Olympic Sponsor

It's late August now.

Mewtwo Strikes Back came to a slow close amidst gasps of amazement, ultimately settling on a staggering 8.53 billion Japanese yen at the box office.

This achievement not only surpassed the 8.2 billion yuan box office of the Sino-Japanese co-production "Dunhuang," which was hailed as the king of the year when it was released in June, but also secured the title of the year's box office champion ahead of time, almost eliminating any possibility for any successor.

The media, in their reports, even adopted an incredulous tone, repeatedly analyzing how this animated film created a commercial miracle, while the gaming industry collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

Many presidents of third-party game companies are sitting in their offices right now, looking at the astronomical figures in the newspapers, and glad they didn't act recklessly back then.

"Finally, we can get the games that've been sitting in the warehouse out to sell," complained a Sales Department at a game company, whose project had been delayed by the movie for over a month.

However, before they could carefully plan the September release schedule, a release suggestion from Sega's Marketing Department was quietly distributed to the contacts of various third-party manufacturers.

The letter of recommendation was, as always, formal and polite, but its content was a ruthless market analysis.

The proposal points out that as the Seoul Olympics approach, media resources and public attention will rapidly shift towards sporting events, making the publicity environment extremely complex.

Any attempt to conduct a large-scale publicity campaign during this period is likely to be counterproductive.

Therefore, we recommend that all partners, especially those in non-sports games, carefully assess market expectations, accurately target their core user groups, and precisely allocate promotional resources to avoid unnecessary waste of promotional resources and tied-up working capital.

"What does Sega mean by this? Are they teaching us how to do business?" someone grumbled on the phone while asking a colleague for information. "We dodged the movies, and now we have to dodge the Olympic Games?"

"The words may be harsh, but the point is valid. Turn on the TV now, which channel isn't showing Olympic previews? Our game GG is stuck in the middle, it's definitely conspicuous." Another company representative seemed more composed, "Sega is doing us a favor, to prevent everyone from losing money and then complaining about the bad market environment."

Despite the complaints, most manufacturers still heeded Sega's advice.

Some companies urgently adjusted their plans, reduced production, and rushed to get the games on shelves before the end of August to preserve their cash flow.

Some simply gritted their teeth and postponed the release date to October.

However, amidst the chaos, there were always some meticulous individuals who repeatedly pondered a particular word in the proposal.

In the planning office of a small company specializing in "non-sports games," a young planner is furrowing his brow as he circles these words on a proposal sent from a fax machine.

"What's wrong?" A colleague leaned over for a look. "Isn't it just what it sounds like? Sports games benefit, while other games suffer."

"No, don't you think that qualifier is too deliberate?" The young planner pushed the printed sheet in front of his colleague, his fingertips tapping heavily on the words "non-sports." "If it were just a well-intentioned reminder, Sega should have advised all third parties to lay low for now."

They treated everyone equally. But they deliberately added this qualifier, completely excluding sports games. It's like saying, "Guys, there's a river ahead, don't fall in. But we'll cross it ourselves, and we have boats."

"Aren't you overthinking it?" My colleague pushed the printed paper back, looking unimpressed. "Sega is a big company; it's normal for them to issue a formal and meticulously worded proposal. It's better to remind everyone to avoid risks than to just watch everyone's cartridges pile up in game stores and get returned. Wasn't that what happened last month?"

"I remember now! Sega does have a game release plan for September! What game was it again? Let me check the previous release schedule announcements."

His colleague looked at him with skepticism, feeling that his reasoning was a bit too conspiratorial.

"Found it! Let me see, <EA Sports Day> and <Sega New Record> are both sports games."

My colleague's eyes widened. "It really is! Sega must have been waiting for this since the beginning of the year."

As the young man had predicted, things turned out exactly as he had.

With NHK broadcasting Olympic pre-Olympic programs extensively starting in late August, the attention of the entire Japan society was quickly diverted.

Televisions on every street corner no longer broadcast cartoons and TV dramas; instead, they show interviews with athletes, introductions to venues, and recaps of classic past events.

In this era of booming economy and unprecedented national confidence, the entire country urgently needs a stage to flex its muscles to the world.

With the increasing sophistication of television broadcasting technology, the world-renowned Olympic Games have become the most straightforward choice.

The gaming industry seems to have been silenced. Company presidents who were complaining about movie release schedules can only be thankful that they listened to Sega's "advice" and didn't gamble their lives on this September.

It seems that overnight, everyone is only interested in the Olympic Games.

Just when all the third parties had fallen silent and were quietly waiting for the sports craze to pass, Sega's Yan Kingdom map finally came to an end.

A game release trailer appeared out of nowhere during prime time on major gaming magazines and television channels, sandwiched between various Olympic Games sponsors.

There are two, not just one.

The first one is <EA Olympics>.

In order to prominently feature the name "Olympic Games" on its cover, EA spent a fortune and became one of the official sponsors of the Seoul Olympics.

The game content covers dozens of mainstream sports such as track and field, swimming, and gymnastics, and emphasizes being official, authoritative, and diverse.

When GG was released, the industry was in an uproar.

"So that's what 'non-sports' means," the young planner's colleague muttered to himself, forgetting to put down his coffee cup. His initial doubts had now become reality.

"Not only that." The young planner stared at the second game playing on the TV screen, a hint of something unreadable in his eyes. "They used the money from two sponsorships to play three GG games."

What appeared on the screen was another game with a completely different art style— Sega New Record.

This is a four-player free-for-all sports game where players take on the roles of sports teams from different universities and participate in a chaotic sports meet.

In a race, you can throw hurdles at your opponent; in swimming, you can switch lanes and push your opponent underwater; and in the hammer throw, you can throw it directly at your opponent's head.

Rules? They don't exist. The core selling point of this game is to create the most trouble for others in the chaos and ensure that you are the first or only one to reach the finish line.

"Indeed! This Sega New Record doesn't have the logo of any Olympic Games sponsor."

"Wait a minute, where are the three copies of GG?"

The colleague was completely dumbfounded when he heard this.

"Look carefully, the game itself doesn't have the logo of an official Olympic Games game, but Sega itself does have the logo of Olympic Games sponsor. Even so, <Sega New Record> still benefits from the promotional effect of the Olympic Games."

1

Immediately following GG, the words "Sega sponsored 1,000 Mega Drives and 10,000 game cartridges for the Olympic Village" appeared, with an image of the Sega logo and the 1988 Seoul Olympics emblem side by side above the words.

"Sega has played a brilliant move!" The colleague finally found his voice, though it was tinged with a sob. "One game is officially licensed, comprehensive, and focused on an authentic sports experience. The other is a mischievous, small but complete game, designed to keep party-oriented players entertained. During the Olympic Games, only their games are truly shining!"

The young planner leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.

"Record EA and Sega's GGs when they reappear later. I need to report this to the president."

After saying that, he turned on the VCR next to the television.