i posted this in the other thread, but then decided to make a new thread since the other one had gotten off topic 
i remember when i read the thread, i had a curiosity as to what the ritual was. well, i had to subscribe to wsj for a class, so decided to find out
To show Microsoft's commitment, Mr. Ohura introduced executives from Japan's leading game makers to Mr. Gates in May 2000 at a Tokyo hotel. Mr. Gates answered questions about the Xbox technology, but the game moguls felt he didn't seem to have a feel for games. "We saw him as a layman when it comes to the game business," remembers Capcom's Mr. Okamoto, who was at the meeting.
Gradually, Microsoft started cracking the fortress. A key was Seamus Blackley, one of the chief architects of the Xbox. A fan of classic Japanese video games, Mr. Blackley started travelling to Tokyo every month, meeting designers and throwing himself into the culture, often bonding with creators deep into the night at strip clubs with names like "Trap" and "Coco Bongo." Early on, he scored points with Tomonobu Itagaki, the pony-tailed producer of Tecmo's "Dead or Alive," by beating him at his own game. "From then on I could trust him," Mr. Itagaki says.
In late 2000, Capcom's Mr. Okamoto and several colleagues dropped by Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Wash., for a day of meetings and a night on the town with Xbox managers. After hours of swilling a concoction of vodka and lemon juice, the group tied napkins on their heads bandana-style, and passed pieces of chocolate cake around the table -- from mouth to mouth. The rollicking party helped cement Microsoft's ties with Capcom. "Seattle was a good time," chuckles Capcom's Mr. Okamoto. In time, he agreed to put "Onimusha" on the Xbox.
i remember when i read the thread, i had a curiosity as to what the ritual was. well, i had to subscribe to wsj for a class, so decided to find out
To show Microsoft's commitment, Mr. Ohura introduced executives from Japan's leading game makers to Mr. Gates in May 2000 at a Tokyo hotel. Mr. Gates answered questions about the Xbox technology, but the game moguls felt he didn't seem to have a feel for games. "We saw him as a layman when it comes to the game business," remembers Capcom's Mr. Okamoto, who was at the meeting.
Gradually, Microsoft started cracking the fortress. A key was Seamus Blackley, one of the chief architects of the Xbox. A fan of classic Japanese video games, Mr. Blackley started travelling to Tokyo every month, meeting designers and throwing himself into the culture, often bonding with creators deep into the night at strip clubs with names like "Trap" and "Coco Bongo." Early on, he scored points with Tomonobu Itagaki, the pony-tailed producer of Tecmo's "Dead or Alive," by beating him at his own game. "From then on I could trust him," Mr. Itagaki says.
In late 2000, Capcom's Mr. Okamoto and several colleagues dropped by Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Wash., for a day of meetings and a night on the town with Xbox managers. After hours of swilling a concoction of vodka and lemon juice, the group tied napkins on their heads bandana-style, and passed pieces of chocolate cake around the table -- from mouth to mouth. The rollicking party helped cement Microsoft's ties with Capcom. "Seattle was a good time," chuckles Capcom's Mr. Okamoto. In time, he agreed to put "Onimusha" on the Xbox.
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