Chapter 66: And So, the Legend Begins...
"Excuse me? Could I get an interview?"
"Yes? If it's an interview, you should go to the person next to me..."
I turned my head, only to find Shige-san had somehow blended into the crowd and was now gazing at me from a distance.
Hey, is this Dragon Ball or instant teleportation?
"From the looks of it, you seem like a working adult. Why did you come here on a weekday morning? Are you here to buy the highly-anticipated RPG game, Dragon Warrior 3?"
Misato wasted no time and dove right into the main topic. So, I answered, "No."
"What?"
My unexpected response caught Misato off guard, and her face displayed a hint of confusion.
The gamers gathered in the square found my interview quite fascinating and began to gradually surround us. Maybe it was because of Misato's charm as a reporter.
I don't really like direct interviews, but watching others do it is fine, I guess.
After hesitating for a moment, Misato smiled again and asked another question, "Then, what brings you to Akihabara today?"
"I came for a market survey. Actually, I'm an employee of Mintendo."
"I see. So, you came to see the reaction to Dragon Warrior 3."
This girl seems to be trying to connect everything to Dragon Warrior if she can.
So, I replied, "No."
"What?"
Her eyebrow twitched slightly.
Misato seemed to be getting slightly irritated because the interview wasn't going as planned. In reality, she probably expected to interview people who had skipped school or work to buy Dragon Warrior.
"So, what kind of market survey did you come for today?"
"Well, the game being released today isn't just Dragon Warrior 3."
"Oh, I see. What's the title of this game, then?"
"It's a game called Psych Battle."
At that moment, a voice of surprise came from the crowd behind us.
"What? Psych Battle is getting released today!?"
"Did I miss something? Last month's Famitong just said it's releasing in spring..."
"Yeah? That means we have two titles to buy now, right!?"
"So, where should we start? This is driving me crazy..."
"Why hesitate? Just buy both! Buy them both, and this month we'll live on instant noodles."
"Wow, that's the right answer! A real man should start with Psych Battle!"
"Whoooa!"
At the last guy's words, the crowd around us erupted in cheers.
That's right, no need to hesitate, just shout it out. Of course, as long as there's enough stock to go around. I looked at Misato-san, who was making an astonished expression, and asked her, "Is this live right now?"
"No, we're recording it, and it will be broadcast on the evening news."
"Can I say a few words, then?"
"Oh, yes, go ahead."
With Misato-san's permission, I took out a golden ticket from my pocket. Although it didn't shine much due to the slightly cloudy weather, it was enough to catch the attention of the people around us.
"This is a golden ticket randomly included in Psych Battle's package. There are a total of 500. Those who have this ticket automatically qualify for the Psych Battle event hosted by Mintendo this summer."
Upon hearing this, a man from the crowd behind me shouted, "What kind of event is it? Do you need this ticket to participate?"
"No, you can participate even without a ticket. All you need is to bring a cartridge with a cleared save data of Psych Battle. At the event, you can purchase various goods, and we plan to hold competitions among the participants, with cash prizes. Please check this month's Famitong for more details."
"So, having a cleared cartridge itself is the entry ticket... That's amazing!"
"I tried the demo at the event venue last time, and that game is no joke. They said if you clear up to stage 2, they give you a demo cartridge, so I tried it three times, but I couldn't clear the first stage..."
"Really, that tough? Geez... should I buy Psych Battle instead of Dragon Warrior? I don't have much money..."
Starting with the gamers who checked the golden ticket I displayed, word about Psych Battle started spreading rapidly. Misato took a quick look around and then suddenly moved a few steps away from me, looking flustered.
"What are you doing right now?"
"I'm promoting the game I made through a news outlet."
Realizing she had been used by me, her face quickly turned red. Her expression showed that she was really angry.
"If you don't like it, just edit it yourself."
"Of course! Promoting my own game through the news is so impressive, I'm speechless."
"Haha, I'm sorry. Well, I'll get going now."
Leaving behind the disgruntled Misato, I called Shige-san, who was still mixed in with the crowd.
"Shige-san, come here quickly."
"Huh? Oh, sure."
Shige-san ran over to me, stealing glances at Misato-san.
"Hey, aren't you nervous at all?"
"Nervous about what? It's not a live broadcast."
"When a big camera is pointed right at you, a beautiful reporter sticks close to you, and she's asking questions, you're not nervous at all!?"
"I'm more hungry than anything. Anyway, there's still time, so let's go get breakfast?"
"Are you really thinking about food in this situation? I couldn't even take a sip of water when Super Mario was first released..."
"Anyway, Psych Battle will be sold out within 10 minutes. Let's grab a meal and then head to the Dragon Warrior event."
"Sold out in 10 minutes? What does that even mean? And what's with that golden ticket?"
"I'll explain at the restaurant."
Shige-san and I changed locations and entered Yoshinoya near the station.
Yoshinoya is a chain restaurant specializing in gyudon (beef bowl), and you can find one near any train station in the country. It's reasonably priced, but the taste is just so-so.
Honestly, it's like they turned gyudon into fast food, just like McDonald's these days.
I started mixing the kimchi into my gyudon, then said to Shige-san, "I got 200."
"200 what?"
"The first batch of Psych Battle in Akihabara today."
"Whew!"
As Shige-san sipped water from his cup, he spat it out upon hearing my words.
"Man... during a meal, really..."
"Hey!? Does that make sense? If you'd hate it that much, you should've said not to sell it at all."
"Is that why it was released as a surprise without announcing a release date?"
"But still, you're right. With 200, it will be sold out within 10 minutes after opening. Will you release only 200 each day then?"
"No, in three days, we'll release another 100."
"Cough... cough..."
Shige-san began coughing and it seemed he had choked on something. He held onto his cup, continuing to cough. I patted his back a few times and went back to concentrating on my meal.
"So, what about the golden ticket?"
"It's exactly what it sounds like, a golden ticket. Shige-san, do you know the novel 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'?"
"I do. It's a children's story, right?"
"It's not just a children's story. It's an excellent marketing book."
"Marketing book?"
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a marketing masterpiece. They only had 5 golden tickets to enter the chocolate factory while I have a generous 500 in Japan."
Shige-san looked at me with an incredulous expression, as if he had lost the words.
Well, any game developer would want their game to be enjoyed by as many people as possible. But I was even challenging people who wanted to buy it, and I wasn't selling it to them, so from his perspective, it must have been amazing.
After a while, Shige-san cleared his throat and spoke again.
"To be honest, when we got such a great response during the new game presentation, I was a little jealous. That's why I suggested the competition with Super Marigi 3, but then..."
Shige-san looked at me for a moment, then asked again.
"Did you plan to do the same even if Super Marigi 3 was released at the same time?"
"Yes."
"You're a scary one."
"Anyway, even if I had a sales competition with you, I would have lost because Psychic Battle is slower in production due to the special chips."
"You might win in terms of sales, but what users really want is Psych Battle, I guess. You can't get it even if you want to..."
That's right. Shige-san's interpretation was exactly the pinpoint I was aiming for. If you can't produce a lot, it's better to maintain steady popularity by releasing a small quantity.
A game title that sells out within a day when it's released... how attractive a phrase is that?
Unknowingly, my spirits lifted, and I quickly hid my face behind a bowl of gyudon, eating my meal.
After the meal, when I returned to Akihabara, screams were erupting from various game shops nearby.
"I was the fourth in line, but why is Psych Battle not available!?"
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