Chapter 53: New projects Part Two.
"Alright, now that we're done with those two subjects matters, is there any other topics that either of you would like to share before we move on?" Alex asked, as he leaned back in his chair, contemplating the direction of the company. Obviously, Alex knew he would be here for most of it when it came to Blue Star Interactive's continued growth.
Mark and Michael would become the leading figures in this regard. So it was important to lead the two of them down the right path. He didn't want either of them going down the path of EA, Xbox, or even Sony, for that matter.
All of these companies had the same problem: greed, to different extents, which isn't a bad thing at the proper extents. The customers or the gamers in this case are what they needed to prioritize. Whether die-hard or casual gamers alike, hence the culture within the company's future needed to be deeply rooted from the onset.
"Well, I have something else to report," Michael stated, still lazily leaning back in his seat, shifting his eyes between Mark and Alex, who both stared at him with intrigued expressions, leaning forward from their seats to hear Michael's report.
"Alright, we're listening," Alex spoke, with some expectations at what his friend had to report. "Okay, on Thursday, yesterday, I received an email on the website from a game developer by the name of Will Wright." Hearing the name, Alex's mind immediately went into a spiral.
Will Wright is best known for being the original designer of The Sims series, of which Maxis developed the first entry in 2000. The game spawned multiple sequels, including The Sims 2, The Sims 3, The Sims 4, and their expansion packs.
He also worked on Spore, released in September 2008, which features gameplay based upon the model of evolution and scientific advancement. The game sold 406,000 copies within three weeks of its release.
In 2007, he became the first game designer to receive the BAFTA Fellowship, an honor that had previously only been presented to those in the film and television industries.
He was a man who was truly talented and would be well-recognized in the gaming sphere in the not too distant future. This recognition was expected to begin the following year with the release of SimCity.
This launch would go on to propel his career and the company he founded with Jeff Braun—an investor interested in entering the computer game industry—at what Wright has called "the world's most important pizza party." Together, they formed Maxis the following year in Orinda, California.
The studio was established in 1987 by Will Wright and Jeff Braun and was acquired by Electronic Arts in 1997. Maxis is best known for its simulation games.
From Alex's understanding, Will Wright and Jeff should have already founded Maxis the previous year. Alex had long planned to acquire Maxis when the opportunity presented itself.
But now this seemed a little out of place. Jeff and Wright should have already met in 1986, well before his own accident. So it is most likely that something had gone wrong between the two for Will Wright to connect their studio.
"Go on—" Alex urged, wanting to understand exactly what was going on. Since he had left the management of their website to Michael, they desperately needed someone to solely help manage the website and the game studio management in general.
His father and mother were currently busy with Star Horizon, and along with his father still ran his accounting firm, which was still operational. And from what he understood, the firm was slowly growing, in part due to promoting it on the Star Horizon website.
Increasing his father's workload, adding on Blue Star Interactive management affair to the mix.
With Alex busy with the development of new projects such as Mortal and another project on the horizon, along with the work he was doing with Fire Foxx Production studio, there was also the need to release the second book for Jurassic Park, as it was in his contract with Simon & Schuster to release two more books.
Which at this point the first book has become a bestseller under his pen name, Roberto, a play on his middle name. The book was achieving great sales numbers, which he was happy about.
However, being a writer was not one of Alex's goals, so he had put that aside for the time being in favor of his current projects with the game and production studio.
Back to the meeting at hand, Michael continued to explain the situation, simplifying it. "So, the guy came up with the concept of a city simulator game and said he had already designed the game."
"That's it?" Alex questioned, more interested in knowing what had led to Wright connecting their studio in the first place.
"Yeah, that's pretty much it. He just wants to know if we'd be interested in helping him with publishing his game. I would like to give him our reply soon, though. So, I'd like to know what you two think about this idea?"
Michael was genuinely interested in this idea of a game that focused on building and managing your own city. Mark chimed in to give his opinion, "I think it's an interesting idea for a game, and I'm willing to give my vote on trying it out."
Neither Michael nor Mark were worried that the game might not sell. As they were still a fairly new game studio, one or two games failing was to be expected. As long as their other titles succeeded and made up for their other failures in the process.
This was a mentality that the three of them were trying to instill in themselves as well as their employees. If they were unwilling to take risks on new ideas and innovation, they would eventually fall behind their competitors.
They were still not at the level of Sega or Nintendo, who dominated the console and gaming market. But they needed to take risks if they had any chance of rising and competing with these companies in the future.
Alex, observing their reactions, nodded his head. Internally, he knew that as video game development costs increased, so did the risks involved in making them, would likely cause his two colleagues to gradually become less bold with time.
However, that's if they remained an everyday gaming studio. What would happen if they had a big daddy with deep pockets? And how about not just one—well, they couldn't just go around spending however they wanted.
As long as they themselves remained competent along with their staff, it wouldn't be difficult to continue taking risks while being successful. Nintendo dominated the 9th console generation because of these factors.
By taking a different path from their mainstream competitors, they found greater success. And this is what Alex envisioned for the future of Blue Star Interactive as the company evidently grew.
"Alright, I'm also sold on the idea. Michael, connect with Tom and tell him the details, and have him draft up a contract. So, you can inform Mrs. Wright that we're sold on his idea and would like to have him come on board," Alex said, with a clap of his hands.
Michael gave his thumbs up in agreement. "Well, this means if things go through, then Wright is going to be on your team," Alex added, with a smile.
"Aha, really?" Michael questioned, the smile leaving his face. While he thought the concept of the game brought to them was a unique idea, the idea of being in charge of the game was a different story altogether.
"Oh, relax. You'll just be overseeing the project, just like you did with the Wolfenstein expansion episodes. Wright will be the one leading the project directly, so just make sure the project proceeds smoothly."
Michael scratched the back of his head, a little annoyed. He had thought that after the second team came back from their vacation, they would all come up with an exciting new project together. And if not, they could join in on the GTA project and speed up the game's development. However, now it seemed that the second team would be working on this simulator building game instead.
"Fine, but you'll have to help with the project as well, since that's the case." Michael made it clear that overseeing the project's development was not his only responsibility.
He also wanted Alex to play a significant role in the project. This marked their first venture into take over the development of a project from outside.
The game, as Michael understood it, had already been developed by Wright himself for a while now. Their task now was to enhance and refine its intricacies. Before, publishing the game through their version sells channels. "Fair enough," Alex replied with a nonchalant shrug from his seat.
"Hmm... Mark," Alex called out, diverting his attention to the quiet figure seated beside him. "What's the latest?" Mark, deep in thought, was interrupted by Alex's inquiry.
"Has your dad mentioned anything about the sound chip or initiating recruitment for the Tech Division?" Alex inquired. The significance of the sound chip went beyond a mere business opportunity.
The sound chip was pivotal in Sony's entry into the video game industry. Initially a request from Nintendo, it led to a partnership that eventually dissolved, giving rise to the iconic PlayStation. Ken Kutaragi, often hailed as the "Father of the PlayStation," played a crucial role in this transition.
Alex contemplated the implications of excluding Sony from the project. Sony's reluctant foray into the console business stemmed from Kutaragi's bold moves with the sound chip, going against the company's initial stance. Despite internal resistance, Kutaragi's perseverance, with the approval of Sony CEO Norio Ohga, solidified his place in gaming history.
Even during their collaboration with Nintendo, gaming within Sony was viewed as a passing trend. The gaming industry was initially dismissed as a fleeting interest by Sony, until Kutaragi's vision and determination reshaped the company's trajectory in the gaming landscape.
Alex was determined to delay or prevent Sony from entering the gaming industry. Especially, when acquiring a foot hole in Japan, it was necessary to delay possible their biggest competition in that market.
"He mentioned he'll have it completed within the next three weeks. After that, he'll shift his focus to recruitment for the Tech Division," Mark elaborated to Alex and Michael.
"Excellent. Once he wraps up the sound chip development, inform him that I'd like to delve into the details of console creation," Alex conveyed, the latter part of his statement remaining unspoken but echoing in his mind.
Alex was resolute in his belief that Damien, Mark's father, should not be confined to overseeing a small tech division within the game studio. Damien's expertise held vast potential in the realm of console development.
Drawing inspiration from Nvidia Corporation, a pioneering developer of graphics processors and chipsets for PCs and game consoles, founded in January 1993 by Jen-Hsun Huang, Curtis Priem, and Chris Malachowsky. Nvidia's landmark achievements included the launch of the NV1 (STG-2000) in May 1995, marking one of the first 3D accelerator processors.
By January 1999, Nvidia was listed on the NASDAQ (NVDA), reaching the milestone of delivering the ten millionth graphics chip in the same year. As of the 2017 financial year, Nvidia ranked 572 in the Forbes Global 2000 list of the world's largest companies, boasting a market value of approximately US $155 billion by mid-2018.
This endeavor held immense promise, leveraging Damien's expertise in hardware and software development. "Alright, I'll pass on the message," Mark assured.
The meeting proceeded with Michael and Alex exchanging updates on their respective projects. Meanwhile, Mark couldn't help but feel a tinge of envy at the turn of events. His own game project had hit a roadblock due to technical challenges, causing frustration for him and his team. However, they had no choice but to pivot towards one of the two new game projects swiftly.
"Mark, why don't you join the conversation? Your insights and suggestions would be valuable," Michael encouraged, seeking to involve Mark in the ongoing discussion.
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