Chapter 15: Conquer the American Market!!
"Kang, as expected, money talks~"
The next morning, after rising from the plush bed, the first words from Gunpei-san, who had slept soundly, were about money. He had complained so much yesterday but ended up sleeping well and waking up. Was that his idea of balance? I chuckled and got out of bed to start packing our stuff.
I had thrown my luggage into a corner of the room as soon as I entered last night, too exhausted to do anything else. Glancing over, I noticed that Gunpei-san's luggage was neatly organized, just like a proper Japanese. If he had the time, he could have straightened up my luggage a bit.
After finishing breakfast at the hotel, Gunpei-san sat in the lobby, smoking a cigarette and waiting for me. In the 1980s, when smoking regulations were more lenient, this scene was familiar. I grabbed my coat and bag and headed to the lobby, where Gunpei-san smiled and rose from his seat.
"Shall we head to Nintendo of America's office first?"
"Sounds good."
We hailed a taxi and made our way to Nintendo of America's office.
"Ah, are you Gunpei-san and Kang Junhyuk?"
Our first impression of Mayor Yamashita, whom we met in the United States, was... it was pitiable. Despite the early hour, there was no energy in the office, and most notably, a pungent whiskey smell wafted every time Yamashita spoke.
"Coming to the United States won't change anything for you. The console gaming business in the American market is already dead."
His words held no hope whatsoever. Kamawuchi, the CEO who had even come all the way to Tokyo University, was losing ground in the American office.
In reality, the collapse of the gaming industry was partly due to the phenomenon Atari left behind, but it was also because it was a time when the computer industry was thriving.
- Consoles ruin children's education, but computers send them to college. -
A marketing advertisement for a computer company in this morning's hotel newspaper. It felt like it was completely cutting off the last lifeline of the console market, which was barely breathing.
In fact, I didn't know, but CEO Kamawuchi had been planning to make a move in the United States even before launching the Family in Japan. It was because they had been researching sales channels in the United States since April, well before the July 15th release in Japan.
However, due to the complete demise of the gaming industry, no electronic or toy company would take the Family, and not a single unit was sold. They were all stored in a warehouse, unsold. Yamashita, who had initially been enthusiastic, gradually lost confidence and ended up drinking every day.
"Staying here won't get us anywhere..."
I sighed deeply and got up from my seat.
"Kang, where are you going?"
"First, I need to investigate the market. I want to experience firsthand how serious the situation is."
"Haha... Go ahead, go anywhere. Oh, before you go, you should stop by a pharmacy and buy a first aid kit or something. Just in case you get into a fight with the store owner. Kick, kick, kick."
"Alright, Yamashita. I'll take one sample Family with me."
"Do as you please."
"Hey, Kang. Can I come with you?"
After leaving the Nintendo of America office, we once again hailed a taxi and asked to be taken to the most famous toy store nearby.
"People change. It seems you've had a hard time in the United States."
"He's practically a wreck now, isn't he?"
"He used to be a young man that CEO Kamawuchi trusted a lot, but now he's turned into this..."
Failure makes people increasingly timid. Those who have never experienced failure in their pursuit of success can be completely shattered by a single setback. Just like the current Yamashita.
"Get out of my store now!"
"But, sir, let's talk for a moment."
"Get lost! Don't bring gaming consoles into my store!"
The reactions were more serious than I had anticipated. Whether it was an electronics store or a toy store, it was all the same. Even the friendly shopkeepers were startled as if they had seen a ghost when I took out the gaming console from the box, and they shouted at me to put it back.
"Wow... Yamashita was right. I didn't expect to be kicked out so rudely."
Gunpei-san, who had been grabbed by the collar, adjusted his tie and sighed. The gaming industry itself has completely gone downhill. I might need to change the plan slightly. I hid the Family in a subway coin locker and then went to explore the toy stores empty-handed.
As long as I didn't act like a sales representative, I could freely look around the toy stores without being stopped by the staff. While doing so, I stumbled upon a pile of game cartridges stacked haphazardly in a corner of one store.
"What's this?"
"Oh, those are Atari game cartridges. We're selling them for a dollar each because we have too much stock."
A dollar? That's like a thousand won! It wouldn't even cover the cost of the semiconductor in the cartridge. Just how far has it fallen? Toy store owners must be trembling. I examined several toy stores with Gunpei-san, and the situation was the same everywhere.
"There's no room for anything here."
"That's right. I'm hungry. Shall we grab something to eat and think about it?"
I hailed a taxi and this time asked to be taken to the most expensive and delicious restaurant. Gunpei-san, who could at least manage some English, even though not very fluently, said to me with a sly smile.
"Why do you always look for the most expensive things? People should save money to live well."
"Then shall we stop by a burger joint in the middle?"
"Huh? Oh, no, let's go together."
If you were going to follow me anyway, why did you even say that? I gazed out of the window at the passing city. As I expected, the market slump that exceeded my expectations was happening. I had asked CEO Kamawuchi to make robot toys, but it wouldn't be easy to get inside with just that.
At that moment, the taxi driver who was sitting in the back seat and facing us spoke.
"Are you guys Japanese?"
"I'm Korean, and he's Japanese."
"Korea? I don't know much about Korea, but there's a Japanese person, right?"
"I am Japanese."
In broken English, Gunpei-san replied, and the taxi driver, smiling, asked him.
"Oh, samurai! Do Japanese people still walk around with swords on the streets?"
"Phew..."
Perhaps because it was not yet a time of active international travel, in the 1980s, there were occasional misunderstandings like that. I felt a little bitter about the taxi driver's statement that he didn't know about Korea, but was it natural since there were no significant issues to draw global attention yet? At least until the 1988 Olympics were held, we would probably be treated as just ordinary people.
But at Gunpei-san's jest, his expression didn't seem very pleased. He mumbled in Japanese, seeming somewhat offended.
"Even if we carry swords, do you all carry guns?"
Well, it's a fair point, isn't it? Japanese people are often associated with samurai in the eyes of Americans. But wait, guns? Cowboys??
At that moment, a lightning bolt of a memory from the past flashed through my mind. It was the game 'Duck Hunt,' the first game that allowed us to enjoy shooting games on our home TV. This is it! This is it!
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