Game Market 1983

Chapter 213: Gala Show

1995. Early summer.

Cheryl's second character in Virtual Idol, was enjoying tremendous popularity along with Erica's cheer song.

Even though it hadn't been officially listed on the Oricon charts due to not being a full-fledged album, their songs held a staggering influence comparable to the top 10 tracks on the charts.

It was to such an extent that even the renowned Japanese record label J-Records had made an official request to Pentagon for the distribution of their albums. The achievements were so remarkable that they scarcely needed further explanation.

Of course, while there wasn't an outright plan to produce an album, there seemed to be a need for more cautious consideration before releasing a full-length album.

For the songs to be included in the Virtual Idol, many composers, including HaranQ's Terada and the famous composer Kanno Youko, had provided assistance. Perhaps that's why? Before I knew it, the database of Virtual Idol was accumulating numerous hit songs.

Ueno-san and I, along with Terada-san, matched suitable songs with those who passed the auditions through individual interviews. They were currently putting in tireless efforts in the practice room provided by Pentagon to present their own songs.

And I, too, was busy preparing for their successful debut(?) stage at Pentagon.

Complete Raon, boasting powerful capabilities befitting its name of "complete joy," had garnered intense user interest simultaneous with its official announcement during the last seminar.

In contrast to the portable Raon, the robust black-colored Complete Raon exuded an elegant aura due to its matte finish.

Users, gazing at the Complete Raon exhibited within Pentagon's glass case, were drooling over it day after day.

"Oh, I really want that."

"It's still three months away from release. It's like my blood's drying up waiting for it..."

"Who isn't? I have a Gear Station at home, but 'Full Metal Gear Solid' keeps haunting my thoughts..."

Two young men who seemed like high school students had been lingering in front of the exhibited Complete Raon for a good 30 minutes already.

"They might turn into stone at this rate..."

Taking a break and cooling off my head at the Pentagon shop, I chuckled while sipping the tea Miyazaki brought.

Is there anything as exhilarating for gamers as the arrival of a new console?

As a former gamer before becoming a developer, I fully understood their excitement.

"Besides them, there are plenty of customers almost daily. Someone even asked our staff if they could buy the display models."

"Display models...?"

No... what would they do with those? They're just plastic shells anyway...

I couldn't help but shake my head at the users' unusual expectations.

On either side of the exhibited Complete Raon, Fox Soft's 'Full Metal Gear Solid' and 'Virtual Idol' videos from the previous seminar were repeatedly playing.

The two students, discussing this and that while watching the promotional videos without getting tired, soon disappeared from the store.

&

Following the information release at the seminar, while the rising expectations of users for the new console were favorable, it also meant disregarding the competitive efforts of other companies.

In the previous generation, they managed to penetrate the niche market of portable gaming consoles quite successfully. But this time, it was almost a direct clash between competitors.

Moreover, with no Mintendo in the picture currently, SenSony and NEGA were pouring massive marketing efforts to attract new users.

Especially NEGA, reducing the price of the Saturn from $399 in North America to $299, matching the Gear Station's price.

With a dual CPU, NEGA was already suffering substantial losses at $399, yet it made a bold move to challenge SenSony.

Even Suzuki, who seemed to have adapted somewhat to Saturn's bizarre development tools, released 'Real Fighter 2' with a quality that could easily rival the arcade version, despite its price tag.

However, in response to that, the other big player in the 3D fighting game arena, Iron Fist 2, was not sitting idly. Although it might feel a bit stiff compared to the flashy graphics of Real Fighter, Iron Fist 2, ported to the Gear Station, received accolades for adding various modes that could be enjoyed solely on home consoles, termed as 'Transcendent Porting.'

The high-quality ending videos for each character contributed to an unparalleled sense of story immersion, far beyond what arcade versions offered. (Even if the scenario of a father climbing up a cliff only to toss his son into a raging volcano was quite bizarre... still, fitting that many character ending CGs on a single CD wasnt an easy feat...)

As a result, despite the remarkable porting of Real Fighter 2, it inevitably got compared to Iron Fist once again due to its lackluster endings, with just a VS mode thrown in.

Unlike the adventurous spirit of Mintendo from the past, SenSony, now venturing into the console business, was not being complacent.

With vast capital, they were relentlessly striving to capture the current market without Mintendo.

SenSony's marketing, presenting thrilling counterattacks whenever the competition struck, was so effective that even we within the industry were impressed. How staggering must it have been for NEGA, who was on the receiving end?

Yet, even SenSony seemed to exert significant pressure on the release of Complete Raon by Pentagon.

"Yes, that's correct. As far as I know, SenSony has approached our Fox Soft through our upper management regarding the Gear Station port of 'Full Metal Gear Solid.'"

SenSony had approached Fox Soft to release the highly anticipated 3D infiltration action game as a multi-platform release.

Already on the verge of having a million units sold in North America and Japan, the proposal from SenSony must have been incredibly tempting for Fox Soft.

However, SenSony had overlooked one aspect Hideojima-san's 'Full Metal Gear' was also one of the results of a massive investment from our Pentagon. In essence, more than half of 'Full Metal Gear Solid' belonged to us, Pentagon.

Two months passed from then, in mid-July.

A month before the release of Complete Raon, Pentagon held a small concert for the users.

It was the gala concert for the 'Gift from the Gods' that had been canceled due to the previous Kobe earthquake.

&

Through a lottery system held by the magazine publisher, concert tickets stirred an immense interest among users, just as expected.

Some users even bought five magazines each to participate, aiming for just a single concert entry ticket. Thanks to the blazing sales of magazines last month, due to the contest, Junhyuk had been toiling away in overtime, unable to even go on a date with Misato for several days.

"Seriously, how many of these darn entry tickets are flying around..."

"I checked with other publishers, but none of them had this level of craze. Looks like Famicom Communications really hit it off with gamers."

"Considering the competition, wouldn't the chances have been higher for submissions to other publishers?"

"Still, Famicom Communications gave away 150 tickets."

"I've said it multiple times, selling more magazines doesn't mean a raise in my paycheck."

"Regardless, we're swamped with concert preparations. I guess I should cut this short. Are you going with Misato during the show?"

"It's a bit far, but I'll go for coverage. Anyway, take care."

"Alright, see you then."

After ending the call with Junhyuk, I turned my head towards the stage.

"Hey!! The balance is off between the left side and the center stage. Raise it a bit more!"

"Yes, understood."

July, filled with humid and hot air...

Even for us at Pentagon, we dedicatedly worked alongside the laborers without any air conditioning.

"Lunch is here!! Everyone, come down for a meal!!"

As autumn approached, when Kaori's voice echoed through the auditorium announcing Hayashi's marriage, the people working stopped and descended from the stage, nodding in acknowledgment.

Three days until the performance. Wiping sweat with towels wrapped around their necks, the laborers, having received their lunches, sat down with the staff in the auditorium, gulping down cold water.

"Phew~ Now I feel like I'm alive. Bring more bottled water here!!"

As one laborer downed about a liter of water in one go, Kaori smiled and brought another bottle of cold water.

"Here you go. Drink slowly; drinking cold water hastily in this heat might make you dizzy."

"Wow, Miss, you're so caring. Are you new here?"

"Oh my, you can't tell by my accent? I'm from Tokyo. Tokyo."

"Haha, yeah, that's right. I'm from Tokyo."

The petite and charming Kaori, perhaps due to her affable personality, was quite popular among the laborers. After handing the bottle to the worker, Kaori exchanged a few more words before gracefully heading towards me.

"You've worked hard."

"Thank you, Director."

Having fetched her lunch, Kaori sat next to me, opening the lid.

"Is it very hot? It must have been tough coming all the way here."

"It's okay. I haven't done much. Besides, the recovery here is incredibly fast. It feels like it was a complete ruin just yesterday..."

Well, Kaori wasn't exaggerating.

I hadn't expected this level of recovery within four months...

The place where we were having our meal was the auditorium that had served as a base camp for residents when the Kobe earthquake struck in February.

Using the Kobe earthquake as an opportunity for economic revival, the Japanese government had mobilized construction companies nationwide for recovery efforts. Thanks to that, the earthquake debris had been swiftly cleared, and temporary residences for affected residents were now set up around the school.

Though the buildings were akin to rental modular apartments, the Japanese, accustomed to smaller living spaces, seemed rather comfortable here.

"It would've been nice if Hayashi had come along..."

"Well, he's more suited for the development room than here. Even if his wedding is around the corner, I doubt he'd leave game development abruptly."

Kaori's words reminded me of what Yuki had said before her wedding, and I almost choked on my food.

"Why, what's wrong, Director?"

Avoiding Kaori's cat-like smile as she looked at me, I swallowed hard.

Just then, a Pentagon employee entered the auditorium looking for Kaori.

"Excuse me, Kaori-san. I'm sorry to interrupt your meal, but could you come here for a moment?"

"Sure~! Director, could you watch my lunch for a bit? I'll be right back."

"Uh... sure."

Watching Kaori rush towards the employee, I turned my head to look at the setting event hall. The huge projector screen tautly fixed on the stage...

Three days from now, their first stage was approaching along with the Gift from the Gods concert.

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