After Iwata Satoru explained his trip to the Copyright Affairs Bureau, Naka Yuji panicked.
"I've already made the announcement! It's too late to retract it now."
Iwata urged, "President Kobayashi should be in Niigata Prefecture by now. Call the hotel where he's staying and explain the situation."
"No!" Naka Yuji quickly stopped him. "We can't tell the President. If he finds out we can't even handle something this small, we're finished. How can we possibly take on any real responsibilities after that?"
Iwata frowned. "If you don't tell the President now, you're truly finished."
Still, he couldn't bear to watch Naka Yuji tearing at his hair in distress.
"Don't panic," Iwata said, trying to reassure him. "I'll figure something out. Right now, the game only shares a name. We haven't seen the actual gameplay yet. Maybe the mechanics are completely different. If the gameplay is different, the same name won't be a problem!"
Iwata calmed Naka Yuji down. This situation didn't allow for self-pity or mutual blame; they needed to act quickly.
Over the next few days, Iwata scoured Akihabara. He was fortunate enough to find a 1983 computer version of Bomberman on cassette tape at a used game store.
After bringing it back to Atlas, Iwata gave it a quick test run.
The gameplay turned out to be strikingly similar—or rather, virtually identical.
"But there's still hope! The rights holder for this game is an individual, not a company, so we should still be able to contact him. The secondhand store owner also told me the game isn't selling well—not many people are playing it because the NEC platform itself isn't very mainstream. So its influence isn't widespread yet."
After a busy day, Iwata Satoru finally managed to obtain Tanaka Yuji's contact information. Under Naka Yuji's watchful gaze, he nervously dialed the number and explained his purpose.
"Hello, Mr. Tanaka Yuji? We have some ideas regarding the Bomberman game you developed in 1983, and we'd like to—"
Tanaka Yuji's apologetic voice came from the other end of the line.
"I'm sorry, but someone has already purchased the rights."
"What?!"
"Someone bought them just before you called."
Iwata Satoru took a deep breath.
This is truly over!
He had reacted swiftly, discovering the problem immediately and securing the cartridge before contacting the rights holder. Yet someone had still beaten him to it.
Naka Yuji sat beside him, his head throbbing with anxiety.
Iwata Satoru was merely developing the game at Kobayashi Tetsu's request, but Naka Yuji was the one truly doomed. He was the one who had blurted out "GG"!
"We just offended Nintendo! They must have rushed to trademark it. How could they be so malicious?!"
Iwata Satoru reassured him, "It might not be Nintendo."
"We need to call President Kobayashi immediately," Iwata said. "Don't even think about hiding this or trying to cover it up. This kind of thing can't be suppressed. If the President finds out after it blows up, we're truly finished!"
When the call connected, a hotel staff member answered.
Iwata briefly explained his identity and asked the staff to have Kobayashi Tetsu return the call when he got back.
Only then did the two return to their work.
Seeing Iwata still leading the development team, Naka Yuji was speechless.
"I'm too scared to even turn on my computer! How can you still focus on development?!"
Iwata shrugged.
"What's the panic? Just stay calm, okay?"
Kobayashi Tetsu had spent the day exploring the convention venue with Okada Toshio. With two days until the official start, the atmosphere was buzzing with anticipation.
Okada Toshio, though prone to exaggeration, had some genuine insight. If all went according to plan, GAINAX would once again host the 1986 science fiction convention, known as DAICON5.
The first half of "DAICONFILM" came from this very event.
***
But as always, when everything seems to be going smoothly, something unexpected happens.
Kobayashi Tetsu planned to let Okada Toshio rest and not have them host the convention next year.
He had already decided to call the next event "KOBACON1."
Back at the hotel, the front desk clerk approached him with a professional, polite smile. "Mr. Kobayashi, a Mr. Tanaka Yuji called for you today, as did a Mr. Iwata Satoru. They both left their numbers and asked you to return their calls promptly."
"They're quick on the draw!" Kobayashi Tetsu remarked, impressed. He returned to his room and asked the front desk to connect him with Tanaka Yuji first.
"Mr. Kobayashi, someone called me today asking to license my game, but I firmly refused!" Tanaka Yuji sounded slightly anxious. "You're not tricking me, are you? You really will give me one million yen?"
Kobayashi Tetsu chuckled. "I've already given you the check. Why would I trick you? Buying out your game for a million yen is based on its potential."
The original NEC platform version hadn't even sold a million yen. Kobayashi Tetsu had directly purchased the rights to Bomberman, and to be safe, he even bought the rights to the name itself.
After hanging up, Kobayashi Tetsu immediately called Iwata Satoru.
"Iwata-kun, what's the situation?"
Kobayashi Tetsu lay comfortably on his soft bed, relaxed and completely at ease, showing no signs of tension.
On the other end of the line, Iwata Satoru sounded visibly strained as he quickly explained the situation.
"In short, when I contacted Tanaka Yuji, I learned that the Bomberman rights had already been sold. If we continue development now, we could face legal action. President, I recommend halting Bomberman's development. This might be Nintendo's strategy!"
Kobayashi Tetsu replied, "I bought the Bomberman rights."
Iwata Satoru: ————?
The words Iwata Satoru was about to speak froze in his throat, buried there in stunned silence.
Kobayashi Tetsu repeated, "I bought them."
A sharp intake of breath came from the other end of the line, indicating Iwata Satoru's shock. He clearly hadn't anticipated this outcome.
Kobayashi Tetsu sighed. "Of course I'd be aware of these things. That's why I already secured the Bomberman rights. You can continue development without worry."
After a pause, Kobayashi Tetsu added, "Still, Iwata-kun, your prompt action and quick response were commendable. This was essentially the best possible course of action."
Iwata Satoru finally let out a relieved breath.
That was terrifying! I thought Nintendo had bought them!
Kobayashi Tetsu chuckled, then suddenly added, "But keep this matter private. Just approach Tanaka Yuji about purchasing the rights. He obviously can't sell them to you, but simply expressing that intent is enough. I'm curious to see who will seize this opportunity to attack Atlas. It's the perfect excuse, and some people will definitely pounce on it."
Just casting a line, Kobayashi thought, to see what fish I can catch.
Iwata Satoru took a deep breath.
This is a bit underhanded!
Still, Kobayashi's words reassured him.
In a flash of inspiration, Iwata asked, "Could I keep this a secret from everyone, including Naka Yuji?"
"Exactly," Kobayashi replied. "Don't tell him either. Just maintain the pretense that we don't have the rights. Let others make their moves. Right before the game's release, I'll announce that Atlas has been authorized to develop Bomberman. Naka Yuji's genuine surprise will make his reaction all the more convincing."
This served as a subtle warning to Naka Yuji for attempting to conceal the matter.
Employee #0002 needs to get to work. He can't let favoritism go to his head!
Kobayashi suddenly shuddered, a chill running through him.
What nonsense! Favoritism? As if I'd ever show favoritism!
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