“Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle That Defined a Generation”
In 1990, Nintendo was dominating the videogame industry while Sega was a faltering arcade company with big aspirations and even bigger personalities. This was an era where everyone seemed to be writing their own rules and the videogame industry wasn’t even its own industry yet. Then enter Tom Kalinske, a humble family man and the mind behind the success of some of America’s biggest brands—from Flintstone multi-vitamins to Masters of the Universe to Barbie. Zoning in on Kalinske’s ability to take ideas and bring them to life in a way that felt fresh and exciting, Sega eagerly positioned him to lead a ruthless showdown between Sega and Nintendo.
Kalinske’s bold ideas and out of the box strategies paved the way for a vicious and highly profitable rivalry, eventually sparking a global corporate war that would be fought on several fronts: from living rooms and schoolyards to boardrooms and even 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 United States against Japan.
“Console Wars” is the true David-and-Goliath tale of how Kalinske turned an industry punch line into a market leader with help from his team of imaginative men and women whose blood, sweat, and unconventional thinking were responsible for transforming a fad toy into an unstoppable industry—recording $60 billion in sales worldwide last year, surpassing both the film and music businesses combined.
