Chapter 137: Laon's Launch
August 14, 1991, 10 AM.
Despite it being morning, I had expected a bit of a cooler breeze, but my expectations were completely off the mark.
The scorching summer in August made the streets heat up as soon as the morning sun rose. Even with the rising discomfort index, there had been a person who appeared homeless, hunched over awkwardly on the roadside in front of Tamago Shop for several days.
I decided to leave them be, as I was afraid they might get hurt during the event setup.
"Let's start by setting up the tents over there. How many do you think we can install?"
"If we get permission from the other shops, we could probably set up around 6 to 7 tents."
"That doesn't seem like it'll be enough."
Of all the days, it had to rain tomorrow on the day of Laon's launch. The sky had a wicked sense of timing.
I had hoped the weather forecast would be wrong, but the humid air hanging heavily in the atmosphere suggested that rain would be a rare sight today.
In preparation for Laon's launch tomorrow, we had rearranged Tamago Shop's interior layout. Hayashi frowned and commented on the morning weather.
"It's humid even in the morning. It feels like it's going to rain in the afternoon."
"I know..."
At that moment, a young man passing by stopped and asked me, "Is this the line for buying Laon?"
"Yes? Oh, right. But it's not today; sales start tomorrow."
"I know. I'm planning to wait from now on."
"Really?"
"I've been looking forward to today since Laon's announcement. I want to be the first to buy it."
"But there are still more than 24 hours left..."
"It doesn't matter."
The young man smiled in response to my words, laid his bag on the ground, and sat down. That's when a homeless man who had been quietly sitting on the steps for days suddenly shouted.
"I'm first!!!! I've been waiting for a week!!"
"Argh!!"
The homeless man's booming voice startled me and Hayashi, making us step back.
Could it be that the people who had been sitting in front of Tamago Shop for the past few days were waiting for Laon?
They must be out of their minds to sit in this sweltering summer without a break. If someone had collapsed from heatstroke, what would we have done? Ugh!
Perhaps the hot, dry weather of the past week was the reason behind this. When the young man approached, an indescribable stench wafted from him.
The young man at the front of the line, now holding his nose, distanced himself from the homeless man.
"Sir, I recognize that you've been waiting here for a week, but would you consider going home for a while?"
But the man didn't seem to hear my words.
He's really stubborn. Well, if he weren't this stubborn, who would sit in front of the shop for a week in this scorching heat just to be first...?
In the end, we set up a temporary line and a tent on the street. It would be incredibly hot without any shade in the middle of the day, but is it going to be okay?
Despite my concerns, as we worked, I noticed more and more people joining the line. Watching the people in line exchanging light greetings, I couldn't help but smile.
Unlike game software releases, console launches brought great excitement to gamers. Especially with the constant teasers and hints leading up to Laon's release, the expectations of waiting gamers were at their peak.
This was all thanks to Junpei and the journalists who had played Laon before anyone else, praising the new handheld's performance, creating a buzz.
A little later, a massive banner was hung on the exterior wall of Tamago Shop, and the people walking down Akihabara's streets erupted in cheers.
"August 15, 1991, the day of the console market's revolution. Laon's release!!"
It might sound a bit provocative as an advertising slogan, but it had the impact it needed.
At this point, there was likely a similar event going on in South Korea and the United States.
In South Korea, of course, Mintendo had imported Laon and promoted it through their magazine. In the United States, Wilson had terminated its contract with the existing Mintendo Premium Shop last month and had started to promote Laon as their main handheld gaming device.
Although there were only two launch titles, Final Frontier 4 and Spa2, the hype around them was considerable. In a recent Famitsu survey, more than half of the users expressed their desire to buy both titles along with the device.
Did the building exterior preparation take some time? As I ate and glanced at the event site, I felt that the waiting line had grown longer compared to earlier.
Were they really going to spend the whole day here?
&
After finishing my meal and returning to the store, the installation of the diorama was in full swing.
But why is this so big? It feels twice as large as I initially thought!
"Please leave that A-5 building to me. I will install it separately," Uchimura said, taking the separated parts of the diorama one by one and helping with the installation.
Compared to the initial plan of depicting the battle at the intersection, the completed diorama had been vastly expanded, with the intersection as its center.
However, leaving some distance between the characters made the unique shooting combat action of Psyche Force more prominent than a typical fighting game.
After about an hour of installation work, I covered the glass case as the excitement overflowed with the Psyche Force characters placed between the buildings, creating a strange sense of reality.
But Uchimura's magic didn't end there.
"Alright... Wait a moment," Uchimura said, examining the base of the diorama and then flipping the power switch.
Poof! At that moment, exclamations erupted from the employees gathered around.
"Wow!"
"What's this?"
I instructed the startled employees to cover the flag first.
The employees, excited beyond their expectations, applauded Uchimura.
"Good. The first hidden card turned out better than expected."
The expectations for Laon were much higher than I thought.
As 3 PM approached, the line of buyers began to leave the prepared tent, and it continued to grow.
Myself and the Pentagon staff guided the growing line of buyers and prepared for potential safety incidents. As around 5 PM...
"Rumble... rumble..."
"Oh? It's getting dark."
Complaints from people here and there filled the air as people began to take out their umbrellas. However, not a single person left or moved elsewhere.
That's when something amazing happened. People inside the tent gradually made room, allowing everyone to enter, although the initial buyers maintained a bit of distance as if it were a miracle of Moses. Thanks to that, people huddled closely together inside the cramped tent.
"On the day of the launch event with rain... It reminds me of the day I went to Wangsimni saying I'd buy Diablo before the time slip..."
That day, it rained all night, and I ran to the company, even taking a day off, just to buy a limited edition.
I wonder if the people gathered here now feel the same way I did back then?
The rain continued to pour all night.
People who had come wearing just a T-shirt on a hot day were significantly drained by the continuous downpour. Their bodies and minds were exhausted, but as the dawn broke, they all persevered.
Myself and the Pentagon staff also stayed up all night with the gamers, battling the cold weather.
"The rain... seems to be letting up slowly."
"Really? It's been pouring since yesterday evening, so it would be great if it stopped now."
It seemed like Hayashi's thoughts reached the sky, as a ray of sunshine pierced through the buildings from the east.
"It's morning."
"Ah, it's been a long night. I want to buy the game and go home soon."
"It starts at 10 AM, so we still have 3 more hours to wait."
The gamers who welcomed the morning encouraged each other with smiles. As the rain lessened somewhat, I coordinated orders with a few nearby boxed lunch places.
People who endured the cold and rain all night began to receive the boxed lunches provided by Pentagon and started eating on the streets.
"Please dispose of your empty lunch boxes here."
Miyazaki, who came to work earlier than usual and was on the street, called out, and I briefly returned home to take a shower with hot water.
Wearing the suit I had left at the dry cleaner's and adjusting my tie in front of the mirror, I headed back to the event venue.
During the short time I was at home, Laon's purchase line had more than doubled.
Thanks to the long waiting lines extending inside the subway station, the station staff came up to negotiate with us.
In the end, we set up a purchase incentive line inside the Tamago Shop, allowing some gamers to enter the event venue. Inside, people started to gather and look at the posters of Laon's launch.
"Wow... Street Fire 2! Just having that would keep me entertained for a year."
"I'm into Dragon Emblem. I went crazy when I saw the characters remade in a magazine."
"Hmm? But what's under that black cloth in the center?"
"Right? Could it be another surprise? Remember when they turned the entire game industry upside down at the production announcement event?"
As people indoors murmured with curiosity about the black cloth, tension crept into the expressions of the staff.
Then, at 10 AM, along with Final Frontier's theme song, Kawaguchi, the CEO, took the stage to introduce Laon.
"Despite the bad weather, you've stayed up all night waiting for Laon's launch, and for that, I sincerely thank you. Laon is a full-color portable game console that uses the first-ever 16-bit CPU, allowing users to enjoy games with data cables anytime and anywhere. Now, even the popular game Street Fire 2 can be played with your friends anytime, anywhere."
"Ooh!"
"Of course, our Pentagon Soft's Final Frontier 4 is prepared with an incomparable grand story, BGM, and beautiful graphics compared to the previous Family. Please enjoy playing it."
Upon hearing the CEO's words, one user in the waiting line shouted, "We're dying of waiting. Please start selling it now!"
With a smile, the CEO, Kawaguchi, took the microphone and replied, "Thank you. I also want to start selling right away, but before that, I would like to share some new information prepared by Pentagon with you."
"Ooh? New information?"
"Another new announcement on the day of the launch event?"
The users began to murmur with excitement at Kawaguchi's announcement. Stepping onto the stage, I took the stairs slowly, looking at the expectant crowd.
"This... is awkward, but... I'm Kang Junhyuk, a game director at Pentagon Soft. Uh... I enjoy annoying people very much, just like games such as Dragon Emblem, Psyche Battle, The Empty Streets, or Valentine's Day."
That was my opening greeting.
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