The Promotion Storm

Before the smoke of the Christmas season had even cleared, new battle reports were flooding into Nakayama Takuya's office like snowflakes.

The assistant, clutching a fax, was even more excited than when he reported the sales figures last time; he practically walked with a swagger.

"Manager! The phone's been ringing off the hook!" He slammed the files on the table, his voice brimming with triumphant satisfaction. "Namco, Taito, IREM—and tons of small and medium-sized manufacturers—they've all called to inquire about our 'MD Classic Games Promotion'!"

"They all want to join?" Nakayama Takuya asked calmly, as if asking a trivial question he had expected.

"Yes! They all want to join!" The assistant nodded vigorously, pointing to the top fax. "Especially those who missed the Christmas release of their new games, they're kicking themselves. Now they all want to hitch a ride with us and clear out last year's inventory."

Nakayama Takuya picked up a fax and glanced at it. It contained Namco's earnest request for cooperation. He smiled, as expected.

He planned this event by using his own million-dollar game as a bonus, just to make a show for everyone.

See, thanks to Sega, even outdated games can be put back on the shelves in prominent positions.

"While they can't offer discounts as big as ours," the assistant added, "They all indicated that they're willing to show their utmost sincerity as long as Sega is willing to help cover some of the costs."

"Oh?" Nakayama Takuya raised an eyebrow.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the phone on his desk rang.

Nakayama Takuya answered the phone, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Hello, this is Nakayama Takuya Sega."

A strong, cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone. "Hello, Mr. Nakayama, this is Kozuki from Konami!"

Nakayama Takuya smiled slightly and offered a compliment.

"Kozuki, the president made you call me personally; I was really flattered."

"Hey! Executive Director Nakayama, you're being too polite!" Kozuki Kagemasa's voice was so enthusiastic it seemed to melt the phone receiver. "Sega did a fantastic job in this Christmas sales war! We at Konami, as part of the Mega Drive camp, were thrilled and incredibly proud!"

The assistant standing nearby curled his lip in disapproval, thinking to himself that this president was a real old fox, making a fortune from his own Contra game and now eyeing new profits.

"We at Konami Kozuki Kagemasa, changing the subject to get to the point. "As Sega's most steadfast ally, what more can we do for this increasingly prosperous Mega Drive ecosystem? Seeing your promotional activities has given me a sudden insight! We also have some older games from last year, which are of good quality, but we haven't had a good opportunity to participate. If we can join this event, it will not only provide more benefits to players, but also further enhance our reputation. What do you think, Executive Director?"

"I certainly welcome the president's kind intentions Kozuki," Nakayama Takuya said slowly, leaning back in his chair. "Sega is willing to cover 30% of the discount costs for all our allies' promotional activities, and the royalty fees will also be adjusted based on the selling price. However, in order for the merchants to cooperate with our promotional activities, they need to promise that after the event ends, we will assist in returning all unsold cartridges that participated in this event to the manufacturer's warehouse."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Kozuki Kagemasa probably didn't expect Nakayama Takuya to be so decisive, leaving no room for negotiation.

He had prepared a set of arguments, hoping to secure 40% or even 50%.

"Great! That's straightforward!" Kozuki Kagemasa's laughter rang out again. "As expected of Nakayama, the Special Advisor! It's settled then! Konami will definitely cooperate fully to make this event a resounding success!"

After hanging up the phone, Nakayama Takuya looked at his assistant, who had a "I knew it" expression, and smiled, "Now, go tell the other third parties..."

Konami's president secured the best possible terms for them Kozuki.

The assistant was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized and his face lit up with a smile, "Brilliant! That was a brilliant move!"

He immediately turned around and excitedly ran out to spread the "good news".

This wave of news about upstream publishers voluntarily offering discounts spread like wildfire throughout sales channels across the country.

The retail store owners were overjoyed. They knew these were cassette tapes the manufacturers were clearing out, but if they couldn't sell them, they could return them at the original price.

Selling it means making a profit; who wouldn't do a business that's guaranteed to make money?

In no time, Sega's shelves in electronics stores and game specialty stores across Japan were rapidly expanded, filled with a dazzling array of Mega Drive (MD) game cartridges, creating a massive presence that almost completely overwhelmed the few Super Famicom (SFC) games available next to them.

Yamada Electronics Store, Game Section.

The first weekend after the New Year became a paradise for children.

At this time of year, children who have just received their New Year's money would rush straight to the Nintendo shelves, scrambling to get a new game cartridge.

But this year, the situation is a little different.

Nintendo's shelves looked rather lonely, with only a handful of third-party games to fill the space, aside from the ever-present Super Mario World, each with an increasingly glaring price tag.

On the other side, Sega's shelves were practically a wall.

The blue-packaged Mega Drive cartridges were laid out crammed from top to bottom, with a huge promotional poster prominently displayed, proclaiming in bold red lettering. "New Year Thanksgiving Festival! Classic Games at Limited-Time Discounts!"

"Look! Golden Sun! I've wanted to buy it since last year!" A little boy in a baseball uniform excitedly pointed to a game box.

They practically pressed their faces against the shelves.

"Idiot, don't just look at one thing!" The slightly older boy next to him, who looked like a little leader, was holding a piece of paper covered in dense writing—his "battle plan."

"Listen up," the little leader cleared his throat, lowered his voice, and addressed the three or four friends who had gathered around, his expression as serious as if he were planning a real battle, "The newspapers are saying the economy is bad right now, and my mom halved my New Year's money this year. You guys are the same, right?"

Several little heads nodded in unison, their faces filled with the poignant sentiment of "we are all in the same boat."

"Therefore, we must be careful with our spending!" The foreman tapped the paper in his hand with his pen.

"Oh!" the kids exclaimed in understanding, their eyes gleaming with fighting spirit.

"Here's the plan," the leader spread out the slip of paper, "My money will be used to buy *Art of Art of Fighting * and Konami's * Contra *, both of which can be played by two people. Kenta, your money will be used to buy * Final Fight , and also the half-price * Sonic the Hedgehog, so we can take turns trying to break records. As for the rest of the money..."

He looked at the youngest child.

"Ryosuke, you're in charge of buying those puzzle and racing games with the biggest discounts. We'll use those to refresh our minds when we get tired of playing fighting games."

"No problem!" Ryosuke puffed out his little chest, feeling as if he had received a Koei mission.