In mid-June, the humid air of the rainy season hung heavy over the streets of Akihabara, Tokyo.
Outside every game retail store, Sony PlayStation promotional posters were displayed in prominent positions. The star of these posters was the newly released RPG blockbuster, Arc the Lad II.
The previous game in the series had built a strong reputation during the early days of the PlayStation's launch. For the sequel, the development team had invested more resources, utilizing the massive capacity of two CD-ROMs to incorporate extensive voice acting and complex cinematic cutscenes.
For players struggling to find a true, traditional Japanese RPG experience on the next-generation console, this was a title not to be missed.
By ten in the morning, the game sections of several large electronics chains were already crowded. A line of moderate length had formed at the checkout counters, filled with players purchasing Arc the Lad II.
The clerks skillfully slid the game cases, adorned with their beautifully illustrated covers, into plastic bags and handed them to the customers.
Two young men with backpacks stopped before a display shelf.
One of them held a copy of Arc the Lad II he had just purchased, carefully studying the screenshots on the back.
"I'm going to play this for at least five hours when I get home," the young man said to his companion. "You can import the save file from the first game, so all the leveling I did will finally pay off. Aren't you going to buy a copy?"
His companion shook his head, glanced at a few PlayStation games on the shelf beside them, and shoved his hands into his pockets.
"I only brought enough money for a console and one game," he replied. "I'm saving the rest for next week."
The young man with the game followed his friend's gaze.
In the store's prime display area, Sony's promotional materials had been removed, replaced by a massive black cardboard model.
It was the Nintendo 64, Nintendo's soon-to-be-released next-generation console.
Beside the cardboard model was a life-size promotional cutout of Super Mario 64, showing Mario in his red cap, leaping into the air.
Ever since the E3 exhibition in Los Angeles had concluded, scenes like this had become a common sight in game stores all across Japan.
Nintendo's Promotions Department had poured a massive budget into plastering Akihabara with N64 advertisements. From subway corridors to the exterior walls of buildings, the sleek black console and its uniquely shaped, asymmetrical controller became the most visible products of the season.
In Minato Ward, Tokyo, at the Sony Computer Entertainment headquarters, Ken Kutaragi sat at his desk, reviewing the weekly report just submitted by the Sales Department.
The launch sales of Arc the Lad II had met expectations, solidifying PlayStation's stronghold in the RPG market. This proved the absolute advantage of the CD-ROM's large capacity in supporting sprawling narratives and multimedia content.
Yet, Ken Kutaragi's expression remained grim.
The latter half of the report contained a summary of feedback from distributors. According to data aggregated from major retailers, the number of customers visiting physical stores to inquire about PlayStation consoles had not dropped significantly over the past week. However, the actual conversion rate had plummeted.
Many players were demoing games in-store and asking about prices, only to walk away empty-handed.
They explicitly told the store clerks they wanted to wait a few days before making a decision.
They were all waiting for June 23rd.
The sales executive stood across from the desk, reporting on the current market situation.
Nintendo had priced the N64 at 25,000 yen, a figure that just happened to fit within the summer budgets of many young gamers.
Even though Arc the Lad II was performing well, it couldn't stop a massive amount of potential purchasing power from being frozen in a state of anticipation.
Ken Kutaragi closed the report.
Nintendo's brand power, combined with the revolutionary 3D action and interaction showcased by Super Mario 64 at E3, exerted a massive pull on gamers.
All Sony could do now was leverage its vast lineup of third-party titles to maintain PlayStation's visibility as much as possible during the summer season.
Kyoto, Nintendo Headquarters.
With less than ten days until the official launch of the N64, the atmosphere throughout the building was tense yet orderly.
In the President's Office, Yamauchi Hiroshi sat behind his large desk, his gaze sharp and piercing.
Before him lay the nationwide logistics and distribution plan for the N64's launch day.
Gunpei Yokoi, the head of the first development department, and Shigeru Miyamoto, head of the Information Development Department, sat on the sofa opposite him.
"What's the status of the stock distribution in Akihabara and Osaka Nipponbashi?" Yamauchi Hiroshi asked, his voice low and commanding.
"The logistics department has confirmed that the first batch of consoles and cartridges will all be delivered to the major retailers' warehouses by the night of the 22nd," the Sales Manager standing nearby answered immediately. "The promotional posters and demo kiosks were set up a week in advance. The number of pre-orders received by each store is currently enormous; the first shipment will likely sell out on the day of release."
Yamauchi Hiroshi nodded slightly.
He was confident in the N64's pricing strategy and hardware quality. A price of 25,000 yen, while putting immense pressure on hardware manufacturing costs, was enough to create an absolute impact on the market. More importantly, this price didn't cause Nintendo to lose money, which was all that mattered.
Nintendo intended to reclaim its dominance in the next-gen battlefield in the most direct way possible.
Gunpei Yokoi leaned back on the sofa, his expression calm.
He acknowledged the N64's impressive capabilities. The SGI-customized 64-bit processor and hardware Z-buffering had indeed solved the long-standing problem of texture warping in 3D games.
But he also knew that such power came with a steep learning curve for developers.
"With Mario at the launch, sales won't be an issue," Gunpei Yokoi said, voicing his long-held concerns. "But we need to be prepared for the third-party software lineup. The limited capacity of cartridges, combined with the complexity of the development tools, means that third-party developers—who are used to piling data onto CD-ROMs—will face much higher costs and longer development times to create a decent 3D game on the N64."
Yamauchi Hiroshi snorted.
"Nintendo's console doesn't need manufacturers who only follow trends and make low-quality games to scam players out of their money," Yamauchi's tone was uncompromising. "The core of a video game is fun, not a few rough animations and a plot without any logic. The N64 cartridge is meant to hold truly gameplay-focused works. As long as our first-party games are excellent enough, players will buy them. Those manufacturers who refuse to put effort into game mechanics can leave; Nintendo will suffer no loss."
The office fell silent.
Yamauchi Hiroshi's unilateral decisions were absolute law within Nintendo.
Shigeru Miyamoto and Gunpei Yokoi both knew that once the President made a strategic decision, there would be no room for negotiation.
"Go and prepare," Yamauchi said, waving his hand to end the brief meeting.
Please Support me by becoming my Patreon member and get 30+ chapters.
[email protected]/Ajal69
change @ with a
Thank You to Those who joined my Patreon