In early March, Tokyo's air still carried the chill of late winter.
In the electronics stores of Akihabara, the Sega MD shelves were always bustling with people, their popularity undiminished.
In stark contrast was the Nintendo FC area.
On the Konami game shelf, which should have been in the most prominent position in March, the reserved spot for "The Goonies II: Fratelli's Last Challenge" was empty.
It had vanished as if it had never existed.
This was just the beginning.
A few observant players quickly noticed that Konami, a frequent contributor, seemed to be missing from the list of upcoming FC games.
"Gradius," "contra," and even the highly anticipated sequel "Gradius II" slated for the end of the year, all scheduled for FC, had completely disappeared.
Nintendo's ban was like a cold side-knife, severing all possibilities of cooperation.
To make an example, this knife even fell on Hudson.
This developer, which had always had a delicate relationship with Nintendo, had its highly anticipated port, "gekitō sēnto wōriāzu (fist fight saint warrior)," halted midway through development by Nintendo, who informed them it would not be released.
Nintendo used these iron-fisted tactics to assert its unchallengeable authority over the entire industry.
However, Hudson was not without a backup plan; they had developed "gekitō sēnto wōriāzu (fist fight saint warrior)" simultaneously for both FC and PC Engine platforms.
Under these drastic measures, throughout March, the only truly competitive third-party new release on the Nintendo FC shelves was "Fudō Myōō Den" from Taito, which received a lukewarm market response.
While Bandai's game sales on the FC platform were far from Konami's, the vast number of popular IP licenses he held were his truly deadly weapon.
Now, these names, which should have appeared on FC cartridges, collectively turned to the MD, bringing an immeasurable potential user base to Sega.
This was tantamount to aiding the enemy.
Konami Corporation, President's Office.
Kozuki Kagemasa's fingers clutched an unlit cigar, his gaze fixed on the latest market report and internal loss assessment.
His face was ashen.
A low pressure permeated the office, as if even the air had solidified.
He had not expected Hiroshi Yamauchi's reaction to be so extreme, so merciless.
The stimulation Sega MD provided to Nintendo clearly far exceeded his estimation.
On the loss assessment report, the crimson figures for "The Goonies II" were particularly glaring. This game had a relatively high market expectation, and Konami had even paid Nintendo an advance for the production of the first batch of cartridges. That money now became the greatest irony.
Had it not been for the astronomical sales of the FC version of "contra" beforehand, which left the company with extremely ample cash flow, Nintendo would likely have unhesitatingly pulled that game from the shelves as well.
Now, Kozuki Kagemasa was faced with only two paths.
One was to swallow the bitter pill, literally enduring the enormous losses from these key games not being released, bearing the consequence of all invested research and development resources going to waste, and then starting these projects from scratch, completely redeveloping them for the Sega MD platform.
The other was to bow to Nintendo, tear up the agreement with Sega, wag his tail like a dog, beg Hiroshi Yamauchi for forgiveness, and slink back into the FC camp.
In Kozuki Kagemasa's mind, Hiroshi Yamauchi's stern face appeared.
He knew very well that if he chose the latter, given that old man's vindictive nature, Konami would not only never again receive the favorable terms of the past, but would instead be shackled with even thicker, heavier chains.
The cost of returning was far heavier than the current losses.
To return meant to be forever unable to rise again.
"I can only tough it out!"
Kozuki Kagemasa abruptly crushed his cigar in the ashtray, grinding it fiercely, a hint of gambler-like ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.
A hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.
Konami must bear this loss.
All resources must be gambled on the MD.
Precisely because of this, his hatred for Hiroshi Yamauchi reached its peak at this moment.
This grudge was completely settled.
Many of Nintendo's third-party developers, seeing Konami's situation, were both worried and afraid. Worried that Nintendo's control over third-parties would become increasingly strict in the future, and afraid that Nintendo's tactics would befall them.
Unlike the frantic atmosphere in Kozuki Kagemasa's office, the atmosphere at Bandai Corporation headquarters was much more relaxed.
Facing Nintendo's ban, Bandai's president merely expressed formalized regret to reporters' cameras in public.
His heart was not even slightly ruffled.
The reason was simple.
Bandai's game business on the FC platform already had limited profitability; the bulk of his profits always came from plastic models and character merchandise.
Nintendo's ban did not cause them as much economic loss as the outside world imagined.
On the contrary, the powerful technical support provided by the Sega MD platform, along with the incredibly lenient cooperation terms, showed them a new growth point full of more possibilities.
In Bandai's executive meeting room, the atmosphere was even somewhat joyful.
This was simply a godsend.
While the technical personnel sent by Sega were still assisting them with the development of "sd gundam g generation" and the MD port of the arcade version of "super robot assembly."
Adhering to the simple pragmatism of "not for nothing," Bandai's development department sniffed out new business opportunities.
During a meeting, a project leader keenly pointed out the latest developments in Akira Toriyama's "Dragon Ball" in the newest issue of "Weekly Shonen Jump."
"Everyone, please look, Akira Toriyama's 'Dragon Ball', the manga's plot has progressed to the part where Goku, after growing up, participates in his first Tenkaichi Budokai and battles against Piccolo Daimao! Its popularity is at an unprecedented peak!"
The project leader, pointing to the thrilling battle scene between Goku and Piccolo Daimao in the manga, his eyes shining.
"The MD's capabilities can perfectly recreate these high-speed, exhilarating fighting scenes! Combining our experience from developing 'super robot assembly', making a fighting game centered around this Tenkaichi Budokai shouldn't be too difficult. I'm sure many readers would be eager to try it."
This reminder instantly ignited everyone's enthusiasm.
They immediately gathered several veteran employees who had participated in the "super robot assembly" project and were intimately familiar with the MD's hardware architecture.
They also temporarily brought in several Sega engineers who were currently providing technical support to Bandai.
A brand new project was enthusiastically put on the agenda.
A fighting game tailor-made for the MD platform: "Dragon Ball: Tenkaichi Budokai."
They aimed to leverage the MD's powerful capabilities, far exceeding the FC's, and the burgeoning popularity of "Dragon Ball," the hottest manga, to unleash a surprising Kamehameha on the new battlefield.
The entire month of March passed amidst the struggles between Nintendo and its various third-party developers.