Traveling Through the Tokyo Bubble Era

Chapter 1038 The Grand Strategy of Parasitizing Microsoft
At Haruko Naito's urging, Hideki Hanyu stayed overnight in Setagaya Ward.

Of course, after getting off the train, Haruko Naito was unaware that Eimi Naito was watching from the sidelines, and ultimately fled in a disheveled state.

The next morning, after Hideki Hanyu finished breakfast, he and Haruko Naito left.

Naito Eimi, who saw them off, saw people in blue work clothes carrying cases of bottled water into her home.

Seeing the teardrop-shaped logo and the "FIJI" lettering on the staff's uniforms, Naito Eimi hurriedly stepped forward to ask her questions.

"Sorry, I didn't order bottled water. Did you deliver the wrong item?"

However, before the staff could answer, Haruko Naito explained, "Mother, this water was sent by Hideki Hanyu. It comes from Fiji, thousands of kilometers away, where there is a very high-quality water source."

Naito Eimi said with some surprise, "It's not like Tokyo doesn't have water to drink, so why send water from so far away?"

This time, however, Hideki Hanyu quietly explained to Eimi Naito, "I recently saw an official internal investigation report that revealed serious pollution of groundwater in several areas of Tokyo. Until we are certain of your water source, it's best not to drink water from Tokyo."

Naito Eimi was somewhat surprised, "Seriously polluted groundwater? Why wasn't this announced to the public?"

"According to the investigation report, the groundwater pollution may be caused by industrial emissions, but it is more likely that the American troops dumped toxic substances."

Given that the authorities are unable to resolve the issue, what role do you think releasing the investigation results can play besides causing public panic?
From the perspective of those in power, the Japanese will all die sooner or later anyway, and drinking a little polluted water won't kill them instantly, so why bother making trouble for themselves?

Hideki Hanyu's words left Eimi Naito speechless.

Because the cold-blooded attitude of the upper class who don't care about the lives of ordinary people, as revealed in Hideki Hanyu's words, is simply too chilling.

"Mrs. Naito, put away your sympathy for the Japanese. Don't forget that you are not an ordinary person either. Just take care of yourself."

After saying this with a slightly cruel tone, Hideki Hanyu pointed to the workers who were carrying buckets of water.

"I will arrange for someone to supply you with bottled water for drinking and bottled water for carrying when you go out. The water company will also conduct random water quality checks from time to time, so you don't have to worry about anything."

Many years ago, Hideki Hanyu had already purchased a private island in Fiji.

Initially, the extraction of drinking water from Fiji was solely for his own benefit.

However, as his business has expanded over the years, Fiji water has also become a small gift he gives to dignitaries in Japan and overseas, as well as important partners.

At first, it was just given away for free, purely as a way to do favors.

However, when those important figures whom Hideki Hanyu was trying to win over started drinking Fiji water, it naturally aroused curiosity and imitation among his subordinates.

Thus, Fiji Water, which was originally supposed to appear in the mid-1990s, became popular in the 1980s because of Hideki Hanyu.

Hideki Hanyu also took the opportunity to reach a deal with the Fijian government, purchasing a 99-year lease on Viti Levu, Fiji's largest water source.

Then "FIJI Water Company" was established, which is the company to which these employees wearing uniforms with the water droplet logo belonged, and began to commercialize Fiji Water.

Unlike ordinary bottled water, Fiji Water never engages in large-scale public marketing. Instead, it deliberately maintains a low profile, cultivating concepts such as high-end, rare, environmentally friendly, pure, and pollution-free, thus preserving its brand image as a luxury item in the water industry.

Of course, whether it was used to cultivate personal relationships or for business operations, it was all just something Hideki Yuzuru did casually.

He cares more about his own enjoyment than about making money from Fiji water.

After explaining to Naito Eimi, Hideki Hanyu drove away from Setagaya Ward.

He first took Haruko Naito to the headquarters of Crescent Moon Trading Co., Ltd., and without lingering there, he went to the headquarters of E·T Computer.

In the president's office of E·T Computer, Hideki Hanyu sat with his legs crossed opposite Tetsuya Aragaki, flipping through the company's business data while chatting about other things.

“I have a full understanding of the company’s collaboration with Fujitsu in Hachioji City. I’m curious why you chose to conduct your research there.”

Tetsuya Aragaki replied, "I don't think places that are too noisy are suitable for research and development."

"Okay, you're the president, you're in charge."

Hideki Hanyu had no objection to Tetsuya Aragaki's considerations.

He continued to review the company's business situation.

Since E·T Computer showcased its first official product, the E·T S600 laptop, at this year's E3 exhibition, its development has been relatively smooth.

Of course, as a first-generation product, the E·T S600 had many problems and shortcomings.

Both the hardware and the system developed in cooperation with Microsoft have revealed many problems and bugs after multiple rounds of actual testing and experience.

However, its merits outweigh its flaws, and these individual issues do not negate the excellence of the E·T S600.

First and foremost, there's the model and its appearance. Compared to the bulky and outdated computers of the same era, the E·T S600, recommended by Hideki Hanyu, was definitely a groundbreaking product.

Without a bulky back, its fully openable design provides a screen far exceeding that of similar products, making the computer itself look very futuristic.

The innovative use of a red dot cursor to control the device gives the E·T S600 a stylish look that surpasses its competitors and greatly improves the ease of use of the computer.

Moreover, the E·T S600, which was designed from the outset as a "gaming laptop," stood at the pinnacle of performance as soon as it was launched.

This made the E·T S600 synonymous with technology, fashion, avant-garde, and excellence in the minds of IT consumers even before it was launched.

Most importantly, under Hideki Hanyu's future strategic plan, Elf Entertainment and Microsoft have engaged in a deeper collaboration, using the Elf Scepter platform and Elf Engine technology to create a dedicated multimedia programming interface for Microsoft, similar to the later DirectX.

With this single collaboration, Hideki Hanyu, through his foresight, prematurely nipped Microsoft's future Xbox console in the bud.

Why did Microsoft agree to the collaboration?

Simply put, you can't measure Microsoft's current strategy by the scale of Microsoft's future.

Although Microsoft finally gained a dominant position in the market after launching Windows 3.0 this year, and its annual revenue exceeded one billion US dollars, it has not yet achieved the monopoly status that it would later achieve.

Comparing only consumer scale and user numbers, Microsoft is still a long way from Elf Entertainment, which dominates the gaming industry with its three major gaming platforms.

Since its launch, the PS2 console has sold over 20 million units in just one year.

The sales of dedicated game CDs have reached hundreds of millions.

With such a terrifying market size and consumer base, which tech company wouldn't be envious?

In this situation, E·T Computer was willing to act as a go-between, facilitating the collaboration between Elf Entertainment and Microsoft to develop a PC-based multimedia programming platform, with the intention of diverting Elf Entertainment's users to Microsoft. Microsoft agreed without much hesitation.

Moreover, Hideki Hanyu also had influence within Microsoft's board of directors, helping to mediate.

The two parties quickly established a new joint venture, "Virtual," and developed the Windows multimedia programming interface (Virtual X) using the E·T S600 as a test platform.

Elf Entertainment also immediately followed suit and integrated Virtual X into the Elf Scepter development framework.

Furthermore, they proactively developed the first PC gaming platform for the E·T S600, the Elf Box.

The appearance of the Elf Box was not Hideki Hanyu laying the foundation for "Steam" belonging to Elf Entertainment, but rather a preparation made by Elf Entertainment's technical staff to prevent piracy.

Hideki Hanyu did not have a deep understanding of the specific technical aspects of how it was implemented.

However, after the Elf Box appeared, Elf Entertainment's game development department immediately followed up and ported many popular games to the PC.

And so, from hardware to software, from platform to content, E·T computer has everything ready.

It can be said that everything is ready except for the final push.

Then, four months after the E3 exhibition ended, E·T Computers finally launched its first mass-produced model, the E·T S660, based on the E·T S600.

In September, this mobile computer, dubbed the Alienware S660 by the media, became a hot topic in the industry as soon as it hit the market, attracting a large number of consumers.

To date, global shipments of the S660 have exceeded 5,500 units.

Compared to the sales volume of Elf Entertainment consoles, this number is really insignificant.

However, looking at the industry as a whole, E·T Computer has undoubtedly achieved success.

It's important to understand that laptops from that era were nothing like those of later generations; they were absolute luxury items, and not something ordinary people could afford.

However, for Hideki Hanyu, the sales and success or failure of E·T computers had already fulfilled their historical mission after it facilitated the collaboration between Elf Entertainment and Microsoft.

In today's IT industry, the E·T S660 is undoubtedly dazzling.

However, in Hideki Hanyu's view, the most valuable things were the numerous unknown collaborations and strategic planning that preceded the launch of the E·T S660.

By utilizing the Virtual X interface, the Elf Entertainment development client is made to be parasitic on Microsoft.

After its creation, the Elf Box platform became a standard feature of Windows systems.

The immense value contained within this is something that perhaps only Hideki Hanyu, a time traveler, truly understands in this era of burgeoning computers and the internet. After reviewing the development of E·T computers, Hideki Hanyu put down the documents in his hand.

Then he praised Tetsuya Aragaki, "Aragaki-san did a great job. I'm very relieved to have the E·T computer in your hands."

"Thank you, Chairman. It's all I should do," Tetsuya Aragaki said modestly.

Although Hideki Hanyu is the largest investor in E·T Computers, Tetsuya Aragaki, as the founder of E·T Computers, is also a shareholder of the company.

For Tetsuya Aragaki, E·T Computer is like his own child, and no one wants E·T Computer to develop better than him.

However, after praising Hideki Hanyu, he immediately poured cold water on Tetsuya Aragaki.

"Aragaki-san, you must prepare in advance. Neither Elf Entertainment nor Microsoft will allow E·T computers to exclusively use the Virtual X and Elf Box platforms."

After the testing and verification using E·T computers are completed, large-scale deployment on PCs will be inevitable.

"President, I am well aware of that."

Tetsuya Aragaki was well aware that the collaboration between Microsoft and Elf Entertainment was mutually beneficial.

One company aims to leverage the massive gaming consumer base to drive traffic to its own product.

The other is to expand game sales on PC by partnering with Microsoft.

Faced with these two enormous interests, the life or death of E·T Computers is utterly insignificant.

"Developing its own core competitiveness is the foundation for a brand to stand firm in the market; relying on others will never last long."

I know that although E·T Computer has achieved certain results, there is still a huge gap in strength compared with those established companies.

Therefore, I will invest 20 million US dollars in E·T Computer and make good use of this money for the development of E·T Computer.

Aragaki-san must also understand that an E·T computer cannot function solely based on an S660.

Tetsuya Aragaki humbly accepted Hideki Hanyu's words.

The $20 million in funding also solved E·T Computer's urgent problem.

Despite the fact that the S660's sales exceeded ten million US dollars, the startup E·T Computer had just as many expenses.

Especially in terms of research and development, the cost of building two research and development centers in Tokyo and Hachioji alone is not a small amount.

Next, Hideki Hanyu and Tetsuya Aragaki continued their conversation about the development of E·T computers until lunchtime.

The two found a restaurant near the headquarters and enjoyed Wagyu sukiyaki. They didn't continue talking about work, but instead chatted about other things.

For example, Tetsuya Aragaki asked Hideki Hanyu, "Has the chairman been paying attention to the collaboration between Sony and Nintendo recently?"

Hideki Hanyu said, "Are you referring to the 32-bit console X Entertainment System that Sony and Nintendo unveiled at E3?"

“That’s right, it’s the X·ES console,” Tetsuya Aragaki confirmed.

"I saw some of their sales figures two months ago, and it seemed that they sold a total of 1.6 million units worldwide, but I haven't paid attention to them since."

Hideki Hanyu said it truthfully.

"The chairman probably doesn't know that the day before he returned to Japan, Nintendo announced that it would not invest in the continued development of the XES console and unilaterally withdrew from the XES project."

Hideki Hanyu was not at all surprised by Nintendo's actions as described by Tetsuya Aragaki.

At E3, Sony and Nintendo's ambitious joint product, the Xbox Series X console, was initially overshadowed by Elf Entertainment's PS2.

Then, the Xbox Series X's console performance and exclusive game content were completely outclassed by the PS2.

Furthermore, Elf Entertainment leveraged its media advantage to amplify X·ES's weaknesses and shortcomings in its publicity, relentlessly smearing it.

It can be said that even with Sony's global sales network protecting it, the X-ES was utterly defeated in the face of competition from the PS2.

That seemingly respectable 1.6 million sales volume was achieved through continuous promotional activities, price reductions, and bundling with games.

Judging from these sales figures, the collaboration between Sony and Nintendo is unlikely to be profitable, let alone recoup costs; they've lost everything.

Clearly, Nintendo and Sony's failure this time is almost identical to the failure of Nintendo's collaboration with Bandai on a handheld console years ago.

All of them attempted to challenge Elf Entertainment's product dominance, but ultimately ended in disastrous failure.

At this point, Tetsuya Aragaki continued speaking.

"Actually, I learned some new information through a friend in the industry that you, Chairman, will definitely be interested in."

Hideki Hanyu asked, "What news is it?"

"According to reliable sources, Nintendo's unilateral withdrawal from the X·ES project was forced by President Hiroshi Yamauchi, who followed the advice of his son-in-law Minoru Arakawa and pushed forward despite opposition from higher-ups."

There was great dissatisfaction within Nintendo regarding Hiroshi Yamauchi's autocratic approach, especially among the higher-ups who did not approve of the decision.

Many people believe that a temporary setback doesn't mean anything, and that they should continue to cooperate with Sony to have a chance of success in the future.

After hearing Tetsuya Aragaki's words, Hideki Hanyu let out a disdainful sneer.

"Hehe, as the saying goes, poverty makes a couple miserable in every way. This applies to couples as well as to running a business."

After the success of Elf Entertainment, Nintendo's product strategy repeatedly failed, and its market value shrank to less than a quarter of its original value.

In this situation, whatever Hiroshi Yamauchi, as the president of Nintendo, did was seen as wrong by others.

At this point, Hideki Hanyu's tone changed again, and he said in a mocking tone.

"And do Nintendo's top executives really not understand Hiroshi Yamauchi's thoughts?"

They knew very well that Hiroshi Yamauchi's unilateral announcement of Nintendo's withdrawal from the XES project was not just because the project had failed.

If Nintendo stays on the XES project and continues to cooperate with Sony, it will completely lose its autonomy.

One wrong move and Sony could swallow up the entire Nintendo.

Nintendo executives are focused on the future of the project.

But for Hiroshi Yamauchi, what mattered most was the power he held.

Upon being reminded by Hideki Hanyu, Tetsuya Aragaki immediately looked enlightened.

However, Tetsuya Aragaki didn't care what Hiroshi Yamauchi thought. He mentioned Nintendo to Hideki Hanyu for another reason.

"Chairman, as far as I know, the person who opposes the launch of the X·ES project the most within Nintendo is Shigeru Miyamoto, the head of Nintendo Entertainment Division."

Because Nintendo withdrew from the XES project, several of his 3D game projects based on the XES platform were abandoned midway through.

Upon hearing this, Hideki Yuzuru's eyes lit up.

Some couldn't wait to ask, "Do we have a chance to poach him?"

For Hideki Hanyu, the talent he most desired at Nintendo was Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary game developer.

Although in this timeline, he preemptively acquired many major game titles belonging to Nintendo, produced under the direction of Shigeru Miyamoto.

These games were also handed over to very capable producers for development.

However, although these producers are very talented, they are ultimately not the original partners.

Moreover, as these producers gradually follow the historical inertia and create their own game series as if from another dimension, they inevitably become overwhelmed and unable to focus on the company's arrangements.

Some of the game sequels that Hideki Hanyu "copied" became increasingly strange, carrying a peculiar odor that Hideki Hanyu disliked.

Especially the Super Mario series, which is the most profitable and well-known for Elf Entertainment, and the Legend of Zelda series, which has had a great influence on later generations.

In this situation, if we could recruit Shigeru Miyamoto, the original producer, to oversee the development of the series, that would undoubtedly be the best outcome.

Tetsuya Aragaki laughed and said, "I knew the chairman would be interested in Shigeru Miyamoto, so I contacted President Iwata and asked him to contact Shigeru Miyamoto immediately."

However, according to the latest investigation, Ken Kutaragi, president of Sony Interactive Entertainment, has also been frequently contacting Shigeru Miyamoto recently, clearly with the same intention.

Hideki Hanyu waved his hand and said, "I don't care what Ken Kutaragi is planning to do, I just want Shigeru Miyamoto to join Elf Entertainment."

"And there's no need to trouble Iwata Satoru. Have your people find a way to contact Miyamoto Shigeru; I want to meet with him personally."

(End of this chapter)