Takuya was in a rather good mood after leaving the Development Department. Hideo Kojima's state gave him a sense of reassurance; once that long-suppressed creative urge was unleashed, the energy it released was astonishing.
Back in his office, his assistant had already brewed tea, and a document was placed beside it.
"Managing Director, this is the first-month sales report that just came in." The assistant's voice carried a hint of imperceptible excitement, but he still tried to maintain professional composure.
Takuya took a sip of tea before slowly picking up the report. He opened the first page, his gaze falling on the strings of numbers.
Japan: 1,215,700 units.
North America: 498,300 units.
Europe: 221,400 units.
Global Total: 1,935,400 units.
The office was quiet, with only the sound of paper rustling. Takuya read page after page, his fingertip gently tapping the total figure, which was close to two million, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved upwards.
This opening was even better than his best-case scenario. With a Nuclear bomb level title like final fantasy launching first, the MD made a huge impact on the entire industry from its debut.
"How are Technosoft and GameArts reacting?" Takuya asked.
"Very well," the assistant immediately replied. "Thunder Force sold over 100,000 units in its first week, and GameArts' PC port of Zeliard also sold 60,000 units. Both companies expressed great satisfaction with the sales after learning the figures and stated they would immediately begin planning their next MD game development."
That's right. The core player base for shooting games and platform action was solidified, proving that the MD's capabilities and market potential were sufficient to cover mainstream game genres.
With these successful precedents, those third-party manufacturers who were still observing would soon be unable to sit still.
Takuya put down the report, took a sip of coffee, and continued to ask, "I remember super shinobi and ace attorney are scheduled to be released next week, how are the preparations for both?"
The assistant flipped through his notepad and replied, "super shinobi has already started production and stocking, and promotion has also begun to spread."
He paused, then continued, "However, ace attorney is still a bit unsure about the initial production quantity, and the promotional plan has not been finalized yet."
Takuya pondered for a moment, recalling ace attorney's initial sales performance in his previous life, and replied directly, "For the first batch, produce 100,000 units. This game needs time for word-of-mouth to ferment; it's not something that can quickly accumulate sales simply through promotion. For promotion, use slogans like 'You can also become a famous detective' or similar, focusing on the detective theme as the main promotional direction for the game."
The assistant quickly jotted down Takuya's instructions in his notepad.
Takuya saw that he had finished noting down his arrangements and didn't seem to be leaving, so he asked, "Is there anything else?"
"There's one more thing," the assistant nodded, handing over another application form. "A French company called Ubisoft has submitted an application for a development kit. However, according to our review, their company doesn't have independent game development experience; they mainly do game distribution."
"Ubisoft?" Takuya raised an eyebrow when he heard the name. He took the document, which had "Ubisoft Entertainment S.A." printed on it.
The assistant added, "Yes, according to our standards, development kits should be issued to companies with a certain level of development capability. They—"
"Give it to them," Takuya interrupted him.
"Huh?" The assistant was stunned.
"I said, give them the development kit." Takuya tossed the document back onto the desk. "Being a distributor means they at least know what players want to play and what they don't, which is sometimes more important than experience gained from working in isolation. Is their financial situation okay?"
"It's—it's fine, very healthy."
"Then that's good," Takuya waved his hand. "Let them try. Consider it giving them a chance, and also giving ourselves a chance. What if they can help us open up the French-speaking market?"
The assistant looked at Takuya, and although he was full of questions, he immediately nodded in agreement, "Yes, I'll take care of it right away."
After the assistant left, Takuya stood up and walked to the large floor-to-ceiling window.
Nearly two million units sold only meant they had established a foothold and survived.
Next, there might be a period of sales fatigue. After all, from the New Year until now, with the continuous bombardment of consoles and major titles from both factions, young people's New Year's money was basically spent.
And the MD's conquest had only just begun. He needed more "Hideo Kojima"s, and he also needed more "Ubisoft"s.
Thinking of this, Takuya pressed the intercom button. "Have Suzuki, the head of the Marketing Department, come to my office."
A few minutes later, Suzuki Masao knocked and entered.
As soon as he entered, he bowed and said, "Managing Director, you called for me?"
Takuya first motioned for him to sit down, then said, "As our first battle has been victorious, there will be a continuous influx of third-party manufacturers. This is a good phenomenon, but if not managed well, it will become a disaster." Takuya's voice was calm, yet carried undeniable weight. "I want you to immediately team up with the Production Department and establish a third-party communication and coordination mechanism."
"Coordination mechanism?" Suzuki Masao leaned slightly forward, listening carefully.
"Yes. From today onwards, the Marketing Department must actively maintain contact with all third-party developers, keeping track of their project development progress, genre types, and estimated launch windows. The Production Department, based on this information, must help third parties plan production capacity in advance, especially for small manufacturers who entrust us with production; they must not be neglected because of small output. The most crucial point," Takuya extended a finger, "if you find that two or more companies have major titles of the same type that might clash, you are responsible for stepping in to coordinate and help them stagger their release dates, even if it's only by a week or two."
Suzuki had an epiphany, his mind completely enlightened, and his eyes filled with admiration: "I understand, Managing Director! We cannot just be a platform that collects rent; we also need to provide good service and guidance. This is indeed something we overlooked; I will arrange it immediately."
"Go ahead. When communicating with third parties, don't be overbearing like Nintendo. If necessary, you can even bring the potentially clashing manufacturers together to discuss. Tell them that we don't want to be high-and-mighty judges, but rather traffic police, ensuring everyone's path is smooth and they don't get stuck at the same intersection," Takuya meticulously instructed.
After all, he understood the nature of these Japanese people too well; they become arrogant when they succeed, especially those in high positions, every single one of them acts this way.