Square Music Concert

Just when ordinary gamers were sighing in despair at the exorbitant price of the Sega-CD, or craving a game at the homes of wealthy friends and wearing out the buttons on their controllers, Sega's three consecutive announcements were like three bombshells, detonating throughout the entire gamer community.

The first news item appeared in the color pages of major gaming magazines.

In the image, an exquisite wristwatch lies quietly on velvet, its dial design cleverly incorporating the time gear element from The Chrono Trigger, with the Casio logo in the background.

GG's concise message: "A Christmas gift, a journey through time with you - the <Chrono Trigger> limited edition collaboration watch, coming soon."

The second message had the title "The Chrono Trigger" printed in large print, followed by the date "Summer 1993".

In response to the overwhelming anticipation from players, Sega has decided to officially release the Mega Drive cartridge version of Chrono Trigger next year.

The third message struck all Square die-hard fans with a tremendous sense of happiness.

"The Square Classic Game Concert will open at the Tokyo University of Music's main concert hall. Nobuo Uematsu and Yasunori Mitsuda will join the symphony orchestra to bring you melodies from your memories."

These three pieces of news immediately caused an uproar among the player community.

"Hooray! The Mega Drive version! My wallet is saved! I knew Sega wouldn't abandon us!"

"I know the animation and sound quality will definitely be downgraded, but as long as I can play it, that's enough! I'm so craving it I could practically lick Crono's face clean off in the magazine!"

Those players who could only watch longingly because they were short of money are finally relieved.

Their desire for "The Chrono Trigger" had already been heightened to its peak by the lavish praise from the media and their friends.

Now, an attainable hope has appeared before them, and even if it's not the most perfect experience, it's enough to make them celebrate.

Meanwhile, the 120,000 "believers" who had already purchased the collector's edition focused their attention on two other pieces of news.

"A wristwatch! I knew it! I knew Sega's job wouldn't be this simple!"

"You've already spent over ten thousand Japanese yen, so why not spend a few tens of Japanese yen more on a watch? It's a status symbol!"

"Hey bro, does your wife know what you're thinking?"

"Shut up! This is an investment in art!"

For them, the release of the MD version did not diminish their sense of superiority; on the contrary, it made their choice seem even more precious.

The co-branded watch and the concert felt like a special coronation ceremony.

The news of the concert, in particular, touched the softest spot for these core fans.

The main concert hall of Tokyo University of Music —what kind of place is that? It's a temple dedicated to classical music.

Now, the game music they love will be played there by a professional symphony orchestra.

This means that their hobbies, into which they have invested countless hours and emotions, are no longer seen by others as idle "playthings," but as a kind of art that can be respected and appreciated.

This feeling of being recognized and elevated is more profound than the joy that the game itself brings.

"I've made up my mind. No matter how expensive the concert ticket is, I'm going to get one!"

"Just thinking about wearing a suit to listen to the prelude to Final Fantasy gives me goosebumps."

"Now I can confidently tell my parents that I wasn't playing a game, I was appreciating art!"

Sakaguchi Hironobu's smile never faded as he looked at the player feedback compiled by his assistant.

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

"Mr. Nakayama, the players have gone crazy." He leaned back in his chair, his whole body relaxing. "I even think that watch will sell better than the game."

"Isn't that great?" Nakayama Takuya's voice on the other end of the phone was also tinged with laughter. "Perfect, let Casio and other businesses see how much consumer potential game IPs have. We'll have more confidence when we talk about cooperation in the future."

Sakaguchi Hironobu was taken aback by his words, then burst into laughter.

It turns out that even this step was part of his plan.

He exclaimed sincerely, "Nakayama -san, your marketing always makes players love it!"

"Don't say that, Sakaguchi-san." Nakayama Takuya's tone became more serious. "We're just doing the right thing, giving excellent works the recognition they deserve, and passionate players the rewards they deserve."

After Sega's three announcements completely ignited the emotions of gamers, apart from the hardcore gamers who didn't care about the money and started inquiring about the release details of the Casio collaboration watch, the vast majority of ordinary gamers, after the initial euphoria, quickly fell into a happy dilemma.

There's nowhere to vent my passion.

The MD cartridge version of Chrono Trigger won't be available until next summer, and the watch that symbolizes the "believer's" status is incredibly expensive. Right now, they have endless admiration for Sega and Square, and New Year's money in their pockets to buy new games, but they find that their target has disappeared.

This peculiar market sentiment was immediately noticed by astute distributors.

"Special Advisor, the latest first-hand market feedback."

The Marketing Department section chief strode into Nakayama Takuya's office, his face displaying a strange mix of excitement and confusion.

"Several large electronics stores in Akihabara and Shinjuku have called, saying that recently there's been a large group of teenagers and young adults crowding around our MD shelves." The section chief handed over the report. "They're pointing at the promotional posters for <Chrono Trigger>, chatting enthusiastically, but they just won't leave. They pace back and forth in front of the shelves, picking up a cassette tape to look at, then putting it down, picking up another, but feeling it's not quite right."

Nakayama Takuya flipped through the report, a slight smile playing on his lips, "And then?"

"Then—a considerable number of people wandered around here for a while, eventually ending up at the Nintendo next door, looking at it with furrowed brows for a bit, and then wandering back." The section chief couldn't help but laugh as he said this. "The store managers said it felt like a pack of starving wolves surrounding a mountain of gold, but not knowing where to start. They were worried that if this enthusiasm had nowhere to go, they would eventually scatter."

"The money's in our pockets, and the people's on our side—could there be a better situation?" Nakayama Takuya put down the report, his tone relaxed. "Since the guests want to spend money, then we'll give them a reason to spend it freely."

He looked at his assistant. "Find the event plan for the 1990 ' New Year Thanksgiving Festival '."

The assistant was taken aback, then his eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh. "I understand!"