Game Development Giant

Chapter 103 UCLA’s Ultimatum

When he saw Hironobu Sakaguchi's dormitory for the first time, Tamahideyoshiro frowned at first. He was used to his wife keeping his house in order, so it was really difficult to enter a messy one. In his eyes, he looked like a dirty person. The place is full of messy garbage. But he knew that he was here to persuade the young man in front of him to join Mars Entertainment, although he didn't know how his boss knew that the other person would be talented, and he didn't understand what this young man had from the games he had made before. His potential was at least far inferior to that of Erikawa Yoichi whom he had met before.

At least Anei's game "Nobunaga's Ambition" he played very obsessively. Of course, it may also have something to do with his interest in history.

"You are Mr. Yuxiu, the president of Mars Entertainment Japan!"

Before Tamahideyoshiro could introduce himself, Hironobu Sakaguchi shouted with surprise. Tamahideyoshiro was a little surprised. He was very surprised that this young man could call his name. He was not a celebrity.

So, he asked curiously: "Do you know me?"

"Yes!" Sakaguchi Hironobu nodded seriously and said with respect, "You are the president of Mars Entertainment Japan Branch. I have seen your photo." After saying that, he discovered Tamahide Yoshiro Still outside his room door, he immediately said sorry embarrassedly, and then let him in, but his room was too messy. As soon as Tamahideyoshiro came in, Sakaguchi Hironobu's face With an annoyed look on his face, he immediately bent over towards Tamahideyoshiro, his expression became more respectful, and he said in a very humble tone: "I'm really sorry, because I live alone, the house is too messy. President Yuxiu, please take care of me."

Seeing the sincerity of the other party's attitude, and the fact that he was following Jester's instructions this time, although he was a little dissatisfied with Sakaguchi Hironobu's room being so messy due to personal reasons, Tamahideyoshiro's expression remained unchanged. Went in.

After sitting down on a sofa, Sakaguchi Hironobu was in a hurry and wanted to pour water for the guests, but he tried several kettles and found that they were all empty.

Then, Sakaguchi Hironobu showed an embarrassed look on his face.

"No need to bother." After sighing, Tamahideyoshiro could only say this. He didn't want to embarrass the other party, and then he continued, "Don't you want to ask why I came to you?"

yes!

At this time, Hironobu Sakaguchi showed a look of sudden realization. Because of the great success of the Pokemon electronic pet machine and Mars Entertainment's four arcade games in Japan, the status of Mars Entertainment's Japanese branch has greatly increased. People like Tamahide Yoshiro are in There must be a reason why the big shots in the Japanese video game industry came to him, but Hironobu Sakaguchi thought about it and couldn't think of any interaction with him. He was just a dropout from Yokohama National University who didn't even succeed in graduating. Student, the only thing that can connect him with the other party is that he has only made a few very bad games. It is such an achievement that in the eyes of the other party, let alone a small person, he cannot even be called a person.

But...if that's the case, why would the other party come to find me?

Hironobu Sakaguchi also became confused.

"Mr. Jester Lee became interested in you after watching one of your previous games. He said that although your current work is clumsy, you can still see the designer's talent, so he asked me to ask Are you interested in joining Mars Entertainment?" Tamahide Yoshiro did not beat around the bush, because for a young man like Sakaguchi Hironobu who had just developed a game and experienced failure, he did not need to do this, just tell him straightforwardly. Okay, after all, Mars Entertainment is not a small company.

Moreover, it can be seen from the fact that he went out to buy "game" magazine, which is not easy to buy in Japan, and the first issue of "game" magazine spread out on the computer table, that he is obviously not interested in Jie. Nothing is known about the name Ste Lee.

The reality is indeed exactly the same as Tamahideyoshiro's, with only a slight difference. Sakaguchi Hironobu has not just heard the name Jester Lee, but...

"Mr. Jester Lee actually played my game!"

Sakaguchi Hironobu's tone no longer sounded like the kind of respect that was common in Japan between juniors and seniors, but became pious, giving Tamahideyoshiro the feeling that he was like a believer talking about Jesus. When it comes to names, it seems that the name Jester Lee has a completely different meaning to him, like the faith of a believer.

Tamahide Yoshiro felt that Sakaguchi Hironobu's tone was different from before. He glanced at the other party in surprise, and then nodded: "Yes, he has played your game, and he asked me to come this time. He Tell me, you are very talented in making games. Your temporary failure is just that you haven’t figured out how to make a good game. And you don’t know how to do it in this place that is not even a formal game company. Only then can we make a truly good game.”

After a pause, Tamahide Yoshiro cleared his throat and looked at Sakaguchi Hironobu, who was still immersed in what he had just said with his eyes straightened. Then, he said what Jester had specially asked before he came. There is a condition he wants to tell the other party.

"Mr. Jester Lee asked me to tell you that if you want to go further in game production, he hopes that you can go to the United States to intern with him for a period of time. He will personally lead you to learn how to make an excellent game. , if your internship results can satisfy Mr. Jester Li, he will let you return to Japan and set up your own studio specifically for you in Mars Entertainment. All the benefits will be the same as when you were in Denyou Club. Same."

This sentence directly made Sakaguchi Hironobu, who was still in a daze, suddenly stand up from his seat. His eyes turned red. Unable to control himself, he stepped forward and grabbed Tamahideyoshiro's palm, and said excitedly. He was speaking, even a little incoherent.

It was really that the condition Jester gave him was too beyond his expectation.

"President Yuxiu, ever since I played the bonus game called "City of Battle" included in the first issue of "Game", I can't help but fall in love with Master Jester Lee's games. , I have played every game he made, and I couldn’t believe how he could make such an incredible work. The first time I played "Guild Wars", it gave me a shocking feeling, Much more intense than when I played Wizardry and Ultima a few years ago..."

As he spoke, he took a breath, and his expression gradually calmed down: "It was then that I realized that the games I had made before were not worthy of being called games at all, but I could get the guidance of Master Jester Lee. , it’s the opportunity I’ve always dreamed of.”

"So..." Tamahide Yoshiro heard what Sakaguchi Hironobu said and knew that the purpose of his visit this time was confirmed.

"I'm very grateful to Mr. Jester Lee for giving me such an opportunity." Sure enough, Hironobu Sakaguchi nodded without hesitation and said seriously.

Seeing that Hironobu Sakaguchi seemed to have something to say, Tamahideyoshiro made a gesture to indicate that he could continue.

Then, Sakaguchi Hironobu nodded and continued talking.

"Actually, Mr. Yuxiu, because I spent all my energy on the game development department of Denyou Club for more than a year, I neglected my studies and failed to pass the graduation exam that just ended. Of course, I didn't get the A diploma can only be obtained by dropping out of school. You know, it is not even easier for a dropped out college student to find a job than a high school student. Fortunately, Mr. Miyamoto continued to trust me and let me continue to work at Denyou Club and continue to let me develop games. But the front The failure of the game made me very negative, and I had no confidence to continue to stay at Dianyou Club, so I had previously planned to go to a big game company for an internship and see how they make games, but you You know, it’s impossible for big companies like Namco and Jericho to accept a college dropout like me.”…

After that, Tamahide Yoshiro chatted with Hironobu Sakaguchi for a while, and after explaining the date of reporting to Mars Entertainment Japan Branch, he left.

But after he left, Sakaguchi Hironobu could no longer suppress his inner excitement. Being able to be favored by his idol, and also being able to get the guidance he dreamed of, for someone like him who was still in the process of making an excellent movie It was so rare for a young man who was confused about the game that he couldn't help but shed tears of excitement.

It was already the next day when Jester received a call from Tamahide Yoshiro, and he had just finished breakfast.

He chatted with Claudia very late last night and didn't leave until closing time of the traditional English pub, and he also drank a lot of beer. It was very big, and although he was not drunk when he left, he was a little delirious.

So he didn't quite know how he came back.

But it can probably be understood that it was Claudia who sent her back to the hotel. This is no wonder why her colleagues looked at her strangely when she just had breakfast in the cafeteria.

In fact, he really has nothing to do with Claudia, but he is too lazy to explain.

This kind of thing becomes more and more confusing the more we talk about it.

Regarding what Tamahide Yoshiro said on the phone, Anei's choice was within his expectation. Yoichi Erikawa was already very talented in business, otherwise Anei would not have been able to succeed in the early days just by relying on PC games. To be able to develop into a gaming giant, you must know that in real history, Anrong did not compromise with Nintendo's royalties at the beginning, but put all its energy into the research and development of PC games.

A few years later, their Shino 2 became a great success and was the best-selling PC game in Japan for two consecutive years. This led to the later classic FC version of Shino National Edition, and the national version was just Shino 2. It's just a transplanted work. Jester doesn't know much about the cooperation process between Anei and Nintendo, but based on his understanding of Erikawa Yoichi, Nintendo has not given him any benefits in private, so it is unlikely that he will care about it. Nintendo's.

After all, Nintendo's biggest competitor at the time, Sega's classic console MD, had just been released, which was the period of greatest pressure on Nintendo. At that time, Sega was also frantically snatching away from Nintendo those who had long been dissatisfied with the royalties. Developer.

The conditions offered by Sega are much more generous than those offered by Nintendo.

When he thought about it, Anrong would most likely agree to his conditions. After all, his conditions were generous enough, but it was unlikely that he would become a shareholder.

It's not that Yoichi Erikawa doesn't want to own a stake. After all, the treatment of first-party and third-party games is absolutely different. As a game developer, he also knows this deeply, but he is afraid that if he has his own After losing his shares, if his console failed as badly as Sega's SG-1000, it would be impossible for him to cooperate with Nintendo.

Nintendo will not let a game development company that owns shares of its rivals participate in the development of FC games.

Hironobu Sakaguchi joined without hesitation, which was actually what Jester had expected. However, hearing Yoshiro Tamahide say that he had become his die-hard fan made Jester feel a little bit elated. After all, this was "The Final Fantasy". The father of Fantasy, one of the most outstanding RPG game masters.

"Final Fantasy", one of the three major Japanese RPGs that has had a great influence on later generations, was once Jester's favorite Japanese RPG game. His love for "Final Fantasy" even exceeded that of the three major Japanese RPGs. The other two RPGs, "Dragon Quest" and "The Legend of Zelda", although they are Japanese national RPGs, the ratings and sales of Green Hat are the top of these three games.

How could Jester not be excited to have such a legend become his fan.

However, Jester knows that Hironobu Sakaguchi's current understanding of games is still very primitive. It is still unrealistic for him to operate an epic RPG game like "Final Fantasy" now. He simply does not have the ability to control such an epic RPG. Huge and complex games, especially RPG games, are the most difficult types of games to produce in this era, even in the future.

But if you can really make an epic RPG, then the increase in the influence of a game company is almost self-evident, far stronger than any other game type.

Because RPG fans are the most diehard.

Thinking that Sakaguchi Hironobu has fallen into his trap, Jester can't help but get excited. He knows how difficult it is to be the producer of an epic RPG game, talent, ability, experience, vision, team, etc. Etc. is indispensable, and the most important thing is that Jester knows that he does not have this ability. This is not to belittle oneself, but to seek truth from facts.

Because making an excellent RPG game is too complicated. It's not that he can't make an RPG game, but he is confident that he has absolutely no ability to make one that can compete with "Dragon Quest" at the same time. "The Legend of Zelda" or RPG games comparable to "Final Fantasy" are not something you can make after playing them.

It is no lie to call RPG games broad and profound.

The core of RPG games cannot be solved by plagiarism. This requires a game producer to give an RPG game its own spiritual connotation. This is very important in this era where the graphics are simple and the only way to win is through plot, or in other words is the most important.

However, even if you have an excellent game producer but lack a super strong team, it is impossible to make an epic RPG. And when there is a good enough producer, a team that is willing to give everything for this game, and is extremely powerful, then success will come naturally.

It's like Hironobu Sakaguchi's Final Fantasy.

The origin of the name of this game is that it is the last game that Hironobu Sakaguchi plans to make. If this game continues to fail, Square Enix will close its doors. Therefore, Hironobu Sakaguchi has devoted almost all his dreams to this game. With the full capabilities of the entire Square team.

Just like the name of the game, this is their Square Enix Final Fantasy.

It was in this tragic atmosphere of doom and gloom that "Final Fantasy", a game that has gone down in the history of video games, was officially approved for development.

At the beginning of the production of this game, Hironobu Sakaguchi specifically pointed out to members of their development team that this was a game that challenged the already successful "Dragon Quest".

At the time, everyone felt that Hironobu Sakaguchi was boasting. At that time, Enix was already a giant in RPG games, while Square was just a small game company that was about to be unable to survive, and Sakaguchi Boxin has been making games for so many years, but none of them can be called a success. How dare such a game company and game producer dare to challenge the national-level DQ?

If it's hard to understand, you can understand it. It's just as ridiculous as Sungyang Electronics saying that the "Blood Lion" they are going to make will be comparable to Blizzard's "StarCraft".

It’s so shameless.

The development of "Final Fantasy" began under such circumstances.

Of course, Square Enix under the leadership of Hironobu Sakaguchi is not qualified to hire big names like Akira Toriyama and Koichi Sugiyama, but every employee of Square Enix was recruited by Hironobu Sakaguchi himself, and he clearly knows the talents of these people. Ability, knowing what these people are good at, and these people have unreservedly used all their talents throughout the entire research and development process.

Playwright Kenshi Terada is responsible for writing the script. His writing style is dignified and gloomy, and the characters' personalities are vivid and vivid. Compared with the subsequent "Final Fantasy" series, the dialogues between the characters in the first three works of Kenshi Terada are richer in the philosophy of life. It has profound ideological connotations worth savoring again and again. Yoshitaka Amano's unique and unique painting style is undoubtedly in perfect harmony with the fantasy and mysterious temperament of "Final Fantasy". Regardless of the unique characters and monster settings, the game jacket he carefully designed for "Final Fantasy" is artistic. Excellent collection value. The soundtrack performed by Nobuo Uematsu is elegant and ethereal, with a dynamic feeling like flowing water that allows players to fully immerse themselves in the atmosphere created by the game and find it difficult to extricate themselves.

Of course, the biggest contributors to Final Fantasy's ultimate success are the other two.

The God of Bugs Gibeli's god-level programming skills are fully displayed in this work. The capacity of only 2m shows players a fantasy world that can be praised with adjectives such as 'magnificent' and 'exquisite'. He is very fond of flying in the air. The real sense of space created when sailing on the boat is particularly impressive.

As the person in charge of the overall situation, Sakaguchi Hironobu has been committed to communicating and discussing with all participants. He was able to express his true intentions clearly and unmistakably to everyone, so he finally combined it into an epoch-making and immortal work.

Compared with the "DQ" series, the first generation of "Final Fantasy" has a far more complex plot and character composition, creating a unique concept of time and space. The heroes controlled by the player must travel back in time across 2000 to defeat the demon king Kaos. The player plays The four characters can be freely combined into various professions, and their abilities can be improved by 'transferring' to higher-level professions. These novel settings double the fun and diversity of combat.

If we only talk about the first generation, "Final Fantasy" is a work that completely surpasses dq.

It can even be said that if "Final Fantasy" and "Dragon Quest" can be released at the same time, then it is still unclear who will win the supreme title of Japanese national RPG and who will win.

Jester thought about this "future" that happened in the past but was destined not to happen in the current history, and he suddenly felt a lot of emotion.

I wonder if Hironobu Sakaguchi, who has gradually matured under his care, can make a showdown between "Final Fantasy" and "Dragon Quest" in advance after taking so many detours? Jester didn't know, but he could wait and see.

However, just a few minutes after Jester was excited about the good news about his little brother Hironobu Sakaguchi, a new phone call completely made him feel depressed.

It also put him in a dilemma.

The call was from his mother in California. His mother only relayed the contents of a letter sent to him by UCLA. The letter explained the school's decision in very harsh terms because UCLA had already started school. It has been nearly a month, but Jester has not reported to school, so they gave Jester this ultimatum. If Jester does not go to school within a week to explain his situation and officially resume school, then they It was decided to expel Jester.

This made Jester a little dumbfounded. He knew that he did something wrong by not going to school, but he selectively forgot about it because he was too busy. He originally thought that the school would give him some privileges, but it didn't. Thinking of the school giving me this ultimatum without mercy.

In fact, Jester was still wrong about this. The UCL official had already given him enough privileges. It took a month to give him an ultimatum, and even vaguely stated that as long as he returned to school, he would pretend that it was nothing. If a person has not reported to school for a month, what he is waiting for is not an ultimatum at all, but a merciless expulsion notice.

The problem is that Jester has already stated on the show that he will not drop out of school like Jobs or Gates. In the current situation, the company is getting busier and busier, and it is not realistic for him to stay in school all day long. Bragging really kills people.

Do I really want to drop out of school?

ps: Please vote for recommendation! !

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