Overview

Now a documentary on CBS All Access. 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. A best book of the year: NPR, Slate, Publishers Weekly, Goodreads

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Reviews

A riveting story full of colorful characters... a fascinating, illuminating history... an essential read. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) A highly entertaining behind-the-scenes thriller. -- Kirkus Reviews It's far and away one of the best non-fiction books I've ever read. -- Forbes Like the pixels that together create a larger picture, Harris presents the various elements of the business in vivid color...remarkably detailed and fast paced. -- Booklist Fast, fluid, and startingly accessible. -- Entertainment Weekly A fast-paced page-turner...it's exciting to finally get a no-holds-barred account of a history that has largely been kept secret from the public eye. -- Wired A must-read. Period. -- IGN

A riveting story full of colorful characters a fascinating, illuminating history an essential read.--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Like the pixels that together create a larger picture, Harris presents the various elements of the business in vivid color...remarkably detailed and fast paced.--Booklist Fast, fluid, and startingly accessible.--Entertainment Weekly A must-read. Period.--IGN It's far and away one of the best non-fiction books I've ever read.--Forbes A fast-paced page-turner...it's exciting to finally get a no-holds-barred account of a history that has largely been kept secret from the public eye.--Wired A highly entertaining behind-the-scenes thriller.--Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval and Legendary A riveting story full of colorful characters... a fascinating, illuminating history... an essential read.--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

A highly entertaining behind-the-scenes thriller.--Kirkus A riveting story full of colorful characters a fascinating, illuminating history an essential read.--Publishers Weekly (starred review) It s far and away one of the best non-fiction books I ve ever read.--Forbes Like the pixels that together create a larger picture, Harris presents the various elements of the business in vivid color...remarkably detailed and fast paced.--Booklist Fast, fluid, and startingly accessible.--Entertainment Weekly A fast-paced page-turner...it s exciting to finally get a no-holds-barred account of a history that has largely been kept secret from the public eye.--Wired A must-read. Period.--IGN It's far and away one of the best non-fiction books I've ever read.--Forbes A fast-paced page-turner...it's exciting to finally get a no-holds-barred account of a history that has largely been kept secret from the public eye.--Wired A riveting story full of colorful characters... a fascinating, illuminating history... an essential read.--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

A highly entertaining behind-the-scenes thriller.--Kirkus

A fast-paced page-turner...it's exciting to finally get a no-holds-barred account of a history that has largely been kept secret from the public eye.--Wired It's far and away one of the best non-fiction books I've ever read.--Forbes A must-read. Period.--IGN Like the pixels that together create a larger picture, Harris presents the various elements of the business in vivid color...remarkably detailed and fast paced.--Booklist Fast, fluid, and startingly accessible.--Entertainment Weekly A highly entertaining behind-the-scenes thriller.--Kirkus Reviews A riveting story full of colorful characters... a fascinating, illuminating history... an essential read.--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Like the pixels that together create a larger picture, Harris presents the various elements of the business in vivid color...remarkably detailed and fast paced.--Booklist Fast, fluid, and startingly accessible.--Entertainment Weekly A must-read. Period.--IGN It's far and away one of the best non-fiction books I've ever read.--Forbes A fast-paced page-turner...it's exciting to finally get a no-holds-barred account of a history that has largely been kept secret from the public eye.--Wired A highly entertaining behind-the-scenes thriller.--Kirkus A riveting story full of colorful characters... a fascinating, illuminating history... an essential read.--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Author Information

Blake J. Harris is the bestselling author of History of the Future and Console Wars, which is now a CBS All Access feature film by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. He has written for ESPN, IGN, Fast Company, The Huffington Post, /Film and The AV Club. He is also a regular guest on Paul Scheer's How Did This Get Made? podcast, where every week he interviews some the biggest names responsible for some of the worst movies ever made. Harris lives in New York with his wife.

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