Harvest Moon Goes on Sale
On his way back from Studio Ghibli, Nakayama Takuya felt calmer than ever before.
Miyazaki Hayao's approval is like stamping the final and most important seal on this work into which he has poured countless efforts.
Upon returning to Sega Headquarters, he immediately convened relevant personnel from the operations and Marketing Department to begin preparations for the release of <Harvest Moon: Forest Encounters>.
The atmosphere in the meeting room was somewhat awkward.
When the final version of the packaging design was distributed to everyone, skepticism inevitably arose.
"Isn't the packaging for the executive director a bit too plain?"
A Marketing Department manager stared at the box, which was almost entirely covered in a simple green hue with a line of small print in the corner, looking utterly bewildered.
"Aside from the line ' Yoshita- licensed My Totoro -themed game,' there's almost no promotional material, which is typical of Sega."
Another executive couldn't help but chime in. "Furthermore, Executive Director Nakayama, isn't your initial shipment of only 50,000 sets too conservative? With the popularity of ' My Totoro,' even several times that amount could easily be absorbed."
Faced with everyone's confusion, Nakayama Takuya simply sat calmly in the main seat, a faint smile on his face.
He extended a finger and gently tapped the draft on the table.
"Everyone, this game has a very unique style, quite different from other games on the market."
"This is a game I made to test the market, and also to fulfill a promise I made to Director Miyazaki."
"We can't promote it like we promote Pokémon; that would only lead to unrealistic expectations and a deluge of negative reviews."
"What we need to do is let it stay there quietly, waiting for someone who can understand it to discover it."
Nakayama Takuya looked around, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"Let's proceed with this plan."
The game has been released.
Like a pebble thrown silently into the sea, without causing a ripple.
There was no TV promotion, no magazine advertising; the game cartridge, with its simple packaging, was only available in a few of the most core retail channels.
The sales figures for the first week are out.
A cold, almost negligible number.
Compared to the booming promotions and sales of other games at the same time, Harvest Moon had such a faint presence that it was almost non-existent.
Within Sega, an atmosphere of wait-and-see and skepticism began to quietly permeate the company.
Many people were privately discussing whether this young executive director had suffered a major setback in his area of expertise, game development. Even his father, Nakayama Toshio, called, his tone tinged with worry.
To this, Nakayama Takuya simply smiled and replied.
"Father, please give it a little more time."
The best sake needs time to ferment.
A turning point arrived at a time no one expected, and in a way no one could have foreseen.
On the set of TV Asahi's top talk show.
To promote the upcoming animated film "Kiki's Delivery Service," Studio Ghibli arranged this in-depth interview with Miyazaki Hayao.
With the program nearly halfway through, the experienced host skillfully steered the atmosphere towards a more relaxed direction after discussing serious topics such as artistic style and creative concepts.
"Director Miyazaki, people say you're a workaholic, with almost no personal hobbies besides work. Is that true?" The host asked with a formulaic, friendly smile. "Anything interesting happening lately that you could share with the audience?"
This is a very safe question; it's simply an attempt to uncover some behind-the-scenes anecdotes about animation masters, such as their recent interest in fishing or their fascination with wood carving.
However, under the spotlight, a smile appeared on Miyazaki Hayao Hayao's bearded face.
The studio director immediately gave a close-up shot of her face.
I wouldn't call it a hobby.
He paused.
"However, I recently came across something really interesting new."
The host immediately followed up. "Oh? What could possibly pique your interest?"
Miyazaki Hayao didn't keep us in suspense.
"A video game."
The moment the words left his lips, the host's professional smile froze on his face, his mind racing, wondering if he had misheard.
Miyazaki Hayao, who once scoffed at video games, actually brought up a particular game himself?
In front of the television, countless viewers watching the program shared the same expression as the host.
"It's a game made by Nakayama- kun of Sega, called <Harvest Moon>."
Ignoring the mistakes around him, Miyazaki Hayao continued speaking in his unhurried tone.
He didn't use the word "play," but instead used a different phrasing.
"I prefer to call it an interactive medium. A medium that allows you to participate and experience firsthand, full of unexpected encounters like in ' My Totoro Totoro'."
"Nakayama -kun—" Miyazaki Hayao's eyes revealed genuine admiration, "He is a game producer with true artistic pursuit and talent."
"The world he designed had no battles, no urgent missions; it simply allowed you to return to the countryside, cultivate the land, harvest the crops, and help your neighbors."
"Even a stubborn old man like me who never plays games can easily immerse myself in it and rediscover the tranquility of the summer countryside."
The host finally snapped out of his shock and realized with a start that this was big news!
He leaned forward almost instinctively, forgetting all about the prepared script.
"Supervisor! This is so unexpected! Could you... could you tell me more about it? What is the magic behind this game?"
Miyazaki Hayao thought for a moment, seemingly reminiscing.
Its pace is slow, so slow that you can clearly feel the changing seasons. Sowing in spring, listening to cicadas in summer, harvesting in autumn...
Huddled around a warm stove in winter—that's a luxury in today's fast-paced society.
"Nakayama Jun is very bold; he abandoned the 'excitement' that most games pursue, and instead sought a kind of 'tranquility'."
"I admire this idea."
The simple phrase "I admire it" carries immense weight.
All of Japan knows Miyazaki Hayao's pickiness and strictness; receiving a simple "not bad" from him is enough to make anyone in the industry ecstatic.
"I admire it very much" is almost the highest praise this animation master could give.
The show was still going on, but the players watching on TV were in an uproar.
"Miyazaki Hayao recommended a game?! Am I seeing things?!"
"Harvest Moon? Sega? That game with the plain packaging that looks like an empty lunchbox?"
"Holy crap! I saw it in the store yesterday, but I thought it was some no-name brand and didn't even glance at it!"
"Nakayama -kun? Which Nakayama- kun? Could it be Nakayama Takuya, the creator of Pokémon Fatal Fury and Pokémon?!"
Miyazaki Hayao's next words added fuel to the fire of this news.
His eyes held a look of anticipation and longing for the future as he spoke to the camera:
"I saw the future of animation and games in that young man named Nakayama Takuya."
He described to me a completely new technology called "3D." A technology that, in the future, will allow audiences to truly "step" into the world we create.
"I'm really looking forward to the day when the technology matures."
"I look forward to seeing more works like ' Harvest Moon ' that are full of artistic soul in the future."
This statement instantly elevates a game recommendation to a vision and prediction of the entire industry's future!