The Vicious Sega vs. Nintendo Console War is Coming to the Big Screen

Once upon a time, two gaming giants duked it out in front of the world: Sega and Nintendo. The story has since been chronicled by Blake J. Harris in the upcoming book Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation. The book essentially covers how Sega was transformed into the powerhouse competitor for Nintendo and the intercontinental corporate battle that ensued for years.

With information from interviews with hundreds of former Sega and Nintendo employees, it should be incredibly interesting to read one of the industry’s biggest underdog tales, as well as the inner workings of a then still-new industry, only just setting the foundation for what continues to grow and evolve today. And if you don’t want to read it, you can watch it. Or both.

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have not only written a foreword for the book, but have also been tied to writing and direction the film adaptation of Console Wars. In collaboration with Sony Pictures and Scott Rudin, and after the success of The Social Network, I think it’s safe to expect a potentially stellar film coming out of this. If that’s still not your cup of tea, Harris will be working on his own documentary recounting the events.

Whether you read or watch the story, it will specifically follow the story of Tom Kalinske, the man who entered the industry with no prior experience of working with video games and subsequently made Sega a threat. There’s no talk of just who would play Kalinske or of any of the cast for that matter, but we’ll keep a look out. Many details are still pretty scarce, so there’s not telling when the film will be out, but the book is available for pre-order on Amazon, and is set to be released in May.

As a consumer stuck in the middle of the kaiju battle between Sega and Nintendo in the 90s, which one did you prefer? What were some of your fondest memories and elements you’re hoping to see touched upon in the Console Wars film? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.

Personally, I’m anxiously waiting for Hulk Hogan and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to be cast as human versions of Blast Processing and Mode 7, respectively, to finally settle the score in a heated one-on-one wrestling match. You know it’d be awesome.