it's one thousand nine hundred and ninety six and Sony is taking the fight quite literally, to Nintendo's front door. Outside of a Nintendo's US headquarters and at a giant costume, stands outside the door he's dressed as a happy looking bright orange cartoon marsupial, a Sony video true trails behind it. As cameras. Roll crash grabs a bull morning swaggers around Nintendo's parking lot. I got a little surprise for you here check it out. What do you think about that get real time. 3D lush, organic environments. Does that make you feel like your days are numbered costumed characters name is crash. Bandicoot, and he's Sony's answer to Nintendo of STAR Mario a few months earlier, stations, visionary KEN Kutaragi had been furious,

about this idea. Snarling and shaking with anger he had screen? did mark Cerny the amiable, didn't have universal pictures? Video game division I first heard about crash bandicoot rocky rants for nearly forty minutes. The diplomatic level headed Cerney injury verbal assault, but was left utterly shaken derived finally stopped off. What could detests about crash bandicoot is everyone else at Sony, wants crash to become the playstation's answer to Nintendo's Mario mask. If you will, the very idea in and he, never misses the chance to vent his feelings about this to his colleagues placed he doesn't need a mascot, certainly got some cartoon character. Leave cuddly animals to Nintendo station is not a toy crash. Bandicoot is

Everything playstation isn't, but the only team was a nervous Nintendo was leading its attack on the playstation with the bouncy mission of Super Mario Sixty four, which journalists are now calling the best game ever made Sony needed to fight back so when the Playstation team saw crash bandicoot, they saw the friendly game that could death the Mario juggernaut after weeks of clashes about crash to rocky the argument which brings us back to this Sony. Publicity stunt with a Escale crash bandicoot stomping around the Nintendo headquarters parking lot it's cameras. Roll crash grabs, bullhorn and swaggers around Nintendo's parking lot. Plumber boy

slash man, your worst nightmare has around. I, the Nintendo Security Guard RON would have to ask you to leave your email, but it is an Australian, a Film footage becomes Sony's latest tv ad campaign, but it fails to on the growing excitement over Nintendo's Super Mario game. It seems it's inconceivable that even with all of Sony's techno savvy and its manufacturing muscle, it can't stop fat man and dungarees. Yes, in Tendo is back in the game. Business wars is brought to you by the capital. One Walmart rewards card. Five percent back at Walmart online, two percent at Walmart in store restaurants and travel and one but everywhere else when you want to

you need the capital one Walmart rewards card. What's in your wallet terms and exclusions apply. From wondering this is business wars, I'm David Brown, you're. Listening to our sixth and last installment Nintendo versus Sony Series. It's called no surrender. In our last episode, Nintendo pushed back against gamemakers pressure to give up cartridges for cds. Instead, Nintendo focused on helping its own games and a clever controller that allowed players

effortlessly move characters around in 3d it took years to create a nintendo, sixty four console, but now ninten so is ready to challenge Playstation head on, but the games, is this Nintendo and Sony are fighting for control of is changing fast, It's not even Halloween yet, but millions of kids already know what they want for Christmas. A new video game system called Nintendo. Sixty four and those new game machine is sixty four bits making it the most powerful machine on the mark the Nintendo. Sixty four is being touted as the hottest toy for Christmas, one thousand nine hundred and ninety six and it's vanished store shelves fast There might only be two games to play on Nintendo's new console, but one of them The Super Mario Sixty four and for many well that more than enough to justify buying Nintendo's latest console within four days,

which release Nintendo sold. Three hundred and fifty thousand New Nintendo Sixty four consoles making it the fastest selling console in US history, so can't make them fast enough consume clear the shelves as fast as storekeepers restock them Janu, one thousand nine hundred and ninety seven Nintendo headquarters the intercom Nintendo Boss, Hiroshima Cheese, office buses Comanche I had the president of Nintendo of America on the line. He has the sales figures for Chris, put through immediately This is your much so how use the Nintendo Sixty four performing in America, it's doing very well. Tales of the Nintendo. Sixty four in Sony. Playstation were neck and neck in the holiday season. If it wasn't for RC why issues. We would have outsold Sony good, very good. This

My problems are almost resolved, so that should no longer hold us back, but we can't be complacent. I'm putting one hundred million dollars into promoting the Nintendo sixty four and one thousand nine hundred and ninety seven, and that should be enough to match Sony's marketing budget for the playstation now go. Take them down. Nintendo and Sony may be going toe to toe on promotional spending, but there Reading strategies couldn't be more different, so why is positioning the playstation is something distinct, the traditional game console something closer to The tv's camp camcorders and walk when they're known for Sony the playstation to be seen as unsophisticated sophisticated device adults wouldn't be ashamed to put under their tv's on the Nintendo Sixty four with its chunky, curvy preschool plastic casing. To achieve this

Sony rewrites the rules of video game advertising. It presents the playstation. Aspirational product and not just for kids it even runs commercials where neither the playstation or it's games are on display commercials like This european tv ad called double life You may not think it to look at night, but I have commanded armies or cold quick worlds in achieving these things. I've said morality aside. I have no regrets for those of later double life. At least I can say, I've left only the final unspoken, onscreen slogan reveals what really being sold here. It says: do not underestimate the power of Playstation Nintendo. Goals to match. Sony's bold promotions,

The reassuring family friendly reputation, Nintendo spent years building is now a liability. Then, in no kids of the 80s are now adults. And they want to move on from the cartoon heroes that are Nintendo's calling card feeling threatened. Nintendo tries to get with it and mimic Sony's appeals to young adults. Compromise live the game. We will be in control of some. We will change, but the voice of there's rebellious call to arms. Just doesn't work. For the Nintendo bubble. Gum games on screen Nintendo also eases up on its family friendly rules to make room for a first person shooter game based on the James Bond movie Goldeneye?

Nintendo's chief designer flinches when he these goldeneye spurts of blood and sniper rifle headshots. He figures he's gotta dial it back. So he faxes, a list of suggestions to Martin Hollis, the stick thin, a six year old director of the games company making goldeneye A bemused Hollis pause the fax off the machine, and reads it aloud to his team. Can we make a blood less red who here's? What we have all the people killed during the game, get up at the end to shake hands to show. No one really got hurt the hand to forehead moment, but Hollis agrees to tone down the blood for the ending they compromise

the characters slaughtered by the player Arsene alive and well during the credits like actors at the end of the film Sony. On the other hand, has none of Nintendo's qualms, and so it goes on a bloody, violent spree. And it's kind of jarring one moment cute crash Bandicoot Who prancing around a playstation and the next it's the it's in the teeth, zombie, horror, game, resident, evil and then it goes even darker, but Sony doesn't even bat an eyelid at the original grand theft, auto game that offers players bonus points to mow down lines of Hari Krishna's in their car to play asian brand, is so flexible. It can turn the 1990s most unlikely. Pin up into a massive star, even a pin.

Who was never meant to be it all started when core design a little known british game studio run by Jeremy Heath Smith began a game inspired by the Indiana Jones movies. First time, he's developers showed Heath Smith what they done when his horrified on the screen was character. That was the spitting image of Harrison Ford's fedora wearing adventurer. He He told his team to get rid of the Indy look alike. We can use Lucasfilm will sue us to kingdom come come up with a different character. Two weeks later, he return to check in on the new character and he wasn't pleased what the Hell It's a girl. The games smiled and said. Yeah her name is Laura Laura Croft Great. Isn't she no no she's not,

I mean, there's never been a popular female video game character. Teenage boys play this game, come on Do you seriously think they're going to want to plays a woman? The designer was not ready to cave, well what about? We leave her in there for now and see how it goes when two arrives on the playstation in November, one thousand, nine hundred and ninety six Sony immediately sees shapely Laura's appeal and potential has a tiny waist and huge breasts, but she's strong, intelligent and in no need of a man, not only does Laura appeal to both sexes. She's visual proof that the gaming, is different. Sony pays big bucks to make sure her adventures will appear only on playstation and

in one thousand nine hundred and ninety seven, the whole world is smitten with her September. One thousand nine hundred and ninety seven, the in computer trade. Show in London. No one has seen anything like this before the computer trade show a crush if papparazi jostle to get closer the object. Retention, Lara, Croft or rather her flesh and blood double as flashbulbs pop british model. Rhona Mitra poses in the large trademark turquoise best hot pants. Ensemble she's become a pop culture icon first tomb, raider game sells seven million copies she's uh cover of countless magazines and big br. Hands now by get endorsements from this playboy proportioned virtual hero now

one thousand nine hundred and ninety seven draws to a close Sony Tomb Raider two will seal the holiday season. Victory for the playstation in ten meanwhile, is betting that the Georgia claims surrounding goldeneye double seven with steel, Sony's thunder goal nice selling fast. I will actually sell eight million copies worldwide. As the store shut on Christmas Eve. The question is which of british Heroes, the steamy sharpshooter or the shape play tomb. Raider will win the hearts of America. Business wars is sponsored by fastly fastly is an edge cloud platform that powers today's best brand, so their websites and apps are faster, safer and way more scalable, and that's not an easy thing to pull off because behind the scenes

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seven years ago to bring higher education to working adults. Answer members in Maryland and around the world offering programs in high demand fields like business side Security, it Homeland Security, health care and a whole lot more university of Maryland. Global campuses programs are designed with employer inputs, to enable students to gain real world skills that they can apply in the work place right away, learn about University of Maryland Global Campus and the programs they offer. At. U c dot edu slash be that's umgc, Edu, Bw. Another Christmas is Chief Hiroshi Yamauchi is reading the nineteen ninety seven holiday sales report in Japan The playstation is crushed the Nintendo Sixty four, when Nintendo

clung to its cartridges. It effectively Japan's beloved role playing games, final fantasy and dragon Quest to Sony. Now, Even the Sega Saturn is cell better in Japan than the Nintendo. Sixty four Hey at the news from the West, was better that Christmas meal names of people in the United States and Europe were buying Nintendo sixty fours, but the trouble is that still wasn't enough for every Nintendo Sixty four console Nintendo, so Sony sold two Playstations Playstation Now has an unassailable lead over the nintendo. Sixty four then, It was still profitable. It still has huge cash reserves and world Class game studios, and it's mobile console the game boys raking in millions from the freakishly successful pokmon games, but Mancino's that in the home

console market. The game has changed. Tendo is on the defensive. No matter what Nintendo does next. He knows that the playstation will win this round in the console wars. It's best bet, is to hold on to its current market share so that it can stage a comeback in next round of console wars. Luckily, Ammachi knows that in the cubicles on the floors below his office, his game developers are working on a game that can defend Nintendo's position. The latest edition companies, long running fairy tale adventure Series, the legend: of Zelda Archie sits in his office in Kyoto, died. Testing Nintendos disappointing Christmas over in Tokyo. The mood at Sony is jubilant

the crazy dream Kutaragi had in nineteen. Eighty four at making Sony the leader of the video game. Business has come true. The place is now the world's favorite game console Sony is sitting still Rocky wants Sony to spend one thousand nine hundred and ninety eight going through the one market segment playstation is yet to conquer the market and in ten regards as its own future rocky wants to peel the preteens away from Nintendo leading Sony's efforts to lure kids to Playstation is Spyro the dragon, a game about a baby dragon. That would have looked right at home on the Nintendo, sixty four, as for one thousand. Nine hundred and ninety eight arrives Nintendo to start Playstation from taking anymore of its territory, Nintendo tries to build a fortress around its crown jewel, the legend of, Delta ocarina of time,

it spins millions to promote the new Zelda, a tent poles game that could read the Nintendo 64's last stand is the game's release approaches Promotion runs in more than ten thousand movie theaters across America. The ad with high drama, music and gothic style. Subtitles begins with a dark times coming and comically wraps with and, in the end, will bow just sore or willst thou suck. He does not suck Sony fights back against the buzz around Zelda with the latest tomb raider game sixty foot high murals of Lara Croft on buildings in major cities across the U dot S, take that Zelda The critics say: Zelda is the best video game ever made two weeks

after it goes on sale, it's A million copies within weeks that number more than doubles Zelda read what Nintendo needed it to do. The game, didn't narrow the gap between Playstation and Nintendo. Sixty four, it did hold Sony's advance at Bay. Nintendo emerges from the battle of Christmas. One thousand nine hundred and ninety eight with this market share intact. Not Nintendo's resilience bothers Kutaragi too much. Playstation is still miles ahead and well on its way to becoming the first console to pass. One hundred million sales mark, to rocky is shocked by the scale of the playstation success. The playstation and much more than topple, Nintendo and lay waste to Sega. It is. Huge Sony during the early, 1990s Sony's winning shrieking consumer electronics had come to an end

today's when Sony repeatedly wowed the world with products like Trinity, On color tv, CD players and the walk band Oh God, Sony had lost its mojo, but with the playstation Sony Computer, entertainment, the lowly regarded part of the company that had please, Sony, Hq Q survive all those years ago is now the successful part of the Sony Empire, Gujarati the outspoken. Corporate revel is now being tipped there's a future Sony. President Playstation transfer from the game. Business too, with its efforts to make gaming cool win over adults, so took video games into the mainstream. Just two years earlier, most game players were kids The majority of players are adults. Games are no longer toys. Just for the boys about a quarter of

station users are women and girls thanks to the Playstation Video game sales are at an all time high today four years since one thousand nine hundred and ninety eight game sales have doubled to more than six billion dollars a year in the USA alone, the game. Industry is still the kid brother to Hollywood, but it's cat fast and Hollywood is taking note. In America, Nintendos Goldeneye game, grossed, more Twice as much as the James Bond Movie, it was based on in nineteen? Ninety nine playstation is ninety Nintendo, but is beta. Nintendo Kutaragi has no time to bask in the glory of the playstation success. He's King of the new advanced playstation, two in Kyoto Archie is contemplating a successor to the Nintendo Sixty four with what he once thought: unthinkable a console without cartridges. Yes, it's a personal defeat.

But he knows he has to embrace cds- to win back the game. Publishers who deserted Intento for Sony Good, Oggy and your maschi are each drawing up diabolical plans to crush the other. Why wouldn't they that's? What they've always done? What they don't know is that the next console war the two way fight they imagine and the new unseen challenger is about to enter the ring. May one thousand nine hundred and ninety nine boardroom less than a mile from Nintendo of America's headquarters in Redmond WA, a group of businessmen are arguing they've been there locking horns for hours, day has turned tonight, but the even show no sign of stopping. You are listening to what I'm saying we. Have to make a video game console and we must do it now nonsense: after to do anything, your plan

just blow a billion dollars. One billion dollar getting into the video game business in the hope that one day far in the future, we might- and it's most definitely I might- earn some money from doing it. What kind of dumb this plan is that the this single glare at each other across the room for a moment, and then one breaks. The silence but What about Sony? If we nothing Sony will own the living rooms of the world. That thought silence is the room. Suddenly he thanks for Bill gates and his number two Steve Ballmer Gates, stare is the Microsoft team in front of him, though, I want him to throw a billion dollars behind a games console called the Xbox, cancel that could ensure Microsoft, had Sony holds the keys to the

picture of home, entertainment, one want the world's richest company to do this Sony, what Sony did a nintendo? Employees want the xbox to be the first console with a hard drive built in they also wanted to be the first to support online gaming via broadband even though almost no one has broadband internet in nineteen. Ninety nine these features, however, will make the Xbox very expensive, and so the plan is Microsoft will take a loss on Free Xbox it sells. That's why the box project is going to cost Microsoft. A ton of money. No wonder gates worries about the cost, but gates isn't one to shy away from a fight thinks about taking on Sony his face. Brightens

He smiled and says you know what I like this plan. It's a good plan. Let's go make the Xbox. For almost a decade, Nintendo and Sony have been fighting for dominance over a multi billion dollar business. They bloodied and bruised each other and brought Sega to its knees in the process, but now, well now the war for console dominance has a new fighter in the ring. Hope you enjoyed this final episode of Nintendo versus Sony. New episodes of business wars come out every Tuesday and Thursday. You can subscribe now, an apple podcast, Spotify, NPR one Iheartradio wondering com or wherever you listen to podcasts,

you can find a link on the episode notes, simply tap or swipe over the cover. Art you'll also see some offers from our sponsors. Like zip recruiter, you can try Ziprecruiter for free by visiting ziprecruiter dot com, Slash PW, it's a smartest way to hire another way for this is to answer a short survey of one three dot com, slash survey and if there are some business war stories, you'd like to hear, let us know I'm your host David Brown Kristin Donovan wrote this story. He is the author of we play the history of video games. Karen is our senior producer and editor produced by Jenny, Lauer Sound designed by Bay Area, sound our shows, executive producer is Marcia. Lewis and created by earn on Lopez or wondering conventional thinking. Would have you believe, joy comes from within that it, from having a sunny disposition or how we look at the world and our place in it, and we're told that death

only doesn't come from material possessions or fleeting pleasures, but according to Ingrid to tell Lee we couldn't be more wrong. There's a new podcast from one recall the next big idea and in their episode why ordinary objects can make you extraordinarily happy. Ingrid Fratelli asks us to challenge that conventional wisdom. Consider how simple things like colorful clothes in a monotone office curves in a straight edge world and nature in a concrete jungle, can bring us joy in unexpected, yet powerful ways and for deeply rooted biological reasons. So After to the next big idea on Apple podcast, Spotify or however, you're listening right now,