After returning, Kobayashi Tetsu spent nearly the entire night thinking.
He had feelings for Sega. He had passion for it. But he had no affection for Nakayama Hayao.
In other words—
Aside from K, it was difficult for Kobayashi Tetsu to feel any particular fondness for other human beings.
Fifteen percent profit sharing and independent cartridge production were indeed rare and generous terms. Nakayama Hayao wasn't wrong—Nintendo couldn't offer anything better.
But the price of those terms was Atlas being absorbed into Sega, becoming a part of Sega, completely losing its autonomy. Perhaps it wouldn't be long before he, like Masahito Tanimura, would be kicked out of the studio he had founded with his own hands.
"What would Nakayama Hayao do? No—there's probably nothing he wouldn't do. Since this is a platform holder, sometimes the simplest methods are enough to make creators submit. For example… tightening content reviews."
Pressing his fingers to his temples, Kobayashi Tetsu thought for a long time, until a bold idea suddenly took shape in his mind.
He was going to blow this whole thing wide open.
"Sega Drafts Acquisition Terms, Estimated 2.5 Billion Yen to Acquire Atlas Studio!"
"Atlas Studio Performance Review: The Best Works of the Past Year!"
"From Garage Startup to Sega's Favored Darling!"
"Exclusive Interview with the President of Atlas: Looks and Talent Can Coexist! By Ten Cents!"
Kobayashi Tetsu wrote nonstop, completing seven or eight articles in one go and submitting them to different newspapers. He also sent a copy to Kadokawa Game Magazine.
He didn't want to talk about Sega's internal affairs, nor would he ever disclose them. But some things could be said.
For example—Nakayama Hayao's expressed intention to acquire Atlas.
At Shimayori Game Shop, Shimayori Yosuke flipped through a stack of newspapers, unable to hide his amazement.
"I never thought Atlas, barely a year old, would already reach this point!"
Kobayashi Tetsu crossed his arms and looked at him.
"Is that really so surprising?"
"More or less. I thought Atlas had already become an internal Sega studio," Shimayori Yosuke said. "Didn't expect they're only preparing to acquire it now. But honestly, I think it's better not to agree too hastily. With Atlas's capabilities, staying independent might actually be better."
Kobayashi Tetsu casually agreed.
Of course it would be better—but people sometimes cling to sentiment.
That was the fundamental reason why Kobayashi Tetsu had chosen Sega over Nintendo in the first place.
Just as he was about to continue the conversation, his pager suddenly beeped. He glanced down and saw an unfamiliar number.
There were no scam calls these days, so after apologizing, Kobayashi Tetsu stepped aside to return the call.
Shimayori Yosuke, meanwhile, kept chatting animatedly with other regulars about the newspaper.
Even if they didn't know Atlas's exact profit margins, if it were acquired by a first-party platform holder, with deep pockets behind it, maybe they could make even better games in the future.
The person who called Kobayashi Tetsu was named Suzuki Hisashi.
This was a very special individual—one of Sega's senior executives and an indispensable figure within the company.
Satō Hideki was the head of Sega's hardware division, while Suzuki Hisashi was the head of the development division.
He oversaw all of Sega's software development: arcade games, home consoles, and even handhelds and motion-sensing consoles that didn't yet exist.
Yes—Sega had motion-sensing consoles, and they were among the earliest in the world to be commercialized.
They just hadn't appeared yet.
Suzuki Hisashi's status within Sega was even higher than Satō Hideki's. Later on, when Michael Jackson collaborated on several Sega platform games bearing his name, Suzuki Hisashi was the one responsible for coordinating those projects.
Kobayashi Tetsu had never interacted with Suzuki Hisashi before, so this call came as a surprise.
Sega had many internal factions—the domestic Japanese faction, the North American faction. Historically, Sega's turbulence had a lot to do with the rise of the North American faction, which eventually suppressed the Japanese headquarters from across the ocean.
Suzuki Hisashi was a typical representative of the domestic Sega faction.
Logically speaking, Kobayashi Tetsu's background should have placed him firmly in the North American camp—but aside from moments when he absolutely had to state his identity, he never really considered himself as belonging to any group.
Neither American nor Japanese.
That evening, inside an izakaya.
Suzuki Hisashi had deliberately chosen a private room. There was no interruption whatsoever—after setting down the hot towels and drinks, even the staff quietly withdrew.
Kobayashi Tetsu said nothing, merely turning his wine glass in his hand as he waited for Suzuki Hisashi to explain his purpose.
Only after two drinks did Suzuki Hisashi finally adopt a lecturing, elder-like expression and pat Kobayashi Tetsu on the shoulder.
"Atlas—I've heard the name for a long time. But Kobayashi-kun, you shouldn't have sent Sega's internal matters to the newspapers. This will seriously damage Sega's image."
Kobayashi Tetsu raised his hand.
"Stop right there. If that's all you came to say, you can leave. I didn't disclose any of Sega's internal affairs. I merely stated Sega's intention to acquire Atlas."
Suzuki Hisashi's expression stiffened slightly, then he shook his head.
"Let's not talk about that, then. Let's discuss other terms. The acquisition will still proceed, but Sega will grant Atlas extremely high autonomy. My conditions are different from Chairman Nakayama's…"
After listening for a while, Kobayashi Tetsu couldn't help but shake his head.
Suzuki Hisashi's position was high enough.
But it was useless. These terms were not something Kobayashi Tetsu would support.
"Suzuki-san," Kobayashi Tetsu said bluntly. "I'm going to Nintendo."
Suzuki Hisashi shot upright.
Kobayashi Tetsu continued, "I mean it—I plan to go to Nintendo. If you keep proposing these unrealistic terms, I'll go straight to Nintendo right now. With Atlas's unconventional style, proven achievements, sales performance, and commercial potential, I'm sure Nintendo would welcome me."
Suzuki Hisashi clenched his teeth. "Kobayashi-kun, Nintendo won't offer better terms! You should know very well that what Sega is offering now is already the most preferential treatment possible!"
Kobayashi Tetsu shrugged.
"But Nintendo won't offer worse terms either, will they? Don't forget—Atlas is not part of Sega. Atlas is free to do whatever it wants."
With that, Kobayashi Tetsu stood up.
"If you truly want to win over Atlas, then bring out appropriate conditions. Fifteen percent profit sharing and independent cartridge publishing look great on the surface, but in reality they're overly exaggerated—and only serve to conceal the real objective. I don't care what Sega's internal power struggles are, or who becomes president. Push me too hard, and I'll publicly announce in the newspapers that I'm defecting to Nintendo. In the end, the one who loses will be Sega."
After speaking, Kobayashi Tetsu didn't look at Suzuki Hisashi again. He casually picked up the skewer of lantern fish from the table and tossed it into the trash.
What kind of taste is that anyway—who eats lantern fish? What decent person eats that?
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