After the job posting went out, Tetsu Kobayashi quickly received a number of applications, but most of them weren't particularly impressive, and he had no intention of hiring any of them.
It wasn't until the very end of June that he received an unexpected phone call.
"Hello, Atlas Studio," Kobayashi answered briefly. "How can I help you?"
"Ah, it really is Atlas. I'm terribly sorry to bother you. I'm not calling to apply for a position—I wanted to ask whether Atlas has any outsourcing or contract-development needs?"
Kobayashi let out a quiet, slightly displeased sound.
Well, that wasn't very interesting.
Still, he asked casually, "We might have such a need. If you don't mind, leave your contact."
"Yes. We are 'HAL Laboratory.' Our studio is in Akihabara, a small team," the man replied simply. "We've released a few titles on the MSX platform."
Kobayashi wasn't surprised.
MSX didn't require expensive licensing fees—only simple revenue sharing—so many small, newly founded studios chose it as their first platform.
Not everyone could be like Kobayashi himself, receiving a development kit worth two million yen for free the moment he debuted, then getting connected to Sega for publishing.
Most studios' first games were utterly obscure, selling only a few thousand copies—and that was on MSX.
Kobayashi originally intended to respond with the bare minimum courtesy, but the name "HAL Laboratory" felt oddly familiar.
"HAL, is it? So you're looking for work?"
After a moment of thought, he continued, "Could you give me your address? If you don't mind, I may visit Akihabara to meet in person."
The voice on the other end grew noticeably excited and quickly provided an address—indeed, a small apartment building near Akihabara.
Not unlike Atlas in its early days—except that, unlike Atlas, which had recently stirred up the whole industry, HAL was still completely unknown.
It so happened that the timing worked. Kobayashi called out:
"Yuji Naka!"
"Here, President!"
"Put your work aside for now. We're going to visit some friends. We may be able to use their help in our future projects."
Development on Motocross was going smoothly, but having Naka work alone was still slow.
The two rode bicycles toward Akihabara. On the way, Naka couldn't help asking:
"President, I know I shouldn't be the one saying this, but… when are we getting a company car?"
"What, a car? Should I give you a chauffeur too?" Kobayashi retorted out of habit.
But sweating under the early-summer sun, even he had to admit—having a car would be convenient.
"True. If we ever need to go negotiate something, we can't always take the train. A car would help."
Buying a car under the company name could even reduce taxes. Kobayashi mentally added the matter to his to-do list and focused on pedaling.
They arrived at the designated location and found HAL Laboratory without trouble.
The moment he stepped inside the apartment, Kobayashi felt an odd sense of déjà vu. His age didn't stand out here at all—everyone inside was young like him, at most only three or four years older.
"You're… Atlas?"
A young man stepped up, sounding unsure as he read the name.
Naka introduced himself. "Programmer from Atlas Studio, Yuji Naka. You may know some of my work—Tank Wars, Jörmungandr."
Seeing Kobayashi remove his cap, Naka continued:
"And this is an even bigger figure—our president at Atlas, Tetsu Kobayashi! Kobayashi Puzzle, Dr. Kobayashi, all his solo works! His contributions in Atlas' short one-year history are immeasurable! As for me, I'm just a humble executor."
Kobayashi gestured downward.
Low-key. Be low-key. Don't go around shouting these things.
He stepped forward and extended his hand.
"Tetsu Kobayashi, president of Atlas Studio. And you are?"
"Tanimura Masahito!"
The young man shook his hand, visibly excited.
"I didn't expect Atlas to really come! All your games are masterpieces—classics, truly legendary. Especially Jörmungandr—both the animation and the game are irresistible! I absolutely love it!"
His praise was unrestrained, but Kobayashi only looked slightly upward—finally remembering why HAL Laboratory sounded so familiar.
HAL—the name came from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
And this young man with a pale, gentle face… Who would imagine that in the 1991 bubble collapse, he would misuse HAL's funds, sinking the company into two billion yen of debt and forcing HAL to declare bankruptcy in 1992?
Perhaps Tanimura Masahito once had passion too. But time changed people—until he became the man history remembered.
Kobayashi sighed inwardly and looked away.
Tanimura was not famous. But under him, a few truly remarkable creators would rise.
For example: Masahiro Sakurai, creator of Kirby and Super Smash Bros.
And then—
Iwata Satoru.
Iwata wasn't a prolific title-credited producer; most of his career was spent silently assisting Nintendo, with the games ultimately credited under Nintendo's name.
But his greatest honor was being personally named by Yamauchi Hiroshi as the next president—the fourth president of Nintendo.
Now that was a treasure.
Kobayashi marveled silently as he released Tanimura's hand.
"Could you give me a simple introduction of your studio?"
"Of course! Please!"
Tanimura ushered them inside and clapped his hands.
"Everyone! Pause your work. This is Atlas' president, Kobayashi-kun! And this is Atlas' programmer, Yuji Naka!"
Seven or eight pairs of eyes immediately turned toward Kobayashi.
He accepted the attention calmly.
Tanimura introduced the members one by one.
And then, when he reached a round-faced young man, he spoke the name Kobayashi had been waiting for.
"This is Iwata Satoru. Iwata-kun!"
Looking at the peaceful, round-faced youth before him, Kobayashi couldn't help but marvel.
Who could've imagined that Tanimura Masahito had stumbled upon a once-in-a-generation genius?
Sakurai hadn't joined yet—he was still in middle school this year.
This studio—even counting Tanimura himself—wasn't worth as much as one Iwata Satoru. Not even close.
Iwata might not have been the most brilliant programmer or the top game designer, but he was the most perfectly rounded creator—so much so that Yamauchi personally named him as Nintendo's future president.
A true, flawless prodigy.
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