Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg to adapt the Sega vs Nintendo book Console Wars

February 24th 2014, 9:27am

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have picked up yet another project. Besides the PREACHER television series for AMC and their animated R-rated comedy SAUSAGE PARTY, Collider is reporting the duo will also write and direct an adaptation for the upcoming novel Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo and the Battle that Defined a Generation. Written by Blake Harris, the book is about the epic battle between the two companies from the 1990s. Harris will executive produce CONSOLE WARS, and is also working on a documentary about the clash between Sega and Nintendo.

Book description from Amazon:

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.

It's not clear when Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen will be able to work on CONSOLE WARS with their previously mentioned other projects, and there's also no word on if Rogen will appear in the adaption or not.

Although the fight has shifted to X-Box vs Sony, many grew up with Nintendo or Sega systems, and were fiercely loyal to their console of choice. Personally I was always more of a Sega man, however I also played a ton of Nintendo, so I'm very interested in CONSOLE WARS. It's a fascinating subject to me, and I think many of us who got into fights with other kids at school about which one was the superior gaming system will be very eager to check out CONSOLE WARS.