Hollywood Hunter

A few days ago, Nancy Brill talked on the phone about the idea of ​​trying to make video games. Simon did not object, but rejected her request for authorization of the Marvel superhero role or the game adaptation of the Thor King series.

The Marvel Superhero and Middle-earth series are the two most precious brands in Daenerys Entertainment's copyright library. Without sufficient confidence, Simon will never allow these two projects to be developed lightly.

Unexpectedly, after Nancy Brill was rejected, she got the right to adapt the game "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles".

Simon happened to play the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" video game from the era of Nintendo RGB.

In the original time and space, the "Teenage Ninja Turtles" series of video games was developed by the well-known Japanese game manufacturer Konami (KONAMI) and has become one of Konami's best-selling series of games.

The first generation of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" game sold 4 million units worldwide within only one year after its release, bringing Konami a net profit of hundreds of millions of dollars. The subsequent sequels of the series also made Konami a profit. Full.

After finishing the call with Sophia Fessy, Simon began to carefully review the game planning plan of "Teenage Ninja Turtles".

Nancy Brill obtained the game development license of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" for only $200,000, which is equivalent to the price that Daenerys Pictures received last year for the film adaptation rights of "Teenage Ninja Turtles". However, this time the license agreement included a 5% net profit sharing clause.

If Daenerys Entertainment's next development of the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" game can achieve Konami's success, but this 5% net profit achievement will be a sky-high price.

However, Simon was not surprised.

Daenerys Entertainment is just getting involved in the field of video game production. If you don't offer a higher price, the copyright owner is obviously more willing to sell the copyright to those well-known game manufacturers.

What's more, if the entire series of "Teenage Ninja Turtles" games can bring Daenerys Entertainment a billion-level profit in the next few years, Simon will not mind paying Phantom Studios $50 million in profit sharing.

Continuing to read the plan, Simon was satisfied with the total budget of 2 million US dollars.

The initial operating model of the studio shows that Nancy Brill did not blindly pursue one step. She knows that Daenerys Entertainment is just a rookie in the game field. The development of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is more like an accumulation of experience. Try.

However, the type positioning of this game is quite different from the Konami version in Simon's memory.

The Konami version of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" that Simon played is an action role-playing type. The story uses an animated plot as a reference to tell a rescue operation of the four turtles. Nancy's plan is to develop into a combat fighting game.

In this era, the best-selling games on the market are basically action-adventure and shooting games, such as Nintendo's "Super Mario" and Konami's "Contra." There are few very successful fighting games.

Capcom's "Street Fighter" was released in 1987, but it did not cause much response. In my memory, the "Street Fighter" series did not reach its peak until "Street Fighter 2" in 1991.

"Street Fighter 2" not only set Capcom's sales record, but also one of the greatest video games in the history of many media judges.

Now, there are no phenomenal fighting games like "Street Fighter 2" on the market. This kind of content vacancy is actually an opportunity for game developers.

In the planning plan, Nancy Brill specifically mentioned this point and indicated that this is exactly why she positioned "Teenage Ninja Turtles" as a fighting game.

Moreover, Nancy also proposed that an important factor limiting the development of fighting games is the hardware platform.

The best-selling Nintendo red and white machines on the market are still 8-bit machines with a market share of over 90%. However, Sega has released the 16-bit Sega MD game console, and Nintendo is also preparing for its own 16-bit console. The game console market is in a critical period of upgrading.

Compared with an 8-bit machine, a 16-bit host can bring a leap in the quality of basic technologies such as game capacity and display, thereby providing better hardware support for fighting games. Therefore, the development of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be directly based on the 16-bit game console platform.

After reading this plan, Simon had to admire Nancy Brill's comprehensive consideration. However, he still found the biggest problem.

Sega’s 16-bit game console was released last year, and the plan also indicated that Nintendo plans to launch its own 16-bit console in July this year.

The normal development cycle of video games in this era is about 3 to 5 months. If all goes well, Daenerys Entertainment’s "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" fighting game can indeed be launched at the same time on the Nintendo 16-bit console.

However, Simon remembers that due to technical reasons, Nintendo had repeatedly bounced tickets, and it was not until November 1990 that it finally launched a 16-bit SFC console, which was delayed for more than a year, and the release time in North America and Europe was even later.

Simon does not think that his ‘butterfly’ can help Nintendo overcome technical difficulties.

Once the 16-bit SFC bounces, Daenerys Entertainment's 16-bit game "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" can only fall in hand. Of course, the company has another choice, that is, Sega's MD mainframe or PC platform.

The current major mainstream game console manufacturers are very strong.

Even the big game companies such as Capcom and Konami dare not set foot on a few boats with much fanfare, and latecomers like Daenerys Entertainment have no choice. If you cooperate with Sega, it will be rejected by Nintendo.

This situation did not gradually change until the further development of PC games in the 1990s and the increasingly fierce competition among major console manufacturers.

After thinking about it for a moment, Simon motioned Jennifer to connect to Nancy Brill's phone, and started writing on the manuscript paper about the original action role-playing type of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" game settings.

Jennifer handed over the connected microphone. Simon and Nancy talked about his ‘guess’ that SFC is likely to bounce tickets, and at the same time briefly elaborated on the action role-playing type of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" game development plan.

The two discussed on the phone for more than 20 minutes, and Nancy said that he would carefully investigate the development progress of Nintendo SFC and adjust his plan appropriately.

Finally, Simon provided Nancy with an additional budget of 500,000 US dollars. Once it is confirmed that the SFC may skip tickets, the company can develop two 8-bit machine-based "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" games at the same time, an action role-playing proposed by Simon. Type, the other is still the fighting type in Nancy's plan.

Of the two games, the former is out of consideration for commercial interests. Since the Konami version of "Teenage Ninja Turtles" in memory is so successful, there is no reason to let it go. The latter can be used as accumulated experience. The market vacancy of fighting games is obvious. If the "Street Fighter" series does not have the foundation of the first generation, "Street Fighter 2" may not be so successful. Therefore, this investment is very worthwhile.

Speaking of which, the scale of the global video game industry will catch up with the film industry in the next few years, and this field is definitely promising.

Now that he started to get involved, Simon didn't intend to just make a fuss.

Therefore, before ending the call, Simone asked about the name of the studio.

Nancy Brill didn't care too much about this issue, but casually said that he could follow the naming rules of Daenerys Entertainment's other subsidiaries, called Daenerys Game Studio.

Simon did not intend to mix the game business with Daenerys Entertainment, saying: "In this case, call it Blizzard, Blizzard Studios."

Nancy's puzzled voice came from the microphone: "Blizzard, is there any special meaning?"

"Yes, a very meaningful name," Simon said, "So, if you mess up, I will be very disappointed."

Nancy felt that Simon didn't mean to explain in detail, so she stopped asking, "Okay, boss, I'll let someone start the registration tomorrow."

After hanging up the phone, Simon had already unknowingly wrote several pictures on the draft paper in front of him.

Signaling Jennifer to sort it out and send it back to Los Angeles, Simon looked at his watch. It was already 11:35, and it was lunch time.

Leaning back in the chair relaxedly, closing his eyes to rest, sorting out the next work schedule in my mind.

In the afternoon, I will check the samples taken recently, and discuss the production plan of some special effects shots with Daenerys's special effects team. In the evening, I will start shooting another rival scene in the film.

Batman VS Death Shooter.

Crocodile man and death shooter, these are the two professional killers hired by the black mask in the film. At the same time, the appearance of these two characters also paved the way for the future development of the "Suicide Squad" series.

Opening her eyes again, Jennifer was standing on the side of the desk and bending over to help Simon organize the documents in front of him. The female assistant is wearing a light blue pinstripe shirt and white trousers today. The slim tailoring makes her figure look slender from the side without lack of curves.

Feeling Simon looking at herself, Jennifer straightened up and asked a topic: "What do you plan to eat at noon?"

Simon continued to admire the slim figure of the female assistant, but asked, "Will you be disappointed by following me like this?"

Jennifer froze for a while, and shook her head seriously: "No."

Simon said: "I mean, you originally thought Simon Westero was an artist. But now, he has become a businessman, and he is thinking about how to make more money every day."

Jennifer heard Simon say so, turned around the desk, came to Simon and leaned against the edge of the table, after thinking about it, and simply sat on the table, kicked off the small black high heels on his feet, and looked at the man on the leather chair seriously. "I don’t like you because you are an artist, Simon, although you are really good at this. But I like you because you are different from everyone in this world, and you are unique. ."

Simon moved the leather chair by touching the ground with his toes. This time the female assistant naturally raised his leg and stepped on Simon's thigh with a pair of small feet in thin silk stockings, and then reached out and caught it, saying: "In theory, everyone is unique."

"Actually, I have always had no opinion. I am not suitable for being that kind of woman who is very independent. Since I was young, of course, I have had a lot of crazy ideas, but the number of times I actually put it into action is pitiful, worry about failure, worry. I was ridiculed, worried that my parents would be disappointed, Barabala, and then it became like this. When I was a child, I was protected by my parents, and when I grew up, knowing that I can no longer rely on my parents, I met you," Jennifer said Then, a pair of small feet stepped on the palm of Simon's palm, was scratched, couldn't help but smile, and stepped on a few more times, saying: "So, I will be wrapped around you in the future. Simon, you are sure Will protect me, right?"

Simon pretended to be embarrassed: "Well, I will try not to let Janet bully you."

"Jenny is smart, smarter than me, maybe smarter than you, she doesn't care about me, a little assistant who can't threaten her at all."

Simon smiled and said, "It seems that Jenny is the real boss behind the scenes."

"Haha, yes," Jennifer nodded in sympathy, and after a moment of intimacy, she found another topic and said, "What is the meaning of'Blizzard'?"

Simon thought for a while, and said: "I can't tell you the real meaning. But there is probably such a song called "Blizzard."

There are too many secrets in the man in front of him. Since he said he can't tell himself, it must be unsuitable to disclose. However, when he heard that there was a tune, Jennifer became interested again, and said: "Can you sing the tune named "Blizzard" to me?"

Simon shook his head and said, "This is pure music. There are no lyrics. Let's make it for you when you have time."

Jennifer lightly stepped on Simon's palm again, and said, "There is a piano in the dining room downstairs. It's fine now."

Simon thought of the piano in the restaurant of the hotel. He hadn't seen anyone play it these days. It was probably the hotel owner who put it in the restaurant as decoration, and he didn't know if it could be used.

Jennifer didn't give Simon any time to hesitate, jumped off the desk and put on his shoes, pulled him and walked out: "It just happens to be lunch. You can play it to me first."

The two left the room, but Jennifer turned to her guest room again and came out again, with an extra eight-mm video recorder in her hand.

Simon looked at the machine in the female assistant's hand, and remembered the original "Bumblebee Flying". Jennifer obviously thought of this too, and raised the video recorder in his hand and said, "This time it’s my own collection, absolutely not. Will show it to others."

Near lunch time, the restaurant looks very lively.

Because the hotel was booked, the people who ate were all members of the "Batman" crew. Some people still had tired faces, apparently just getting up.

Simon greeted everyone, stopped a waiter for a few questions, and walked straight to the piano near the window. Jennifer chose a dining table nearby and sat down quietly, fiddled with the machine in his hand, and then looked up at the man sitting by the piano, with anticipation in her eyes.

In order to enhance the appeal, this song needs to be amplified.

The waiter quickly installed the microphone. After Simon pressed the key for a short test, he looked at the female assistant not far away, and under the gaze of everyone in the restaurant, smiled close to the microphone and said, "Blizzard, to Jenny ."

When many people around heard this sentence, their faces showed knowing smiles.

Simon also opened the scene in the famous "Bumblebee Flying" video.

It's just that some people understand that Jenny here in Simon is probably another Jenny, such as a female assistant with a super 8mm video recorder.

Simon didn't care about other people's thoughts, and when the voice fell, he began to play a piece called "Blizzard".

The song is not actually called "Blizzard."

It should be "The-Dawn" (The-Dawn), the real source is an episode of the movie "Brave to Death Island".

or.

Some people call it "Overture to the Dead."

Simon felt that the name "Blizzard" was also very appropriate.

Strictly speaking, piano music does not fully show the charm of this piece, but under Simon’s superb performance, the hotel restaurant is sometimes light, sometimes passionate, sometimes gentle, sometimes strong, sometimes silent, sometimes frantic. The sound quickly made all the listeners immersed in it.

The girl holding the video recorder silently looked at the focused figure next to the piano, and her eyes became more obsessed.

Maybe it was some kind of aspirational heart that has been getting along for a long time. Jennifer instinctively felt that there must be a very long story behind this song. In the story, the hero who has killed the evil dragon wears shabby leather armor, carries a huge sword, braves the dense wind and snow, shuttles through the ancient forest that has been forgotten by too many people, and continues to search for his unknown distance.