Introduction, Initial PoD, & Prologue
So, I have decided to write an interesting TL where Nintendo never releases the N. E. S. as Donkey Kong doesn't exist, Miyamoto joins SEGA but also serves as a Mangaka for them for a couple of years as well, SoA remains the main holding of SEGA instead of SoJ, SEGA takes control of the Home Console market by themselves following Atari's collapse. There are two PoDs here : 1) Service Games never gets into problems with the government, so the American branch of SEGA stays in control instead of SoJ becoming the main holder of it. How does Service Games still becomes SEGA then? Well, in the late 60s, the CEO who is unnamed decides to rename the Company to be more catchy, shortening Service Games to SEGA and they continue to be a major Arcade maker going into the 1970s. 2) Shigeru Miyamoto goes to Tokyo where SoJ is stationed and meets the director of Games of SoA, a 47 year old man who will be the "Main Character" for a large part of this TL and they will form the power house for the SEGA consoles as Nintendo largely stays out of the console market without the success of Donkey Kong. This means that SEGA is likely to be the dominant console on its own. If anyone would be interested in helping me make the consoles, much appreciated. Now, let's begin.
Then, there was also the fact that the team tasked with coming up with consoles and games were small, incredibly so. Neil expected that a team of at least thirty people would be needed. The higher-ups gave him eleven. Despite the understaffed and under-resourced team, they expected results and they expected them soon. The man sighed as he thought fondly about his wife, Melinda, just 29 years old and two months pregnant with their first child, back home in San Francisco waiting for him. He had been sent here for a short week long business meeting to speak with SEGA of Japan and get them to help out with the project (and fortunately they seemed largely on board) and on his last day, he had been told that there was a young man looking to speak with him about potentially helping out with what he was doing. Miya-something was the kid's name. So he decided to agree and scheduled a meeting with him for Wednesday, which was right now, then on Thursday, he'd be on his way back home. A sudden knock on the door grabbed his attention. Think of the devil and ye shall appear. "Come in." He said while looking up from his paperwork.
In walked in a single Japanese man, around his mid twenties, with long black hair and a nervous smile on his face. This must be the guy who wanted to speak with him. "Roland-senpai, I am honored to meet you." The kid said while bowing his head. "I am Miyamoto Shigeru."
Neil gave a small smile, this kid was showing him the respect he hadn't seen since 'nam. Hell, he was being given more respect then his own company was showing him. "Please kid, your just sixteen years younger than me.I don't want to feel any older, so drop the senpai. You can call me Roland-san or just Neil. Now please, take a seat." Miyamoto nodded and took the seat that was gestured to him. With introductions out of the way, Neil looked at the resume before him. Interesting resume, he had a love of art and manga and a degree in industrial design, apparently. "Says here you want to be a Mangaka...?" Miyamoto nodded.
"Yes, ever since I was young, I have always had a love for art, specifically Manga." The man had a small smile on his face as he spoke. "The stories it can tell, the worlds it can create. The possibilities are endless with it."
"You seem to really love it." Neil chuckled at the man's eagerness before he looked at him a bit more seriously. "So why did you want to come talk to me and not try and be a mangaka?" Shigeru looked down and let out a small laugh.
"My mother didn't like the idea. She wants me to have a stable job, one that pays well consistently. Manga is a very...fickle business and I heard you were open and in Tokyo, so I wanted to take my chances with you." The director of games nodded, that was a well enough statement.
"Well, we need artists and the more the merrier."
"So I have it? the job, I mean?"
"Well, we need to see how good you can draw..." He was handed some papers, drawings from the Japanese man as well as some toys. After looking at them for a few minutes, Neil spoke up. "...You're on. Book a flight to San Francisco Tomorrow, you're coming with me to America to help me make SEGA a successful brand in gaming."
"Thank you, Roland-san. I promise, you won't regret this." And with that, the kid was dismissed.
"Poor kid," Neil began, "doesn't know the sorry mess he's signed up for." Unknown to Neil, and Shigeru, this meeting and moment would lead to perhaps the most successful gaming company in history. Of course though, that was eight years from the present moment. As of right now, SEGA was a tiny fish in a large ocean, an ocean that was about to experience a massive drought.
Prologue
A Summer's Day in Tokyo
July 27th, 1977
Neil Martin Roland sighed as he sipped his coke bottle while looking over the paperwork that he needed to finish today. It hadn't been an easy day for him, the man was 41 year old and yet he felt he didn't have any real influence here in the company he worked for despite having dedicated the last few years to it, having graduated High School in 1954 and College in 1959 before he briefly volunteered for the Army in between the years of 1963 to 1967 to serve in Nam before being given leave, where he would join up at SEGA. For the last decade, he's been working for this company and only last year was he given the position of director of Game Development. As it turned out, the new Chairman wanted SEGA to enter the gaming market with original arcade and even console games and consoles of their own. Personally, he did see the appeal of Arcades and Consoles, but Atari had a stranglehold on the market and the market itself was getting saturated. There was going to be a crash at some point, he just knew it.A Summer's Day in Tokyo
July 27th, 1977
Then, there was also the fact that the team tasked with coming up with consoles and games were small, incredibly so. Neil expected that a team of at least thirty people would be needed. The higher-ups gave him eleven. Despite the understaffed and under-resourced team, they expected results and they expected them soon. The man sighed as he thought fondly about his wife, Melinda, just 29 years old and two months pregnant with their first child, back home in San Francisco waiting for him. He had been sent here for a short week long business meeting to speak with SEGA of Japan and get them to help out with the project (and fortunately they seemed largely on board) and on his last day, he had been told that there was a young man looking to speak with him about potentially helping out with what he was doing. Miya-something was the kid's name. So he decided to agree and scheduled a meeting with him for Wednesday, which was right now, then on Thursday, he'd be on his way back home. A sudden knock on the door grabbed his attention. Think of the devil and ye shall appear. "Come in." He said while looking up from his paperwork.
In walked in a single Japanese man, around his mid twenties, with long black hair and a nervous smile on his face. This must be the guy who wanted to speak with him. "Roland-senpai, I am honored to meet you." The kid said while bowing his head. "I am Miyamoto Shigeru."
Neil gave a small smile, this kid was showing him the respect he hadn't seen since 'nam. Hell, he was being given more respect then his own company was showing him. "Please kid, your just sixteen years younger than me.I don't want to feel any older, so drop the senpai. You can call me Roland-san or just Neil. Now please, take a seat." Miyamoto nodded and took the seat that was gestured to him. With introductions out of the way, Neil looked at the resume before him. Interesting resume, he had a love of art and manga and a degree in industrial design, apparently. "Says here you want to be a Mangaka...?" Miyamoto nodded.
"Yes, ever since I was young, I have always had a love for art, specifically Manga." The man had a small smile on his face as he spoke. "The stories it can tell, the worlds it can create. The possibilities are endless with it."
"You seem to really love it." Neil chuckled at the man's eagerness before he looked at him a bit more seriously. "So why did you want to come talk to me and not try and be a mangaka?" Shigeru looked down and let out a small laugh.
"My mother didn't like the idea. She wants me to have a stable job, one that pays well consistently. Manga is a very...fickle business and I heard you were open and in Tokyo, so I wanted to take my chances with you." The director of games nodded, that was a well enough statement.
"Well, we need artists and the more the merrier."
"So I have it? the job, I mean?"
"Well, we need to see how good you can draw..." He was handed some papers, drawings from the Japanese man as well as some toys. After looking at them for a few minutes, Neil spoke up. "...You're on. Book a flight to San Francisco Tomorrow, you're coming with me to America to help me make SEGA a successful brand in gaming."
"Thank you, Roland-san. I promise, you won't regret this." And with that, the kid was dismissed.
"Poor kid," Neil began, "doesn't know the sorry mess he's signed up for." Unknown to Neil, and Shigeru, this meeting and moment would lead to perhaps the most successful gaming company in history. Of course though, that was eight years from the present moment. As of right now, SEGA was a tiny fish in a large ocean, an ocean that was about to experience a massive drought.
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