Pokémon Gold/Silver (4,000 Characters)

Just as Nakayama Takuya the North America market, a pre-launch promotional campaign for Pokémon Gold and Silver had already begun in Japan.

This time, Sega didn't bombard the market with a massive number of Game of Thrones releases like they did with the Mega Drive or Game Pocket.

Their main focus was on continuing the collaborative promotional efforts from the previous work and the theatrical version.

Week 1.

Long lines have formed again outside all certified "Pokémon Center" stores across the country.

This time, however, the children weren't clutching banknotes, but their beloved Pokémon Electronic Pet.

"Next!"

A fourth-grade boy nervously stepped forward and handed his Poliwhirl Electronic Pet to the staff member. The staff member skillfully connected it to a special terminal device with a data cable, and an option popped up on the screen.

"Confirmed to have evolved into the ' Politoed '?"

"Yes!" The boy's voice trembled.

On the screen, a white light flashed, and the originally round and chubby Poliwhirl suddenly changed its appearance, now sporting a noble green hue on its head and a more dignified expression. Evolution successful!

"Wow! It's the Politoed!" A wave of envious exclamations came from the back of the line.

The boy took the evolved Electronic Pet as if it were a treasure, immediately hung it back around his neck, puffed out his chest, and walked out of the shop with his head held high amidst the envious gazes of his friends.

This week, items King's Rock, Dragon Scale, and Metal Coat —items that only existed in animations—were transformed into real data and brought to players' Electronic Pet through Sega's terminals.

Slowking, Kingdra, Steelix, Scizor —these brand-new Pokémon became the brightest stars on campus.

And this was just the appetizer.

In the second week, Sega released the last set of numbered Electronic Pet of this generation, with Pokédex numbers from 225 to 248. Except for the Legendary Beasts, the two gods, and Celebi, all of them were released.

One Pokémon, resembling a baby Godzilla, instantly ignited everyone's enthusiasm.

Larvitar!

Everyone knows what a powerful being this unassuming little guy will eventually evolve into! A new quasi-god!

In no time, all the Larvitar Electronic Pet in the shops were sold out, and their popularity even overshadowed the item evolution in the first week.

Owning Larvitar is equivalent to owning the future Tyranitar; this has become an unspoken consensus among all core players.

When everyone's emotions were at their peak, Sega unleashed its final trump card.

In the third week, the official announcement confirmed the release date for Pokémon Gold and Silver.

A prize draw was also announced: anyone who purchases a <Gold/Silver> cartridge can participate in the draw by presenting proof of purchase.

The moment the prize details were announced, the entire player community went absolutely wild.

First Prize: Limited Edition Electronic Pet of the Legendary Beasts: Entei, Raikou, and Suicune!

Each type is still limited to 50 pieces, with a total of 150 pieces available throughout Japan!

"Buy! I have to buy! Even if I don't win, I'll buy both versions to increase my whole family's chances of winning!" A high school student shouted excitedly to his friend at the store entrance.

"Please, I'm willing to trade all my allowance for a Suicune!"

"No way! Sega is only releasing 50 again!"

Immediately after the Pokémon series ended on TV Tokyo, the end of Pokémon Gold and Silver finally arrived.

In the scene, the protagonist rides a bicycle at high speed along a country road, while in the background, a pagoda stands tall and cherry blossoms fall.

A Cyndaquil followed behind him, hopping around playfully.

The scene shifts, and the protagonist brushes past a girl in a kimono, with an elegant Chikorita following behind her.

Finally, the scene freezes on a Whirl Islands, where a huge dark shadow looms in and out of the water, accompanied by a soul-piercing cry.

Lugia!

At the end of GG, the screen darkened, with only three lines of text remaining lit.

"A brand new region, a hundred brand new encounters."

"Is your Pokémon ready for a new world?"

"Pokémon Gold and Silver are coming soon!"

A frenzy of pre-orders, accompanying this grand three-week "festival," has completely swept across Japan.

Faced with Sega's combination of tactics, which have been privately criticized as "shameless" countless times by industry peers, other third-party manufacturers, after receiving news last month that Sega would be releasing Pokémon Gold/Silver, had no choice but to adjust their own product release schedules and back down.

Even Nintendo Headquarters has chosen to lie low at this time, focusing on developing launch games for the Super Famicom console and ignoring the turmoil in the outside world.

For a time, throughout the latter half of May, the Japan gaming world was dominated by only one name —Pokémon.

May 26th, Saturday, the release date.

Before dawn, the lines outside the major electronics stores in Akihabara had already stretched from the entrances to the street corner.

Among the crowd were students who didn't have classes on weekends, office workers who needed to work overtime but used fieldwork as an excuse to come out, and even parents who were begged by their children to come and queue up.

"I mean, is it really necessary to buy two versions?" a father yawned, looking at his son, and couldn't help but complain. "It's just a lottery, one is enough, isn't it?"

"Dad, you don't understand!" His son clenched his fists. "Buy two, and your chances of winning double! What if I win Suicune? It's Suicune!"

The father sighed, said nothing more, just rubbed his sleepy eyes, and looked at the long queue ahead.

Within the group, the boys' conversations always revolved around Pokémon.

Have you decided who to choose? I'm definitely going to pick Cyndaquil, it's so cool!

"I choose Chikorita, just like the kimono-clad lady's!"

A boy proudly shook the Electronic Pet hanging around his neck, a Scizor with a gleaming metallic sheen, attracting envious glances from those around him.

"The first thing I'll do when I get the cartridge is transfer my Scizor to the game!"

When the shop doors finally opened, the crowd began to slowly and orderly pour in.

At the counter, I paid with one hand and received the brand-new cartridge featuring Ho-Oh and Lugia with the other.

Almost everyone, upon receiving the game, carefully tore open the packaging, took out the raffle ticket inside, solemnly filled in their information, and dropped it into the red raffle box.

Each card thrown in represents a dream of possessing the Entei, the Raikou, and the Suicune.

This fervor eventually culminated in a number that sent chills down the spines of everyone in the industry.

Sales figures for Pokémon Gold and Silver in their first week of release have been released.

The data hit everyone in the face.

Global sales have surpassed two million boxes!

Of these, more than 1.5 million boxes were sold in Japan alone!

This number is not only due to the solid foundation laid by the previous game's sales of over eight million copies and its nationwide reputation, but also a perfect victory for Sega's three-week promotional campaign.

The entire industry fell silent.

The myth of an era is continuing its glory with an unstoppable momentum.

For the millions of players who received the cartridges, a brand new world was just beginning to unfold before them.

Countless players flocked to the new Johto Region, while veteran players who had been there since the Red/Green era immediately brought out their prepared Electronic Pet.

"Quick, Kenji, try out your Scizor!"

"Don't rush me, this is a sacred ceremony!"

Surrounded by his friends, Kenji, the boy who had been showing off his Electronic Pet in the queue on release day, was carefully connecting a special communication cable, one end to his game console and the other end to his Electronic Pet.

On the screen, after the doctor's assistant gave an explanation, the data transmission progress bar began to slowly jump.

Several heads crowded around, not daring to utter a sound.

As the progress bar filled up, accompanied by a crisp notification sound, Kenji, his hands trembling, guided the protagonist out of his bedroom.

A majestic Scizor is quietly sitting next to the protagonist's mother.

"Holy crap! It worked! My Scizor!" Kenji was so excited he almost threw his game console away. "It really has arrived in a new world!"

"He's so handsome!" The friend next to him stared wide-eyed.

For veteran players, the joy of bringing their long-trained companions into a brand new world is just like the joy of transferring their first Pokémon to <Red/Green> last year.

For new players, everything in the Johto Region is full of unknowns and surprises.

It wasn't until ten days after the game's release that a student shared his experience with his friends.

"I finally made it deep into the Power Plant, only to encounter Zapdos. My team was in bad shape and we had run out of Poké Ball, so I reluctantly chose to run away."

"Later, the same thing happened on Seafoam Islands and in the Moltres's Cave; I ran away both times."

"And then! I just turned on the radio to listen to some music, and suddenly one channel was filled with static, followed by a very serious voice repeatedly broadcasting: 'Urgent notice: Extreme and abnormal weather has occurred in the southern waters of the Whirl Islands. A storm is gathering, all shipping routes are temporarily closed, trainers are advised not to approach!'"

Initially, his sharing did not attract much attention.

"I've never encountered this before. Is your cartridge broken?"

"Run away? You actually ran away after encountering a mythical beast? You're a genius!"

Many of his friends felt sorry that he missed the chance to catch the Legendary Birds at the fixed location, and some even mocked and questioned him.

After all, in the eyes of these players who cherish every opportunity, running away from a legendary Pokémon is simply unimaginable.

But he was unusually persistent, repeatedly insisting that he had not lied.

After the news spread among players, some curious individuals, with a "let's give it a try" attitude, deliberately chose to run away three times in a row in front of the Legendary Birds — Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno— after reloading their save.

When he turned on the radio and turned the tuning knob, the familiar channel that played relaxing music was indeed covered by a static noise.

"Urgent Notice: A... has appeared in the waters south of the Whirl Islands."

The exact same announcement!

This caused an uproar in the gaming community.

"It's true! It appeared here too!"

"This is definitely not a bug! It's an Easter egg! Sega has hidden something again!"

"Why would running away trigger this? Does that mean capturing the Legendary Birds is the wrong thing to do?"

"No! Look, GG! That last black shadow! Whirl Islands!"

Countless clues were connected.

A top-notch strategy team immediately sprang into action, heading straight for the Whirl Islands with the save file that had triggered the broadcast.

Sure enough, a new dock appeared in the area that was previously inaccessible by navigation.

When players set foot on that stormy Kojima, there are no Pokémon, no items, only a lonely signboard standing by the dock.

Upon closer inspection, a line of text slowly appeared.

How can we quell nature's wrath caused by the capture of the Legendary Birds? How can we appease the roar of the sea god?

Stay tuned for the upcoming Pokémon movie, <The Lugia's Explosive Birth>!

When this photo was published in a gaming magazine, all the players fell silent.

"Damn it! Sega, you've turned another movie trailer into a game Easter egg?!"

"I queued for six hours and paid double, just to see your game cheat code?!"

"I'm so angry, but why do I feel even more excited, you bastard!"

Players then realized that Sega, just like two years ago, had hidden the movie trailer in the game.

On the same afternoon that the gaming magazine published this Easter egg, Sega, in collaboration with Toho Films, took the opportunity to release the first official trailer for "Lugia's Explosive Birth" on television.

In the deep trench, a huge black shadow slowly opened its eyes. Flames, lightning, and frost intertwined in the sky, and three divine birds attacked each other frantically.

Ash Ketchum and his friends were caught in the eye of the storm, helplessly watching the world crumble and fall.

Finally, with that soul-stirring cry, the giant silver Pokémon burst through the sea, spread its wings, and charged towards the raging Legendary Birds.

Lugia!

At the end of the trailer, a line of text slowly rises.

Are you ready to witness the appearance of a god?

All the players who saw this trailer had only one thought in their minds.

When will this movie be released?

The trailer for Lugia was like a depth charge dropped into a calm lake, its aftershocks lingering long afterward.

Players were still immersed in the complex emotions of being "tricked" by Sega, feeling both angry and amused. They cursed Sega's wild ideas while inquiring about the movie's release date.

However, Sega's actions were not over yet.

Just two weeks after the trailer's release, and as the buzz surrounding "Whirl Islands" and "Lugia" began to die down, Sega dropped another "GG" (Given Go) after the Pokémon anime and at various Pokémon Center.

GG's content was simple and direct, yet it instantly ignited everyone's senses.

"To allow trainers to experience the joy of raising Pokémon more deeply, Sega, in collaboration with certified Pokémon Center, will soon release a brand new peripheral product—a blank Electronic Pet machine."

A high-resolution product image is attached below.

A pure white, egg-shaped Electronic Pet machine with only a question mark on the screen.

At first, the players were somewhat puzzled.

"Electronic Pet machine? Haven't we had that for ages? Just rehashing old news?"

"Blank? What does that mean? There aren't any pre-installed Pokémon?"

But when they saw the small print below, all the gamers were stunned.

Players can combine two Pokémon Electronic Pet Pokémon can breed to produce an egg. This egg can then be transferred to a blank Electronic Pet machine via a dedicated communicator at the Pokémon Center.

One stone stirs up a thousand waves!

If Lugia's Easter egg was a spiritual celebration, then this announcement is yet another round of harvesting players' wallets!

"Sega, have some decency! I just queued up to buy the game, and I was saving up for the movie, and now you're telling me my Electronic Pet can go to the Pokémon Center to breed?!"

"This is insane! Sega is trying to drain our wallets dry!"

"Stop yelling! Stop yelling! I just want to ask, when will this thing be released? Where do I queue? I need to take a day off!"

This love-hate relationship spread instantly.

The gamers who were cursing Sega as a business genius one day became its most loyal believers the next.

This is no longer just simple game merchandise; it's a treasure that breaks down the barriers between dimensions!

Throughout June, the Japan gaming industry was completely overshadowed by Pokémon.

Queues formed once again outside the stores of various certified Pokémon Center.

Sega teased the movie with an Easter egg and then squeezed the market dry with a piece of merchandise.

Games, movies, and physical merchandise form a perfect closed loop, drawing all players, and even casual observers, into this massive vortex called "Pokémon."