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Author Topic: Let's Play a Game! What would you have done?  (Read 718 times)

DarkKobold

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Let's Play a Game! What would you have done?
« on: October 02, 2012, 09:13:48 AM »
The scenario. It is August 29th, 1990, and you are the president of Hudson Soft USA, in sunny San Fransisco. The Turbografx-16 has been out for 1 year, and you just released the Turbografx CD.  However, you are getting beaten by the hardware superior Sega Genesis, and the hardware inferior Nintendo Entertainment System, run by the third-party monopolizing Nintendo Corp. Also, previews of Nintendo's new killer system are making waves in the gaming publications. However, your sister product, the PC Engine, is still doing well in Japan, compared to Sega's Mega Drive. You want that market share, but here in America.

They say hindsight is 20/20. What would you have done to save Hudson Soft's Console division, and prolong the turbografx lineage? Could anything have saved the TG16 in America?

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Necromancer

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Re: Let's Play a Game! What would you have done?
« Reply #1 on: October 02, 2012, 09:28:05 AM »
Has it been a year already?  :lol:

Short answer (use the search function to find plenty of similar threads for a longer explanation): dump money on third parties to get more quality games brought over from Japan and/or made from scratch to fit US tastes.
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KingDrool

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Re: Let's Play a Game! What would you have done?
« Reply #2 on: October 02, 2012, 10:04:05 AM »
First post nails it. If you've got the funds, dump more money on third parties.
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Tatsujin

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Re: Let's Play a Game! What would you have done?
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2012, 11:57:25 AM »
- don't waste money on very silly and very unattractive game covers.
« Last Edit: October 02, 2012, 11:59:59 AM by Tatsujin »
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SignOfZeta

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Re: Let's Play a Game! What would you have done?
« Reply #4 on: October 02, 2012, 12:06:00 PM »
I would rob the 401k fund and flee the country. I'm f*cked.
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MotherGunner

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Re: Let's Play a Game! What would you have done?
« Reply #5 on: October 02, 2012, 01:03:26 PM »
Go easy guys, Dark hasn't seen the older threads and is trying to contribute. 

I would have to say invest in worthwhile exclusives.  A key component is to have a killer app.  Invest in marketing.  You have to be willing to spend money (wisely) to make money.  Unfortunately decisions were still being made in Japan and they were simply out of touch.  Just read about Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter II.  Also read about Nintendo's business practices during that time.  I doubt 3rd Parties would be willing to get penalized by Nintendo at that time.  Another thing I would have done is bring more arcade set-ups and shooters to local arcades.  It worked for Neo Geo for a time.
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BigusSchmuck

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Re: Let's Play a Game! What would you have done?
« Reply #6 on: October 02, 2012, 01:25:45 PM »
Cut the cdrom addon price in half and start development immediately on a super duo with the arcade card built in? Also, concentrate on more dos ports and advertise it as a cheap alternative to pc gaming. Maybe by porting Civilization over to the cdrom format? Hmmm....
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PunkicCyborg

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Re: Let's Play a Game! What would you have done?
« Reply #7 on: October 02, 2012, 02:17:36 PM »
I would have brought over Wonder Momo and Energy, that would've made things way different
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Nando

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Re: Let's Play a Game! What would you have done?
« Reply #8 on: October 02, 2012, 03:20:16 PM »
do what sega did...
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BigusSchmuck

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Re: Let's Play a Game! What would you have done?
« Reply #9 on: October 02, 2012, 06:02:08 PM »
Quote from: Nando on October 02, 2012, 03:20:16 PM
do what sega did...
Minus the sports games? Sure...
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Keith Courage

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Re: Let's Play a Game! What would you have done?
« Reply #10 on: October 02, 2012, 07:34:34 PM »
1st, I would have made a 2nd controller port mandatory without the need to buy a turbo tap

2nd, Leave most of the game artwork the same as it was in japan.

3rd, translate more JP games to bring to the US that didn't have any issues of 3rd party contracts. There were plenty of games that could have been US releases that Sega or Nintendo didn't have rights to.

Today the pc engine/turbografx is sought after by people because a good majority of their games were not on any other console. I would have built more on that and played it off as a strength in advertising.
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Tatsujin

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Re: Let's Play a Game! What would you have done?
« Reply #11 on: October 02, 2012, 10:51:05 PM »
a good marketing is the A&O of success. also something what sega had to learn much better with their saturn and dreamcast fiasco, especially in oversea regions.
then a good company structure and action plans are needed of how to penetrate the market the best way (what typ games are requested from the US market (market feasbility), good localization of the games and arguments to pull the crowd on your side etc.).
also stuff like johnny vs. feka and stuff was unecessary imo and didn't appeal to the big mass. be hardcore is a good thing, but if it doesn't bring the required cash back, then it won't be any good to survive.
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Black Tiger

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Re: Let's Play a Game! What would you have done?
« Reply #12 on: October 03, 2012, 12:59:18 AM »
I would have told NEC to buy Sega, kill the Genesis and consolidated first party development for PC Engine games to prepare for Nintendo's long rumored NES successor.
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Nando

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Re: Let's Play a Game! What would you have done?
« Reply #13 on: October 03, 2012, 02:14:31 AM »
Quote from: BigusSchmuck on October 02, 2012, 06:02:08 PM
Quote from: Nando on October 02, 2012, 03:20:16 PM
do what sega did...
Minus the sports games? Sure...

EA and Sports is what gave Sega a huge edge here in the US.

Madden was pretty much a console seller.
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Father5&JoshUnion

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Re: Let's Play a Game! What would you have done?
« Reply #14 on: October 03, 2012, 02:47:39 AM »
Taken the Big N to court over restricting 3rd parties to contribute to the US Turbografx!!
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