The lights in the banquet hall dimmed.
A spotlight fell on the center of the stage.
Square chairman Miyamoto Masashi and president Mizuno Tetsuo walked onto the stage side by side.
The audience instantly quieted.
Mizuno Tetsuo adjusted the microphone's position.
"Five million copies." Mizuno Tetsuo read out the number, his voice trembling. "A month ago, none of us would have dared imagine it.
Square staked everything it had on Final Fantasy VII. We won that gamble."
Thunderous applause erupted below the stage.
Miyamoto Masashi raised a hand and pressed it down slightly.
"Beyond thanking every developer who fought day and night, today, on behalf of Square, I must offer thanks to our most important partner." Miyamoto Masashi turned toward Nakayama Takuya below the stage and bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Sega! Thank you, Executive Director Nakayama! It was Sega that took on all of the North American promotion and distribution, and it was Jupiter's powerful hardware that allowed Final Fantasy VII to be presented to players around the world in its most perfect form!"
Applause rang out again, and every gaze focused on Nakayama Takuya.
Nakayama Takuya set his wineglass on a passing tray, straightened the hem of his suit jacket, and strode onto the stage.
He took the microphone and swept his gaze over the excited crowd below.
"Five million is only the beginning," Nakayama Takuya said lightly. "Square has proven with its strength what an RPG in the disc era ought to look like. Sega is honored to have taken part in this gaming revolution."
He turned to look at Miyamoto Masashi and Mizuno Tetsuo.
"Sega and Square are not simply a platform holder and a developer. We are comrades-in-arms." Nakayama Takuya tapped the microphone. "The road ahead is still long. Nintendo won't admit defeat so easily, and