"Kawaguchi!! "
As I recall, the man turned to me with a confused look on his face.
"You're Hironobu Kawaguchi from Triangle, right? "
"Do you know me? "
"Aren't you the director of the Kings Quest? "
"No, I know, but... how can I...? "
"I am Kang Jun-hyuk, a Mintendo employee. I saw a corner on Pammy Communications about the director. "
"Oh, right."
Then Kawaguchi nodded his head and opened his mouth to relax his guard against me.
"The Mintendo staff congratulates you in person for the launch of the hottest producers. "
"Oh, well, the dragon warrior's power is so great. Haha!"
"By comparison, I've only made 6,000 Kings quests, but Mintendo posted a third-party royalty, and I saw a total shortage. "
"Oh, really? "
"Oh, really? What, is that offensive answer making fun of me? "
"No, not at all. But I didn't put up that royalty, did I? Honestly, I don't think you should be mad at me. "
"Ugh..."
Kawaguchi grimaced his teeth as he groaned that it was unfair not to find a word to argue with. In fact, Kamachi has recently become more and more violent.
Recently, gaming companies have had to film 10,000 seconds in case the game was released or not, because the cartridge production unit price has not increased enough.
In other words, if the Kings Quests created by Kawaguchi were sold about 6,000 times three months after the launch date, it would be difficult to sell any more.
Games that are not very popular in the new yards these days will soon be forgotten... so the Triangle must have been hit with a shortage of 4,000 left over stocks...
While it was good to provide quality software to forget Atari shock, Mintendo's proprietary market was a difficult structure for gaming companies to gain any other benefits.
"Things aren't going so well with Triangle? "
"Originally, I tried to increase the number of Extras by 2,000, but Mintendo wouldn't accept them. Thanks to you, our company is on the verge of collapse. "
"Is that it? Oh, my God. So, any of the games we're working on right now? "
"I've got one thing in mind, but... the trend at headquarters is to completely shut down the gaming business..."
What!? No!! You have to create a Final Frontier for my plan to work!! Kawaguchi said with a bitter expression.
"Just once... there was a game I wanted to try one last time..."
"Last but not least, what genre are you thinking of? "
"RPG for now. Actually, I was thinking about buying a Dragon Warrior today, but seeing the Dragon Warrior being sold at the same time as the opening of the event... I was frankly bored. Even if I create a new game, will I be able to defeat the Dragon Warrior that has already become a national game? I wondered."
"I can't. No matter what kind of game Mr. Kawaguchi is playing right now, he can never beat Yuji's Dragon Warrior series. There's already three pieces in there. "
"Ugh... It sounds like even the game I'm thinking about is going to be defeated by the Dragon Warrior." "
"Yes, it is. because that's the biggest RPG game in Japan right now. But the second place is still empty. Why don't you start there? "
I handed the shopping bag in my hand to Mr. Kawaguchi.
"What is this...? "
"The Dragon Warrior 2 I just bought at the previous event. "
"Why are you...? "
"Mr. Kawaguchi must be mistaken, and I clearly said I can't beat the Dragon Warrior as' now '. I didn't say I couldn't win. To do that, how great is the game the enemy has created. You have to learn something. "
"Done. I'm not even going to approve the development of my next piece anyway."
"I'll talk to Jules about that, too. So let's play while you take a break. Oh, and if you clear this, you should return it. I bought it today and haven't played it yet. "
I forced Mr. Kawaguchi to show me his shopping bag and headed back to the event.
&
A few days later, I found Triangle Company in Tokyo. The triangle, barely reached a single address, was located on the second floor of a shabby four-story building. The old flyer on the first floor had a job opening, which was worth 1,500 yen an hour.
While Tokyo's average hourly rate of part-time is 480 yen to 500 yen, I was surprised to see the building again and muttered at a staggering hourly rate.
It doesn't look like a company worth 1500 yen to me.
I climb the stairs, tilting my head slightly. And after a while, when I entered the second floor, the first thing that welcomed me was cardboard boxes filled with corridors.
'No way... these? '
A slight opening of the box next to you in an ominous premonition filled with game titles.
"So many unsold and recovered titles... what in the world?" '
I sighed, gazing at the small office door that was visible through the boxes. As I moved a few boxes, I squeezed the gap and stood in front of the office for a moment, and then I tried knocking.
"Come in."
Queek... I started to freak out again with boxes filled with gruesome noises about the hinges and stepping into the office.
"Who are you?"
If that's what you're asking, why don't you put the boxes away at the entrance!? I look back at the direction of my voice as I walk through the boxes again.
"Oh, I'm here to see the boss. "
Then, a man in his 40s, sitting inside, replied with a color on his face.
"Ah, the interviewer who was supposed to be here today. Come this way."
Interviewer? What the hell is this? But I was stuck between the cracks of the box, and I missed the time to answer.
"Oh, no, that's..."
"The office is a bit complicated, isn't it? It'll be clear soon, so come here. "
That's not it, man! And after a while. I was sitting in the unlikely Triangle office, interviewing Mr. Cudo, the boss. So, how about we pretend to be interviewers and find out what's going on with this company?
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"Greetings. My name is Cudo and I'm the CEO of Triangle Soft. "
"Oh, hello. I am Kang Jun-hyuk, a Korean student. "
"Korean?"
"Yes, but? Is there a problem?"
"No, I'm just a little embarrassed because I've never interviewed a student before. You speak very good Japanese. Have you been here long? "
"Yes, something like three years? "
"By the way, Joon-Hyuk. Do you know how to program a little? We're recruiting programmers to create games for families."
"Of course you can. But is the hourly 1500 yen I saw in the flyer true? "
Kubo's eyebrows twitched slightly. Hmm! Looks like you're hiding a trick.
"Ah, yes, at 1500 hours. "
"I heard it was more urgent than the others...? "
"Of course you can. as long as one condition is met. "
"Condition?"
"When over 50,000 games created by Junhyuk are sold, 1500 yen is sufficient as an incentive payment. No, you can take more than an hour. "
What...? So you want me to make a game and sell it and then distribute the proceeds? I answered with an empty laugh because I was exhausted.
"What if they don't sell 5000? "
"If that's the case, it's a little hard to pay... Jun-hyuk isn't confident in his game, is he? "
Look at this? You're going to scratch your insides and try to seduce me somehow?
"So what is the base hourly rate excluding incentives? "
"280 yen."
Sitting there, I rub my hands on my face and sigh for a long time.
In fact, this attitude at the interview is very disrespectful, but I'm not here for the real interview, I'm just here to check on the status of the company, and it's all rotten from the President's mind.
"Mr. Cudo, I'm not actually here for the interview. "
"Yes? So...? "
I took my business card out of my pocket, handed it to Mr. Cudo and greeted him again.
"I am Kang Jun-hyuk, who is in charge of the next generation of console development department. "
"F-Mintendo employee!? "
"The reason I'm here today is because I came to talk to Mr. Cudo, and it's flowing in a strange direction, not by Bourne. "
"No, why would someone from Mintendo...? "
I opened my mouth as I looked around the box full of offices instead of answering.
"Are these boxes our family games developed by Triangle Soft? "
"Yes, that's right. There's no news yet, but we've already launched a fourth title as a family - the Kings Quest. "
Since you've created 4 titles and you don't have any hits, you must be stocking them... Then why is the boss alone in the game development office?
"But is there anyone else? Why is the boss alone on a weekday? "
"There was originally a designer and programmer named Kawaguchi who created the Kings Quest, but he hasn't been to work recently. "
"Why?"
"Well, the Kings quest isn't selling as well as I expected, so I'm a little behind on my pay."
Spying. I can't find the answer...
"In that situation, you're choosing another part-time job? "
"You have to make a game first to make money. By the way, what brings you to my company? "
I took a moment to catch my breath and explained to Cudo the boss why I had come.
"I came here today to see you. "
"Me?"
"Triangle Soft doesn't seem to be in good standing right now. You have created 4 titles for my family, but I came to give you some technical advice because I don't have any hits. "
"Oh, I see. But I'm not really in the game development department, so I wish I had a Kawaguchi guy to advise me on technology. "
"Does that mean you don't know anything about game development? But you're the CEO of a soft company? "
"Haha, isn't Mr. Kamachi from Mintendo the same way? I'm just collecting talent to make game software for a living. "
This guy's a total mind thief. So you're saying that if you lose, the employees just sit around and make a game and they pay for the cartridge? I'm such an idiot... Did the game market look so pleasant to you?
"Do you have any idea how dangerous Mr. Cudo is talking right now? "
"Yes..? I mean, you know, the Camouflage President is like..."
"Don't you have a lot of money? If you are the head of at least one company, you should consider whether the games that the employees below make are marketable. Don't you feel frustrated seeing cartridges piled up all over the office right now? "
"Gaming business can be huge in a single blow. If you blow one, won't you be able to fill it with everything you've lost so far? Like the Dragon Warrior of Phoenix. "
Oh, my god.
What the hell kind of posture is game development waiting to explode instead of pachinko in front of a subway station? I feel like I'm going to lose my mind if I talk to you again...
I close my eyes with my hands on the itchy forehead. I've already looked at the game & watch before I came here. The Triangle's finances were falling apart, so I threw my horse out of my mind.
"Ms. Grant, you owe me a second financial institution. "
"..!? "
Whether the grain was pierced or not, Kubo's face hardened at times. In fact, the capital held by Triangle Soft had been collapsing since before the last Kings quest was launched. Khudo had almost won the lottery, so he made a cartridge for King's Quest from the second financial district to the debt, but he failed to publish and left for stock again.
"How...? "
"Just looking at the stock piled up in the office gives you the right answer. I wonder if you still have the capacity to make the next one. "
"Well..."
"Why, if the second financial sector is blocked, are you going to use private loans? "
"Ugh..."
"Ms. Grant, I really don't think that's..."
Finally, Kubo bowed his head with a depressed expression. I checked the office, leaving him alone for a moment. If you look at the state of the office, you can feel the atmosphere of the company.
Mintendo's headquarters is teeth-tooth engaged with a large cartridge factory. And Phoenix Soft is a relatively free family atmosphere.
The landscape of Fox Soft, an army surveillance company, etc. has been drawn. Triangle was the worst running wreck I had ever seen.
But it's a company that has what I really want.
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But it's a company that has what I really want.
I watched Cudo's face for a moment, then smiled slightly and said to him,
"Ms. Grant, why don't we try this? "
The control of the conversation is now completely over me. Kurdo's depressed face, full of debt, looked at me with a half-forsaken look.
"Hand this company over to me. "
"Excuse me?"
"Ms. Asafi Kudo can no longer afford to develop game software, can she? "
"But handing over the company is a little..."
"How about this? I will repay all the debts Triangle Soft owes you. And I'll give Mr. Cudo an extra 30 million yen. "
"Th-thirty million!? "
Thirty million yen is equivalent to 300 million in our country's money. Three hundred million in 1980's is a lot of money. As I understand it, the bank debt that Triangle is currently in is about 20 million. It's like swallowing up a company for 50 million yen.
"But do you have that kind of money as an undergraduate in Mintendo staff? "
"I have money. It's too difficult to start a company as an undergraduate. "
"Ugh."
In fact, when I came to Japan in the 1980s, I made two big mistakes.
That is that you have set your age too young. I had just started studying in Japan. These are the two factors that put me in a state where I can do nothing, even with two billion yen.
Why? The first is that no matter how much money you have, you cannot pay for your business because you live in Japan for a short period of time.
Foreigners had to live in Japan for at least five years to establish a new company in Japan, and they needed a career in the company.
In addition, business items were also unknown whether the Japanese government would approve them or not, so it was obvious that no matter how much money I had, as a 21-year-old Korean student, I would not approve the business.
'Even if we start our console business right away, will the devices that Koreans have established in Japan be successful during Atari shock? Starting unprepared is a shortcut to destruction... First, you have to build a career so that no one can tackle you. '
So I decided to use Gunpei.
Using him, I first joined Mintendo, who will start the gaming industry from the '80s to' 90s.
Since the job standards and public bonds were not more difficult than I thought, once the game & watch was in the excitement, I became close to Gunpei who was located in Mintendo, I was able to pass easily.
In addition, he brought Shigeru to me as a great fortune.
Both of them have earned us some credit from President Kamachi.
As a result, I was identified as a business associate, and the remainder was a matter of time to resolve. By the way... I didn't know this Kamauchi guy was going to send me to America with a shotgun.
I ended up spending a year in America, but that wasn't so bad either. Rather, in Mintendo, Gunpei and Shigei became key figures, and the direction was slightly changed, but eventually they came up with a new console design.
The new console development department is currently researching the upper limits of the device specs, and among the people who created the existing family, advanced engineers have been selected to work with me.
In other words, I created a department that would extract the most critical skills and put myself in that position. If I had poker with Kamauchi and Gunpei Shigei, the card in my hand would have been the hand of the royal straight.
"What do you think? Do you like my offer? Don't you think you could use that money to start a company like this? "
"Th-that's good. For that amount, I will hand over our triangle software to Joon-Hyuk. "
"Oh, by the way, I have one condition. "
"Th-the conditions? "
The look on Cudo's face makes me think twice about what I said, so I guess he's been stressed out by his finances. I opened my mouth, smiling slightly at him.
"Would you like to travel abroad after filling out the paperwork? Uh, about a year? Oh, I'll pay for the trip, too. "
"W-why are you abroad all of a sudden? "
"You know Kagemusha, right? In fact, Mr. Cudo has to be registered as a ghost president for the next year or so."
Shadow Blader.
It refers to a false lord who has the same outfit and appearance as the lord to prevent the assassination of enemies in the Edo era. If you receive a transfer of a company founded by a Japanese person, it doesn't matter if you are a foreigner. It's just that if you live in Japan more than three years, you can buy it with money.
&
In January 1987, I cleaned out the office of Triangle Soft, which was full of cardboard boxes. And put a new mission in front of the office.
- Pentagon Soft-
I took two more dots from my old name Triangle and changed my mission to the Pentagon, meaning pentagon. I wipe away the dirt from my hands and gladly gaze at the halfway mission.
I paid my rent, and now it's time to show up. '
Then I heard a man's voice behind my back.
"Hey, who are you? "
Mr. Kawaguchi turned his head and looked at me with a questionable face.
"Huh? Anyone from Mintendo I met at the Dragon Warrior? "
"Hello, Kawaguchi. "
"How did you...? "
"Technical support. Tri-no. I want to help you with a new project for Pentagon Soft. "
"Is Mr. Cudo in? "
"Ah, the fact that you're traveling abroad for a while... is actually just Kawaguchi and me. "
He cleared his debts with an advance made last month, met with a lawyer to fill out the contract documents and then left for Europe.
"What?? "
"So Kawaguchi was in charge of this Pentagon software for a while. "
"Am I...? "
Kawaguchi looked at me with a silly look. When I opened the office door lightly and stepped inside, Kawaguchi followed me around with his tongue on the different interior interior.
"Is this really Triangle Soft? "
"No. Pentagon Soft. It's not a triangle that promotes a higher society, it's a place where both the president and the employee create the best games as developers within an equinox framework. Of course, the main director, Kawaguchi, will be in charge of this place for the time being. "
"When is Mr. Cudo coming back? "
"That's going to be a little longer... a year? Or is it gonna take a little longer than that? "
"I just came to see if things were getting a little better with my salary."
"We have disposed of all the existing malicious inventory. Now, as a Pentagon, they said they had all the capacity to create new games. What do you think? The last fantasy game you ever made. Why don't you make it here? I'm also here to help. "
"Final... frontier. "
"Yes?"
"We've named the new game the Final Frontier. And finally, as a game designer, I'm going to unleash the power of the spirit. "
Final Frontier.
A masterpiece of a memorable era was born for all gamers.
&
Since then, I've rushed the production of the Final Frontier with Kawaguchi.
Of course, I couldn't stop by every day because I had an office in Tokyo, but at least once when I was traveling for work in Tokyo.
Kawaguchi seemed to have found a breakthrough after playing the Dragon Warrior I lent him. At that time, the game producer didn't care much about BGM, but Kawaguchi realized that BGM is essential for dramatic performances to double the fun of the game.
As soon as I put on the title, the epic BGM of the Dragon Warrior seemed to ask the user if they were ready for an adventure. Music flowing from the field was also enough to actually feel like we were going on an adventure with our colleagues.
There, Mr. Kawaguchi recruited a new composer to the company, who could produce gaming music at all, which is a curious choice for classical composers. Among them, he specialized in piano.
And against the illustrator Toriyama Akira, who was popular with children, he used Amano Yoshitaka from Tatsunoko Production, famous for his' Eagle Brother '.
"I can see the age range of the Kawaguchi after the party. "
I was reviewing the finale frontier's proposal and smiled slightly at Mr. Kawaguchi.
"Is it too hot to be picking on the Dragon Warrior? "
"Not a bad idea. If the Dragon Warrior is a simple story that gives a child dreams and hopes, then the age of the Final Frontier is a bit higher than that for adults in junior high school. "
"Right away. A battle scene feels like a battle against an enemy. I've put characters and monsters on one screen. What do you think? I was watching the NFL a while ago, and the tension of the players facing me before handing the ball to the quarterback was overwhelming. "
"Nervous... I wouldn't maximize the tension in battle just by facing each other."
"So this is how I planned the battle. "
The battle with the monsters Mr. Kawaguchi showed me was using an active battle system.
With a gauge that allows you to choose between monsters and player characters, the alternating ways monsters and players attack each other in the order in which the gauge rises was a groundbreaking way to underpin the future of the Final Frontier.
"But Joon-Hyuk. I've always wondered, you know, you have a very unique knowledge of game planning and coding. Thanks to this, the development of the Final Frontier was very smooth. "
"Really? I'm glad you could help. "
"With this level of skill, you can even compare it to Shigeru in Mintendo. Why don't you develop a game? "
"Well, I'm actually building one as a hobby. "
"As a hobby? What type of game is it? "
"It's still a secret. I can't tell you. Haha"
I smiled at Kawaguchi and avoided his answer. After coming back from the United States earlier last year, the game that had been made little by little was about to be finished.
But it is clear that I am not willing to play this game in the name of Minten.
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