Console Wars Documentary to Debut at SXSW

For gamers that grew up during the early ’90s, it was all about Nintendo versus Sega. The two titans went head to head for the hearts of gamers during those days, and the battle between the two companies was the stuff of legend. Published in 2014, Blake J. Harris’ excellent novel Console Wars chronicled the frequent conflicts between the two companies, with an incredible amount of details straight from the men and women working for Nintendo and Sega at the time. A documentary adaptation of the book was previously announced, but fans can finally see it when it premieres in March at SXSW!

For gamers, the book is must-read material. Speaking to 200 former employees of Sega and Nintendo, Harris paints a strong portrait of each of the industry’s biggest players, from inception, up through Sega Saturn’s disastrous launch in 1995, and every major event between. Of all the players in the book, the most compelling is easily Sega of America’s former CEO, Tom Kalinske. The book chronicles Kalinske’s journey from Mattel to Sega, and how the man took the company from a virtual unknown to Nintendo’s biggest competitor.

The video game industry has always been notoriously bad at preserving its own history, which is what makes the story in Console Wars all the more important. At this point, several of the key players at both companies are getting a bit older, and with Nintendo’s tendency to be fairly secretive about behind-the-scenes operations, this story might not have been told, otherwise. It truly is amazing that Harris was able to provide so many details about this particular time period. With Harris serving a role as one of the documentary’s directors, it will be interesting to see if the film can deliver a similar amount of information in the same entertaining manner.

The documentary is not, however, the only Console Wars related project in the pipeline. A television limited series produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg is also currently in the works, though it doesn’t have a release date, at the moment. It will stream on CBS All Access.

Have you read Console Wars? What was your system of choice: Genesis or Super Nintendo? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!