The atmosphere in Mr. Suzuki Masao's office, the head of the Marketing Department, was somewhat heavy.
Unlike the passionate atmosphere in the conference room, this place was more like the core general staff headquarters on the eve of a major war.
On the wall, a newly hung whiteboard was now densely covered with text.
Those were the names of all the robot anime IPs mentioned in The first super robot wars project proposal, and the famous copyright holders behind each of them.
Sunrise, Toei, Tohoku Shinsha… every name represented a formidable power that was not easily shaken.
Takuya Nakayama and Suzuki Masao stood side by side in front of the whiteboard, discussing how to approach the negotiations for these copyright authorizations.
Suzuki Masao, a veteran who had worked in marketing and legal fields for many years, took a deep breath as he looked at the names on the whiteboard, especially "Sunrise," an old hand in the animation industry, and "Toei," a giant at the pinnacle of the film and television industry.
The look behind his glasses revealed an unprecedented seriousness.
"Managing Director Takayama.
This almost encompasses half of Japan's robot anime.
"To integrate them into the same game, the difficulty will probably be no less than launching a real 'war'."
Takuya nodded, his gaze sweeping over every name on the whiteboard.
"Precisely because of this, once successful, the energy it can unleash will also be unprecedented."
"Mr. Suzuki, this is not just a game."
"It is also a strategic weapon for whether our new console can make a big splash and gather a wide user base."
His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable resolve.
Suzuki Masao nodded slightly, summarizing the copyright holders on the whiteboard: "The main copyright holders are these: Sunrise, Toei Animation, and also Voyager Holdings and Tohoku Shinsha."
Takuya nodded and continued his analysis: "From Sunrise, in addition to Gundam, there are Aura Battler Dunbine, Heavy Metal L-Gaim, Blue Comet SPT Layzner, and even early classics like Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3."
"They have many IPs under their belt, and management is relatively centralized, so we can try to negotiate a package deal."
"However, as is well known, Sunrise has always been the most strict in maintaining the image and world view of its IPs."
Suzuki Masao added: "The person in charge at Sunrise is notoriously old-fashioned and stubborn, and they have a very close relationship with Bandai, so there's no guarantee Bandai won't interfere."
"Let's try first.
If Bandai causes trouble, I'll mention it when I visit my maternal grandfather.
After all, I am Mitsui's grandson."
Takuya agreed with Mr. Suzuki's view on Sunrise and then turned to the Toei-affiliated IPs.
"Toei Animation holds mazinger z, getter Robot, as well as Combattler V, and Arbegas."
"They are an old-school animation giant with rich IP licensing experience and more mature commercial operations."
"The key to negotiating with Toei may lie in the distribution of profits and how we respect the original status of their classic works, showing them the huge commercial value and brand effect that cooperation can bring."
"Toei is more focused on actual profit returns and market influence."
Suzuki Masao again offered his insight, "They are open to the commercialization of IPs, but their appetite won't be small.
I'll go ask Director Tada for his advice.
He has connections with TV Asahi, which can help us get in touch with Toei, to show respect and also demonstrate our network."
Takuya's gaze then fell on a relatively unique IP.
"Space Battleship Yamato."
"The copyright ownership of this work is special, jointly held by Voyager Holdings and Tohoku Shinsha."
"This means we need to communicate with both parties simultaneously, which will be more difficult."
"However, the weight of Space Battleship Yamato in players' hearts is no less than any robot anime.
If we can also include it in our scope, it will be a huge bonus for enhancing the game's epic feel and appeal."
Listening to Takuya's clear analysis, the pressure in Suzuki Masao's heart eased slightly, but his brows remained tightly furrowed.
He looked at Takuya, waiting for the young Managing Director to provide a more concrete action plan.
Takuya took a deep breath and began to elaborate on the negotiation strategy blueprint he had already been brewing in his mind.
"Mr. Suzuki, the core philosophy of our negotiations with various copyright holders this time is not simply 'purchasing authorization'."
"We want to convey a message to them—Sega, through the powerful functions of our new console and the innovative model of The first super robot wars, will work with them to push the value of these classic IPs to a new peak."
"This is not just a business collaboration, but a 'joint cultural symbol value-added plan'."
"We want them to believe that this is a 're-creation' and 're-promotion' of classic culture, which can bring new fans across generations to their IPs and unleash new vitality."
A glimmer of light flashed in Suzuki Masao's eyes; this approach was indeed much more clever than simple business negotiations.
"For the specific strategy, I have an initial idea."
"The sincerity of 'shared benefits and win-win cooperation'."
"We need to prepare tiered, sufficiently attractive authorization fees and sales sharing schemes."
"For core IPs like Gundam, Mazinger, and getter, we can offer greater sincerity, even breaking conventional terms."
"At the same time, we promise to give each IP full display and respect in the game's promotional activities, and actively explore the possibility of joint promotion to achieve a win-win situation.
In this regard, we should emphasize that our game will feature core combat animation segments, which will help awaken players' nostalgia, especially for classic works that haven't had new releases for a long time.
Our game can, in turn, bring valuable exposure opportunities to their early works.
This point can even become a bargaining chip in our negotiations."
After listening to Takuya's vision, Suzuki Masao's tense nerves relaxed slightly, but as the actual executor, he quickly calmed down from his excitement and raised practical concerns.
"Managing Director Takayama, your idea is very feasible and convincing."
"However, such large-scale, multi-target negotiations are very time-sensitive.
The release date of the new console will not wait for us."
"Moreover, the appetite of each copyright holder will likely be very large, and budget control will be a huge challenge.
If a few key negotiations fall through, the entire project could be affected."
Takuya patted Suzuki Masao's shoulder, a confident smile on his face.
"Mr. Suzuki, I have anticipated these difficulties."
"What Sega lacks least now is the determination and action to create miracles."
"Regarding the budget, the company will provide the greatest possible support, please rest assured on this point.
As I said before, everyone, do not hesitate.
If negotiations encounter resistance, do not hesitate to use the company's network resources."
"Mr. Suzuki, the Marketing Department will have a hard time ahead.
For this battle, we need the most elite team and the most efficient execution.
Each copyright holder must have a dedicated team to follow up, research their preferences, and formulate the most suitable negotiation plan."
Suzuki Masao was infected by Takuya's confidence and detailed plan; the solemnity in his eyes gradually replaced by an excitement to meet the challenge.
He nodded vigorously, his voice becoming firm and strong.
"Managing Director, rest assured!"
"I will immediately organize the team and, following your strategic direction, prepare materials separately and draft initial contact plans."
"In this 'war,' our Marketing Department will definitely be at the forefront and will never let down your trust!"
Takuya smiled with satisfaction.
Subsequently, the two engaged in a more in-depth and specific discussion and division of labor regarding the negotiation priority of each IP, the initial contact personnel, the details of documents to be prepared, and the specific content of presentation materials.
Suzuki Masao took action almost immediately.
He quickly walked out of the office and summoned all core members of the Marketing Department.
Takuya Nakayama's instructions and determination, like a military order, quickly reached everyone's ears.
The entire Marketing Department, like the gears of a precise war machine, instantly began to operate at high speed.