Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: GameStation & CES
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Bang!
In Tokyo's Shinagawa-ku stood a building called Garden Tower.
At the top floor, a fist slammed down on a desk, echoing with furious shouts.
"Those damn bastards! Selling their console for what? 39,800 yen?!"
"Please calm down, Director."
"How can I calm down? Nendo dragged their feet like idiots, finally giving Seton our chance to shine..."
Seton, the company that dominated the console market alongside Nendo.
Seton operated under a unique system where not one president, but six directors made decisions by committee.
One of those six, Shuji Sugino—the COO—was seething with rage right now.
He was pounding his desk and spewing curses from his mouth.
"We knew half a year ago that Uni was entering the console hardware market, didn't we? But everyone thought their chances of success were slim..."
"Hah... Did anyone predict they'd price it a full 10,000 yen cheaper than us?"
"Well..."
His secretary couldn't respond to Shuji's question.
A month ago, Seton had unveiled their next-gen console, Neptune.
Priced at 49,800 yen retail.
It wasn't cheap, but given the expensive components inside, this was the price squeezed to the absolute limit.
Industry experts agreed that for Neptune's performance level, it wasn't overly expensive.
Of course, consumers complained it was pricey, but Seton didn't pay it much mind.
'Nendo's next-gen is over two years away from launch anyway. Consumers have no choice but to buy Neptune.'
It was all thanks to their sole rival, Nendo, fumbling badly.
Seton's Hyper Drive and Nendo's Neo Famicom had ruled the previous generation, but while Seton swiftly prepared the next without resting on their laurels, Nendo was only now starting development on theirs.
Even with the fastest development, Nendo's launch wouldn't happen until mid-1996 at earliest, leaving the current 32-bit console market entirely to Seton—or so the dominant analysis went.
But,
- Allow us to introduce Uni's new console, the GameStation.
Six months ago, Japanese megacorp Uni held an event called GameStation Expo, declaring their entry into console hardware.
Reactions back then were lukewarm at best.
'Even if Uni's a global powerhouse, consoles are new to them. Can they really pull it off?'
'Most game devs are already tied to Nendo or Seton anyway.'
Despite being one of Japan's top conglomerates, Uni was a total newbie to gaming, so predictions of failure dominated.
Yet Uni laughed off the doubts, launching the GameStation just six months after the announcement.
For an astonishing 39,800 yen.
"How the hell can they sell it that cheap? Are those Uni bastards planning to lose money on every unit?!"
A full 10,000 yen cheaper than Seton's Neptune.
It perfectly demonstrated why Uni held such overwhelming dominance in electronics.
Not even Seton, the clear leader in consoles despite being second fiddle, could dream of such pricing. Consumers had to take notice.
And moreover,
'Unlike any console before it, GameStation delivers powerful 3D graphics! For example, unlike Seton's Neptune, check out this demo of Ridge Drift playable on our GameStation!'
With 3D games gaining traction, GameStation's superior 3D performance made it look irresistibly appealing compared to Neptune.
Even Shuji, a Seton director, had let slip an admiring gasp watching the Ridge Drift demo footage from the event.
"Damn it! That's why I kept saying we should've focused on 3D instead of obsessing over 2D performance with Neptune..."
"But... most games launching now are still 2D. Isn't prioritizing 2D graphics important too?"
"Idiotic nonsense! That's the same mistake Nendo made—clinging to 2D and delaying their new console."
Seeing even his secretary fixated on 2D performance made Shuji's frustration boil over.
In his view, the future of gaming was obviously heading toward 3D graphics.
But the other stubborn directors fixated on boosting the already successful 2D performance instead of investing in 3D.
As a result, Seton's new Neptune boasted unparalleled 2D graphics but pathetically weak 3D capabilities.
It was so bad they couldn't even properly port their own arcade hit Virtue Combat, sparking consumer backlash.
"This is driving me insane... It was finally Seton's time to shine."
Frustrated by the other directors who still didn't grasp the crisis, Shuji could only sigh. The helplessness gnawed at him.
In a console hardware market tough enough competing with Nendo, the arrival of a giant like Uni terrified him about what would come next.
"Too bad. If we'd timed our launch with theirs, Uni would've pushed our game hard with massive marketing."
Scarlett said, glancing at a magazine article on Uni's GameStation launch.
"No real loss there."
"Pardon?"
But I disagreed.
Sure, Uni was aggressively marketing their launch titles, just as Scarlett said.
That aside, it was obvious they'd struggle for a while.
"In war, the vanguard troops always take the heaviest casualties."
"But sales are exceeding expectations—way better than the industry predicted."
Scarlett questioned my take that initial sales would flop.
And she had a point: defying the doubts, GameStation sold out its 100,000 first-day units and was now surging toward 500,000.
Faster than even Seton's Neptune, shocking the industry.
- If GameStation sells over 500,000 units, I'll walk on my hands!
The industry had been deeply skeptical of Uni's console push.
Nendo's president Miyamoto had boldly declared it wouldn't even hit 500,000.
And those predictions weren't baseless.
'Uni pulled in some third-parties, but it's still not enough.'
Luring in Vanco—makers of arcade and console standouts like Ridge Drift and Fist Fury—was a solid win.
But beyond Vanco, they lacked enough major studios to carry the load.
"Consoles aren't cheap. Most households only buy from one company."
"Right. Unless you're loaded, homes usually have just one—either a Neo Famicom or Hyper Drive."
"So naturally, the console with the most diverse games sells best."
Seton might trail Nendo as the 'eternal runner-up,' but their deep third-party support was undeniable.
Barring some game-changing event, Uni's early momentum wouldn't save them from the inevitable struggle.
"Then why sign an exclusive deal with Uni?"
Scarlett seemed convinced by my explanation but voiced a new question.
It made sense—she was puzzled why I had signed an exclusive publishing deal for our next game with the obviously doomed GameStation.
"Because by the time we launch—in a year—the landscape will be totally different."
"In a year?"
"Yeah."
I couldn't say it yet, but Seton had already made a massive blunder.
That blunder would propel Uni past Seton—and even Nendo—to the top of the console hardware world.
So we could just coast until then, hop on the wave, and reap the rewards.
"I think we could even lead that charge ourselves."
"You're not wrong, Scarlett."
As we chatted about Scarlett and Uni's console, time flew by until the news we'd been waiting for arrived.
"President! CES promised us the main demo slot!"
Emily, formerly a marketing staffer in the management division, now promoted to team leader.
She burst through the office door, breathless as she delivered the news.
'Yes!'
I couldn't help clenching my fist and pumping it in excitement.
Consumer Electronics Show.
CES, the world's most prestigious electronics and tech expo.
Just landing a demo slot there could double a company's stock price— it was the ultimate event in prestige right now.
Megacorps shelled out tens of millions just to snag main exhibition spots.
And CES granting Savior not just a main booth, but prime second-day demo time? The whole team was buzzing.
"I was a bit worried... but damn, we actually pulled it off."
Even I, who rarely gets worked up, had been anxious waiting for this. The staff were over the moon.
"Even the snooty CES couldn't ignore it."
Scarlett played it cool, but her excitement shone through.
"Yeah. It finished faster and more perfectly than expected... This'll blow minds."
CES, where even giants lined up with calling cards for scraps.
The only reason they gave a booth to us at Savior—a still-small outfit—was one thing.
The physics engine.
A creation that would reshape not just games, but the world itself, had finally been born.
'After the CES reveal, I should swing by Caltech again.'
And an old promise came to mind.
Its deadline was approaching anyway, so I'd get a chance to see some familiar faces soon.