For dealing with Japanese people, use a Japanese approach; for Americans, naturally, adopt an American approach.
After Kobayashi Tetsu escorted Jim out of the office, Tanaka Minoru visibly relaxed.
That American really did have strong body odor!
Kobayashi, on the other hand, took Jim to the meeting room, assuming a standard professional posture: impulsive, arrogant, assertive, and full of the confident attitude unique to youth.
Surprisingly, this demeanor put Jim at ease.
"If I hadn't known you were in Japan, I never would have imagined meeting such a familiar young man here," Jim exclaimed. "At such a young age, achieving this… it's incredible."
"There's nothing incredible about it," Kobayashi replied. "Like the relationship between Microsoft and IBM, my father held a director's position at SEGA. That gave me an advantage negotiating publishing deals, but everything I've achieved is the result of my own efforts."
Kobayashi didn't shy away from acknowledging his connections.
Rather, he intended to use them fully—wasting them would be foolish.
After talking with Jim for a few moments, Kobayashi already understood why Jim had dared to propose North American arcade distribution.
Firstly, arcade games were far easier to profit from than home consoles—though the market ceiling was smaller.
Secondly:
"Americans have a well-known love for shoot-'em-up games. During my years living in the U.S., I observed that nearly every bar had a shooting arcade machine. Hasbro clearly has good taste. I can grant them the arcade license for Jormungandr in North America. Luckily, Atlas has basically completed the arcade version, so the license can be finalized soon."
Jim's eyes lit up.
"That's perfect! But, may I ask—can you really authorize this?"
"Of course I can. Atlas Studio is my sole proprietorship. I have full rights to manage any of its assets."
To strengthen his credibility, Kobayashi took Jim on a tour of the garage. Seeing the equipment, the completed games, and the nearly finished arcade port, Jim was convinced: Atlas and Kobayashi were the real deal.
They quickly finalized the North American arcade distribution contract—but only for the arcade version, not the home console version.
At that time, the SG-2000 had no overseas distribution agreement, so any SG units abroad were considered pirated.
Under the agreement, Atlas Studio received $500,000 for granting Hasbro the North American arcade rights. Additionally, Hasbro would pay Kobayashi $15 for each arcade board produced.
Just from this alone, Kobayashi expected earnings in the hundreds of millions of yen.
Unfortunately, overseas payment cycles were notoriously slow; he wouldn't see the money until roughly the same time next year.
"By the way—" Kobayashi smiled suddenly.
"Since this is overseas distribution, why not use an overseas account? Directly pay in U.S. dollars, no need to transfer to my Japanese account."
He didn't understand finance, but the principle was simple: buy low, sell high. With the favorable 1980s yen-to-dollar exchange rate, holding dollars could give him a huge capital advantage in the 1990s.
Jim didn't know why Kobayashi proposed this, but he gladly agreed to dollar settlement, avoiding extra conversion.
They shook hands again. Just as the deal seemed wrapped up, Kobayashi smiled mischievously.
"Mr. Jim, have you heard of Bandai?"
Jim repeated the name: "Bandai?"
"Yes. A toy company similar to Hasbro. Bandai invested in an anime and fully owns the toy and vehicle rights for Jormungandr."
Kobayashi continued:
"There's also an anime adaptation. The rights have been licensed to a specific studio. If there are plans to bring the anime to North America, that studio can handle the discussion."
Jim inhaled sharply.
This was unexpected! He'd only come to discuss arcade rights, yet Kobayashi had suddenly linked everything together.
But he had to admit: Kobayashi's connections hit Hasbro's sweet spot.
Hasbro's business strategy also combined media rights, animation, and toy production. If the arcade failed to profit, the anime and toys would still provide revenue.
Kobayashi subtly brokered agreements between Jim, Daicon Film, and Bandai.
He didn't directly handle the contracts but earned a small commission as the intermediary.
After exchanging contact information and seeing Jim off, Kobayashi leaned back in his chair, exhaling deeply.
"This is satisfying. Not only have we sold everything domestically, but we've also licensed it abroad."
He calculated quickly. Apart from overseas payments, domestic funds meant he could hold nearly 100 million yen in assets this month.
"Ah."
He sighed.
Yuji Naka, puzzled, asked, "Why sigh when you're making money?"
Kobayashi tousled his hair.
"Is it my fault if I'm rich and good-looking?"
Yuji rolled up his sleeves. He was this close to hitting him.
Kobayashi laughed:
"Not yet. This news needs to be spread—but not through our channels. If people know the game and anime are being purchased by Americans, domestic sales will rise again."
He paused thoughtfully.
"By the way, Kadokawa Game Report has their magazine address, right?"
Everyone nodded. Kobayashi continued:
"Contact them. Say Atlas Studio is willing to grant an exclusive interview, exploring Jormungandr's development and behind-the-scenes story. They get exclusive rights—and they pay a consultation fee!"
Yuji, astonished, asked:
"You're having them pay you just to run a story?"
Kobayashi shrugged.
"Do I look like I'm paying them? You three figure out who will take the interview in my place."
He left the tricky part to the team and turned to his computer.
He needed to draft a statement, carefully deciding what could and couldn't be revealed. Any information released had to be approved and controlled.
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