Taking Pleasure in Others' Misfortune
Sega's booth.
Tom Kalinske leaned against a King of Fighters arcade machine, holding a glass of Coke, the ice cubes clinking softly in the glass.
Instead of looking at the massive crowd at his own booth, he gazed with great interest at the commotion in the direction of the main stage in the distance.
The reporters were like a swarm of bees whose hive had been disturbed, buzzing and in complete chaos.
The scene was ten times more chaotic than when their own press conference ended yesterday.
"Boss! Boss!"
Bernard Stolar, panting, squeezed through the crowd, his tie askew, his face bearing a strange expression that was a mixture of shock and schadenfreude.
"Something big has happened! Nintendo has sued Sony! They want to steal the name 'PlayStation'!"
Tom took a sip of his cola without even lifting his eyelids.
"Knew."
"You know?" Bernard was stunned. "That's it? This is the biggest news of the century! All the media are going crazy, our limelight—has been completely stolen!"
Tom finally turned around and gestured with his chin towards the space behind Bernard.
That was the demo area for "John Wick," and the line of players stretched for three turns. A sign at the end of the line prominently displayed in red letters. "Estimated wait time: 4 hours."
He then pointed to the other side.
At the cashier in the surrounding sales area, the girl in charge of collecting money was so busy that her hands were almost blurry. The clanging and banging of the cash drawers opening and closing was more pleasant than any rock music in the noisy venue.
"Bernard, did you hear that?" Tom's face lit up with a bright smile. "That's our own headline."
Bernard followed his gaze and listened to the sound, which was like a money printing machine. The anxiety on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a look of sudden realization.
Tom patted him on the shoulder and sighed, "Luckily, we listened to Takuya and put the press conference on the first day. If it were today, even if we got Michael Jack to do the moonwalk, the front page of the newspapers would only show Nintendo and Sony's distorted faces."
He recalled that just a few days ago, he had confidently vowed to go head-to-head with Nintendo and 3D0 and completely overshadow them.
Looking back now, it was ridiculously naive.
If the press conference were held today, the first question reporters would ask if they rushed onto the stage wouldn't be "How is the performance of the Sega-CD?", but rather "Mr. Kalinske, what are your thoughts on the breakup between Nintendo and Sony?"
In that case, Sega will become a comical clown warming up the atmosphere for this epic battle.
Sega today, on the other hand, focuses on serving players honestly, letting the games speak for themselves, letting word-of-mouth spread, and letting cash flow in.
While Nintendo and Sony were locked in a fierce battle under the spotlight, stabbing each other in the back, gamers were screaming, laughing, queuing, and spending money at Sega's booth.
The media focuses on war, while players just want a fun game.
That evening, almost all the televisions in Chicago hotel rooms were tuned to the same channel.
The evening news anchor, with the serious tone of someone reporting the outbreak of war, placed the commercial war between Nintendo and Sony above any other international current events.
"----CES witnessed one of the most dramatic business reversals in nearly a decade today. This morning, electronics giant Sony unveiled its revolutionary PlayStation console, only to have its partner Nintendo announce the termination of their collaboration and file a lawsuit over the 'PlayStation' trademark rights this afternoon."
On the television screen, the editor maliciously juxtaposed Minoru Arakawa's calm, smiling face with the desolate, deserted scene of the Sony booth, creating a strong visual impact.
On countless newsstands, the headlines of newspapers printed overnight were more sensational than the last.
The Wall Street Journal: <A Close Friend's Counterattack: How Nintendo Set a Trap of the Century>
USA Today: The Birth and Death of PlayStation: A Three-Hour Presentation
Chicago Tribune: Philips! Nintendo's New Favorite, Sony's Nightmare!
In a bar packed with reporters, the Wall Street Journal reporter whose tie had been adjusted by Minoru Arakawa was surrounded by his colleagues, becoming a star among those present at the scene.
"So, buddy, you really didn't notice at all?" a colleague, his face flushed, asked, raising his beer glass. "When that guy Minoru Arakawa was adjusting your tie, didn't you feel the knife in his hand?"
"A knife? I only felt the warmth of his hand." The reporter took a big gulp of his drink, a look of lingering satisfaction on his face. "He wasn't acting; he was enjoying himself. He looked at us, this bunch of self-important media, like we were a group of monkeys, waiting for us to jump into the pit he'd dug."
Another reporter chimed in, "I just spoke with a legal advisor, and he said Nintendo's move is ruthless."
The cooperation agreement between Sony and Nintendo definitely includes clauses regarding the ownership of jointly developed products. PlayStation
This name was born during the collaboration. Now Nintendo has unilaterally terminated the partnership and claims that the name is joint property, and Sony cannot use it alone. Before the lawsuit is over, if Sony dares to sell a single machine using this name, Nintendo can sue them mercilessly!
"Fuck!" someone slammed their fist on the table. "So Sony went through all that Kung Fu, put on such a grand launch event, only to deliver the most ridiculous 'GG' ever for a product they can't even use?"
"Hahaha! That makes sense!"
The entire bar erupted in laughter, the atmosphere as joyful as a festival.
This schadenfreude is not limited to the media circle.
On television, a financial commentary program is engaged in a heated discussion.
"We must note that there's also a layer of national sentiment behind this. Ever since Sony acquired Columbia Pictures, many United States have been wary of the Japan company. They felt Sony's expansion was too aggressive," a commentator said to the camera. "Now, seeing Sony being outmaneuvered by another, more established Japan company in an almost humiliating way, many people are—happy to see it happen."
The host then asked, "So, you think Sony has completely failed this time?"
"Regarding the PlayStation project, yes. They're holding a massive nuclear bomb, only to find the detonator is in the enemy's hands. Unless they're willing to rename it something like ' Sony Entertainment Machine,' and then completely re-market it, and might even have to strip Nintendo's patents from the console before they can release it. But in any case, today's press conference has become an undeniable joke."
These words were relayed verbatim to the presidential suite of a hotel in Chicago.
Ken Kutaragi turned off the TV without any expression.
The room was deathly silent; even the Sony executives didn't dare to breathe.
The ashtray on the table was already overflowing with cigarette butts.