Chapter Fifty-Four Hang On (Seeking Recommendation Tickets)

  "You guys have really made a name for yourselves this time." In the headquarters of Windy City Publishing in Los Angeles, Nakayama Hayao smiled as he tossed the latest issue of The Wall Street Journal onto the desk. He was speaking Chinese, which Jester understood perfectly, but Carlie sitting next to him looked puzzled.

  Jester was also surprised that Zhōng Shān Yǒng, this Japanese man's Chinese was so excellent, almost unable to hear the Japanese accent of circling around his mouth.

  Nakayama Hayao also saw Jester's surprise, but he didn't explain.

  Since Nakayama Hayao understands Chinese, he is happy to communicate with the other party in Chinese. Previously at the banquet, Nakayama's fluent Japanese-style English was really confusing Jester.

  Since they can communicate in Chinese, the two of them don't need a translator anymore.

  It just made Carly look at her in confusion, she didn't understand Chinese.

  Jester picked up the Wall Street Journal that Zhongshan Youxiong had thrown on the table, and after glancing at it, he couldn't help but smile wryly. Most of the news reported was true, but those media outlets were hateful in that they took most of the real information, jumbled it up, reorganized it, and then spoke it in their own words, completely changing its meaning.

  The article was accompanied by a photo of Adam Edgar, now vice president of marketing at Wind River.

  The Wall Street Journal article says that in the video, the first person to buy a plate with US dollars from those who received plates is now a high-level executive of a newly established game publishing company. Moreover, this publishing company and Mars Entertainment have the same boss, Jest Lee.

  There is not a single piece of false information in this report, and the writer did not use speculative or suggestive language to make readers think that Huo Yan's tape was deceitful or fabricated.

  But it's just such reports that are the most frightening, they let all readers make their own judgments. And based on the information they provide, the conclusions that can be drawn are self-evident.

  Mars Entertainment is fake.

  In an article in The Wall Street Journal, which was largely factual but utterly lacking in reality, countless newspapers and magazines began to attack Jester's fabrications.

  Jester is a scoundrel trying to deceive players who trusted him into another Atari collapse.

  The outcry was almost as great as Henry Stuart's racial discrimination.

  There are even some people who sympathize with Henry Stuart, saying that encountering such blatant deception is forgivable for speaking out in anger, and this view has gained some supporters.

  Jester had not anticipated the current situation either. Who would have thought that Adam Edgar's careless move at the time would put his game company on the verge of a trust crisis in an instant.

  However, not publicly explaining the situation was also not an option, so Jester had to spend a lot of money again and let Adam Edgar hold a press conference to explain the situation on the next day. As for whether those media believed it or not, that was no longer something Jester could control.

  But what comforted Jester was that many players came spontaneously to Costa Mesa to cheer for Mars Entertainment.

  When he saw the players holding up 'We Believe in You' signs, Jest's eyes even had a hint of moisture. He faced the fans who came to support him and couldn't say anything except "thank you".

  He was really moved and wanted to cry loudly.

  What more can be desired?

  "Mr. Nakayama, I am confident in my own game, and I have a large number of players who support me. Once the dust settles, all the unfounded rumors will be crushed by the iron facts, you should understand this." Jester put down the newspaper in his hand and said to Nakayama Hayao with an air of neither arrogance nor humility.

  "Alright, let's not talk about these unpleasant topics anymore. This time I came to the US for two reasons: one is to finalize the contract with you for 'American Block', and the other is to discuss the licensing issues of three games: 'Gem Puzzle', 'Zuma' and 'Puzzle Bobble'."

  Nakayama Hayao apparently did not want to continue discussing this matter, he waved his hand, then straightened his face and spoke seriously.

  "I also have this intention." Jester nodded, he didn't want to consider this problem that had already given him a headache either. As for the other party's method of using their power to suppress him, he couldn't think of any good way to break through it. However, as long as his trial play at the end of the month was a huge success, all the unfavorable rumors about himself would come to an end.

  Of course, the formal negotiations began, and the two could no longer communicate in Chinese, but switched to English. There were no objections from either side regarding "American Block", after all, Suzuki had already discussed it with Jester when he went to the US. However, there were differences of opinion during the negotiations for the three games "Gemstone Maze", "Zuma" and "Puzzle Bobble".

  "I heard that Mr. Suzuki didn't come this time because he joined the R&D department and is currently developing a very special game?" Jester asked calmly.

  This remark reached the ears of Nakayama Hayao, his facial expression unchanged, but his eyebrows jumped violently. He looked at Jester deeply, previously Suzuki Hiroshi said that Jester was extremely well-informed about Japan, he didn't quite believe it, but this time he believed more than half of it.

  Because Suzuki Yu is now indeed leading the development of a very special game, which Sega believes can be the biggest trump card to counterattack next year, and this is also the company's biggest secret. Except for himself, Suzuki Yu, and the software and hardware engineers who are participating in the research and development, even several other members of the company's executive team are not very clear about this.

  Nakayama Hayao believed what Suzuki Hiro said to him, but he was still uncertain whether Jester really knew about the game his company was currently developing.

  He was about to deny it, but Jester's next sentence didn't let him say the denial out loud.

  "I heard it's a motorcycle game, and the gameplay is quite different from what we know as mainstream," Jester said with a smile, leaving Nakayama Hayao silent for five minutes.

  Five minutes later, Nakayama Hayao looked up at Jester and his tone also became extremely rude: "Mr. Li, this game is a secret of our company. If you want to get the authorization of this game, then we have nothing to talk about."

  "No, no, President Zhongshan, you've misunderstood me. I'm not looking to acquire this game, but rather for our two companies to collaborate." Jester still had a smile on his face as he revealed his plan, "We can offer the arcade and home console versions of the three 'Gemstone Labyrinth' games in Japan and Europe at the same price as 'American Blocks', but the condition is that you must agree to let us dispatch a hardware development team to work with your company to develop that special motorcycle game."

  "This...". Nakayama Hayao, who had originally intended to say that it was impossible, only managed to utter a single "this" before suddenly stopping mid-sentence, as if he had just thought of something.

  He simply looked at Jester with his sharp eyes, like a sharp sword, as if he wanted to see what was in the other's mind, but Jester also looked calmly at Nakayama Hayabusa, with only a smile on his face and no other expression.

  "Mr. Li, since you've heard of this game, you should know what it represents for Sega." Nakayama Hayao didn't see any useful information on Jester's face, so he said in a calm tone.

  "Of course." Jester nodded.

  "You should know that it's impossible for me to agree with just this condition you've mentioned." Chūson Kōyū continued in a low tone.

  After a moment of silence, Jester also knew that he couldn't get Sega's technology without giving something in return. He nodded and said straightforwardly: "Mr. Nakayama, what conditions do you need? Just say it directly."

  Then, a smile reappeared on Nakayama Hayao's face, which had already turned cold. His hand, placed on the table, tapped its fingers incessantly against the tabletop as he said, "The home console of 'Americana'..."

  Before he could finish speaking, Jester's face changed and he said decisively: "Absolutely impossible."

  Nakayama Hayao didn't expect Jester's response to be so blunt, did he really not know how much Sega's game in development weighed? If it wasn't for opening up the market for his own new home console next year to compete with Nintendo, even if Jester offered him ten copies of Tetris, he still wouldn't have agreed.

  Because this game is really too important for Sega.

  "Mr. Li, if you want true cooperation, it requires sincerity." Zhongshan Yunxiong's face darkened again, he was extremely dissatisfied with Jester's unconditional refusal earlier, his tone became somewhat angry, "Don't always think about taking advantage of others, in this world, there is no free lunch."

  Facing Zhongshan's fierce accusation, unexpectedly, Jester burst out laughing.

  "You want to open up sales for Sega's new console." Then, he said Nakayama Hayao's purpose in a very calm tone.

  "What's the point anyway." Although Jester had guessed his thoughts, Nakayama Hayao's expression didn't change in the slightest, still scowling with a full face of anger as he spoke.

  "In that case, I promise to develop a game personally for your new host platform, and I can guarantee that the total sales of this game in Japan will not be less than one million copies within a year. If it doesn't reach that number, I'll give away the home console rights to 'American Block' for free."

  Then Jester smiled and said something that shocked Nakayama Hayao greatly.

  "What!" Surprised, Nakayama Hayao stood up from his seat directly. His sharp eyes stared at Jester without blinking, but still couldn't see anything special about him.

  "Is this for real?" Suppressing the shock in his heart, Nakayama Hayao's expectations even became somewhat impatient.

  One million sets of games represent at least one million home consoles, which is really too important for Sega now.

  "It can be written into the contract, if breached, 'The American Block' will be handed over with both hands." Jester placed his hands behind his head, leaned back in his chair, a smile on his face, and spoke with absolute certainty.

  "Good!" Nakayama Hayao stared at Jester for a full minute before spitting out this word.

  Hearing this word also made Jester's heart put down, and even gave him a hint of excitement. He knew that the arcade game Sega was developing would have an important position in the future.

  But now Jester can finally put his heart at ease.

  Got it!

  "Hang on", got it.

  PS2: "Hang-On" was the world's first sensory game, a realistic motorcycle frame. The birth of this arcade machine directly led to the creation of large-scale arcade machines. Since the release of this game, Sega has always been the leader in this type of arcade machine. They were able to repeatedly defeat Nintendo on home consoles thanks to the transfusion of large-scale arcade machines.