Hardcover, 576 pages
English language
Published May 13, 2014 by It Books.
Following the success of The Accidental Billionaires and Moneyball comes Console Wars—a mesmerizing, behind-the-scenes business thriller that chronicles how Sega, a small, scrappy gaming company led by an unlikely visionary and a team of rebels, took on the juggernaut Nintendo and revolutionized the video game industry.
In 1990, Nintendo had a virtual monopoly on the video game industry. Sega, on the other hand, was just a faltering arcade company with big aspirations and even bigger personalities. But that would all change with the arrival of Tom Kalinske, a man who knew nothing about videogames and everything about fighting uphill battles. His unconventional tactics, combined with the blood, sweat and bold ideas of his renegade employees, transformed Sega and eventually led to a ruthless David-and-Goliath showdown with rival Nintendo.
The battle was vicious, relentless, and highly profitable, eventually sparking a global corporate war that would be fought on several fronts: from …
Following the success of The Accidental Billionaires and Moneyball comes Console Wars—a mesmerizing, behind-the-scenes business thriller that chronicles how Sega, a small, scrappy gaming company led by an unlikely visionary and a team of rebels, took on the juggernaut Nintendo and revolutionized the video game industry.
In 1990, Nintendo had a virtual monopoly on the video game industry. Sega, on the other hand, was just a faltering arcade company with big aspirations and even bigger personalities. But that would all change with the arrival of Tom Kalinske, a man who knew nothing about videogames and everything about fighting uphill battles. His unconventional tactics, combined with the blood, sweat and bold ideas of his renegade employees, transformed Sega and eventually led to a ruthless David-and-Goliath showdown with rival Nintendo.
The battle was vicious, relentless, and highly profitable, eventually sparking a global corporate war that would be fought on several fronts: from living rooms and schoolyards to boardrooms and Congress. It was a once-in-a-lifetime, no-holds-barred conflict that pitted brother against brother, kid against adult, Sonic against Mario, and the US against Japan.
Based on over two hundred interviews with former Sega and Nintendo employees, Console Wars is the underdog tale of how Kalinske miraculously turned an industry punchline into a market leader. It's the story of how a humble family man, with an extraordinary imagination and a gift for turning problems into competitive advantages, inspired a team of underdogs to slay a giant and, as a result, birth a $60 billion dollar industry.
My husband is a game developer, and this is his favorite book. It was pretty interesting.
I'm not sure what can really be said. If you grew up during the days of Sega vs Nintendo, this is a must read. It offers a very interesting look at some of the struggles and politics that took place behind the scenes. Put on those rose colored glasses and travel back to simpler time. Did you play it loud or were you welcomed to the next level?
A must read from me 5/5!
This book would have been more aptly named, "The Rise and Fall of Sega," as it puts Sega at the center of the universe. It definitely simplifies the story to Sega of America as hero, with Nintendo and Sega of Japan the villains. In fact, it not-so-subtly places Sega's undoing squarely on the shoulders of the Japanese, painting them as self-righteous, xenophobic dolts that muddled their way to mediocrity in Japan and then pulled Sega of America down with them. Regardless, it's an easy-to-read, fascinating story about how Sega came out of nowhere to capture the 16-bit video game market, then just as quickly went back to that nowhere as the market moved to 32 bits. The story stops abruptly at the Saturn flop, as that's when the story's protagonist, Tom Kalinske, vacates his CEO role at Sega. It would have been nice to understand how Sega subsequently stuck around …
This book would have been more aptly named, "The Rise and Fall of Sega," as it puts Sega at the center of the universe. It definitely simplifies the story to Sega of America as hero, with Nintendo and Sega of Japan the villains. In fact, it not-so-subtly places Sega's undoing squarely on the shoulders of the Japanese, painting them as self-righteous, xenophobic dolts that muddled their way to mediocrity in Japan and then pulled Sega of America down with them. Regardless, it's an easy-to-read, fascinating story about how Sega came out of nowhere to capture the 16-bit video game market, then just as quickly went back to that nowhere as the market moved to 32 bits. The story stops abruptly at the Saturn flop, as that's when the story's protagonist, Tom Kalinske, vacates his CEO role at Sega. It would have been nice to understand how Sega subsequently stuck around long enough to release the Dreamcast and why that flopped, and also have a "what are they doing now" section. Still, if you want to relive the story behind the Sega Scream, this is a good place to turn.
