bad news for Kutaragi Ken. Although he is sure that Square Enix will only develop games on the PS game platform, but if the development of "Demon Blade" is successful, there is a relationship with the VisualSystem Group in it. You will make a new choice.In this way, he can only agree to Miyamoto Masashi's request and help him regain Square, so as to ensure that Square will not suddenly change jobs in the future.

Thinking of this, Kutaragi Ken's face became serious: "Miyamoto-kun, is the acquisition of Square's stock that you just said reliable? Will there be any variables..."

(End of this chapter)