40 Points

This "40" was like a divine decree, instantly shattering the psychological defenses of all players who hesitated because of the price.

The atmosphere in Square's office remained tense.

Sakaguchi Hironobu has barely slept these past few days, and his ashtray is overflowing with cigarette butts.

No matter how good the reputation is, if it cannot be converted into sales and break even, then he will not only be unable to explain himself to the company, but also let down Nakayama Takuya's almost fanatical trust and investment.

"Mr. Sakaguchi! Report! The latest sales report!"

An assistant practically burst through the door, his face beaming with barely suppressed elation.

Sakaguchi Hironobu suddenly stood up, snatched the report, and stared intently at the numbers on it.

Total sales for the first two weeks: 203,451 units.

Of these, the "Collector's Edition" sold 128,802 copies.

Sakaguchi Hironobu swayed, feeling all his strength drain away in an instant, and plopped back into his chair with a dull thud.

The assistant was startled. "Mr. Sakaguchi? Are you alright?"

Sakaguchi Hironobu didn't speak, but simply raised his hand and waved it, then held the thin report paper up to his eyes as if trying to see through it.

It's past the break-even point, and far exceeded it!

It wasn't just about breaking even; the 120,000 players who were willing to spend over 10,000 Japanese yen to buy the collector's edition showed him and Sega that their strategy was correct!

He let out a long, deep breath, a breath that carried the fatigue and anxiety of the past week, and an unparalleled, immense joy at this moment.

He picked up the phone and dialed Nakayama Takuya's office.

"Mr. Nakayama, have you read the report?" His voice was still a little hoarse, but he couldn't hide his ease and excitement.

"Just hung up." On the other end of the phone, Nakayama Takuya's voice was as steady as ever. "Congratulations, Sakaguchi-san, you've made history."

"It's us!" Sakaguchi Hironobu immediately corrected, leaning back in his chair and looking out the window with unprecedented relaxation. "Honestly, I'm more confident about that collaboration watch now than about the game."

"Oh?"

"Someone who spent over ten thousand Japanese yen to buy the collector's edition won't mind spending tens of thousands more Japanese yen on a souvenir they can carry around with them at all times," Sakaguchi Hironobu laughed.

The perfect score of Chrono Trigger, the phenomenal sales of its collector's edition, and the even more exaggerated reviews shook the entire Japan game industry like a violent earthquake.

The atmosphere in the meeting rooms of major third-party companies like Namco and Capcom was somewhat awkward.

"Thank goodness—thank goodness this happened on a Sega CD." An executive looked at the report, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead, his voice filled with relief at escaping a disaster. "If this had been on an Mega Drive cartridge, the games we prepared for the Christmas season might have ended up sitting unused in our warehouse."

The others at the conference table nodded in agreement.

The dominance displayed by Chrono Trigger was terrifying; its perfect score of 40 points was like a five-finger mountain hanging over the heads of all other games released at the same time.

"But then again, Sega has been quite generous this time," another person said. "Besides this exorbitantly priced Chrono Trigger, they haven't scheduled any other major first-party titles for the end of the year, leaving the entire Christmas and New Year's season to us."

"Honest? I think it's a calculated scheme." A more senior minister sneered, "They set the bar high with a 'masterpiece' that's high above all others, making all players itch with excitement, then they'll leave the stage for us mere mortals to perform. Once the word-of-mouth has reached its peak, they'll release a cheap MD version next year and rake in another wave of profits. Their plan is more shrewd than anyone else's."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a chill run down their spines, and seeing Sega's actions, they felt a cold shiver down their spines.

Of course, Sega was willing to relinquish its prime release slot so readily because it was certain that its biggest competitor was experiencing problems.

Shigeru Miyamoto, the soul of Nintendo, has finally succumbed to exhaustion.

After exhausting himself developing the Legend of Zelda: Triforce of the Gods, he immediately threw himself into new projects and game review for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The intense workload eventually took its toll on his health.

Industry sources say this talented producer is currently on mandatory leave.

Meanwhile, the king of the third-party camp, Dragon Quest V, was released at the end of September, and its peak sales period has passed.

The entire market actually experienced a brief vacuum.

Just as the Japan industry held Sega in both awe and fear, the overseas phone rang urgently in Nakayama Takuya's office.

He is Tom Kalinske, president of the North American Branch.

"Takuya, did you see that? The North America sales report!" Tom's signature booming voice boomed as soon as the call connected, brimming with barely suppressed excitement. "Although the total sales are only a little over half of what they've seen in Japan, the hardcore gamers who bought the collector's edition are practically worshipping our game! They're saying it's a game ahead of its time! A revelation from the future!" My god, I've never seen them use such exaggerated words to describe a Japan game!

"It seems our sacred texts have found followers in United States as well," Nakayama Takuya joked with a laugh, leaning back in his chair.

"Believers? They're practically fanatics!" Tom exclaimed dramatically. "But Takuya, the accounting department doesn't believe in this. I saw last week's financial report from Japan, and it said that these sales figures are far from enough to recoup the development costs of the Sega-CD hardware!"

"Tom, don't worry, we have more than just this one game." Nakayama Takuya's tone remained relaxed. "Sony helped us with a large portion of the R&D costs for the Sega-CD hardware. The money we're losing now is less of a loss and more of a learning experience."

"Tuition fee?"

"Yes, to learn the lessons of CD-ROM technology, to learn how to manage such a massive development project." Nakayama Takuya's voice became steady and powerful. "Tom, do you realize? What we just completed might be the first truly 'AAA' game of this era—A lot of money, A lot of resources, A lot of time. Its development scale, budget, and the complexity of cross-departmental collaboration are unprecedented. These invaluable experiences are priceless. When developing next-generation consoles, these experiences will save us even more money and prevent us from taking countless detours."

Tom on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment, processing what he had just said.

"Okay, you crazy guy, you always manage to convince me." Tom sighed, but his tone had lightened. "I admit, managing a 3A project—I love that term! It really is an investment in the future. However, with just one <Chrono Trigger>, the payback period for this investment is too long."

"Who said there's only one?" Nakayama Takuya chuckled.

"Huh?" Tom's ears perked up immediately.

"Next year, Sega-CD will have two more real trump cards." Nakayama Takuya deliberately kept everyone in suspense, his voice carrying a hint of mysterious laughter.

"Two?!" Tom's breathing quickened. "All I know is that Mark Cerny has Jurassic Park."

That must be one of them. Tell me quickly, what's the other one?

"You'll find out then," Nakayama Takuya keeping everyone in suspense.