The Long-Missed Wave of Skipping Work and Cutting Class

Time moved into late November.

Tokyo, Akihabara.

The cold wind could not block Electric Town's fervor.

In the display windows of every major game retailer, posters of Woody and Buzz Lightyear had all been put up in unison.

The Japanese version of the Toy Story game had launched simultaneously with North America.

Objectively speaking, this fully computer-CG animated film had not yet opened in Japanese theaters at this time.

Japanese audiences' knowledge of these two characters depended entirely on Sega's long-running promotion that had begun at E3, as well as scattered television commercials.

Without box office results fanning the flames, how much could the game sell on its own?

Before launch, many industry analysts had given conservative forecasts.

Reality quickly slapped them in the face.

On the first day of release, outside Akihabara's Sofmap Main Store, the line of players wrapped around three blocks.

Because it was a simultaneous launch timed to match the film's release in the United States, Sega did not follow the unwritten rule that had existed since the "Dragon Quest commotion," where all major titles were released on weekends.

And so, the long-missed wave of skipping work and cutting class appeared once again.

The fully 3D-rendered visuals, smooth action feedback, and Sega's in-house deep optimization for Jupiter's capabilities made the game extremely appealing.

Relying solely on the game's own hard quality, it was already enough to make picky Japanese core players open their wallets.

When players at the demo stations saw the physics calculations as Buzz Lightyear spread his wings and glided, and saw the level design where Woody used all kinds of toys to solve puzzles in a miniature room, they voted directly with cash.

Not only that, the high-quality game experience in turn raised market expectations for the film.

In the editorial offices of