Before boarding the plane, he called Eri.
"I'm at the airport."
"Hmm, be careful on your way. Kazuki said he wanted to draw you a map of Los Angeles before he left this morning. I took a look—it has three suns and a dinosaur drawn on it."
"Los Angeles really does have dinosaurs. They're everywhere in Hollywood."
Eri chuckled. "Stop joking. Call home to let them know you've arrived safely."
"Got it."
After hanging up, the boarding announcement came.
Takuya Nakayama slung his backpack over his shoulder and followed the crowd toward the boarding gate.
This was the first E3.
For the first time, the entire video game industry had its own dedicated exhibition, no longer having to squeeze into a corner of CES to compete for audience attention with home appliances and audio equipment.
Sega had been one of the earliest proponents of this initiative, spending over a year on everything from project initiation to site selection and investor recruitment.
Finally, the time to showcase their efforts was almost here.
Takuya Nakayama stepped out of the terminal at Los Angeles International Airport and immediately boarded a shuttle bus arranged by Sega of North America, which whisked his group to their pre-booked hotel.
The nearly eleven-hour flight had left him groggy and disoriented. After landing, his mind was still hazy, and his sense of time was completely off.
He calculated the date: three days remained until the June 5th setup deadline for the exhibition. No need to rush.
After checking into the hotel, he took a shower, pulled the curtains tight, and slept until dawn.
IDSA had rented a temporary office in a building near the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The building was low-rise, its exterior a bit worn. The parking lot was packed with a line of rented commercial vans, all bearing out-of-state license plates—clear evidence that companies had sent their teams here recently.
Temporary signs for various manufacturers hung on the doors of the offices down the hallway.
As Takuya passed Nintendo's door, he saw people inside. Two engineers in casual clothes were pointing at a booth layout diagram.
Further down the hall, Sony's door was ajar, and he could hear rapid English coming from a phone call.
Sega's office was the second door on the right at the end of the hallway.
He pushed open the door and found Oguchi Hisao sitting by the window, a phone wedged between his shoulder and ear, flipping through a checklist with one hand while scribbling notes in a notebook with the other.
Seeing Takuya Nakayama enter, he nodded in greeting and continued his call.
"Yes, the models have been confirmed—all three units are accounted for. They were moved to Area B yesterday afternoon, yes, Area B—
Right, I understand."
After hanging up, he pushed the notebook aside, stood up, and poured two glasses of water, sliding one across the desk.
"Managing Director."
"Koguchi."
Neither wasted time on pleasantries. Takuya Nakayama took the water and got straight to the point. "How's the Sega situation looking?"
"All materials have arrived," Oguchi Hisao said, opening the checklist and tapping each item with his pen. "The display units, exhibition panels, and printed materials were cleared through customs the day before yesterday and delivered to a nearby warehouse yesterday afternoon. For the locally manufactured items—a large backdrop and custom booth tabletop materials—the manufacturer sent a confirmation letter this morning. We'll have them by the day after tomorrow at the latest."
Takuya Nakayama glanced over the checklist, finding no omissions. He set down his cup. "The day before the event is the 5th, and we have three days for setup. That's enough time."
"Enough. Our engineering team, Team 6, has arrived. The stage setup crew was notified in advance, so that's all set."
With that, the matter was settled. Next, Takuya Nakayama turned to the question that concerned him more: "What about the other companies?"
Oguchi Hisao pulled out another document.
This one was compiled by the IDSA. Since June 1st, they've been sending daily inquiries to participating companies, asking them to voluntarily report their progress.
"Most companies have their materials in Los Angeles. Those requiring local production have generally promised delivery by the 5th," he said. He paused. "Personnel, however, is a mixed bag. As of today, over half the companies still haven't sent all their key staff. Most say they'll arrive on the 6th or 7th."
Takuya Nakayama scoffed. "Cutting travel costs wherever possible."
"That's not entirely fair," Oguchi Hisao replied neutrally, placing the document back on the table. "Round-trip airfare from Tokyo to Los Angeles is nearly one-third cheaper if booked half a month in advance. For some small and medium-sized companies, these airfares alone could account for 20% of their booth fees. Waiting a few extra days is understandable."
"What about Sony and Nintendo?"
"Sony sent a technical team yesterday afternoon. I saw them in the hallway; they're probably here early to set up the equipment. Nintendo's people are arriving this morning. I ran into their exhibition manager in the elevator before coming in, and he said all the equipment is here and the team is almost complete."
"What about Atari and 3D0?"
"Atari replied to our inquiry, saying their equipment is on its way and expected to arrive on the 3rd. As for 3D0—" Oguchi Hisao flipped through the papers. "No response."
Takuya Nakayama stored this information in his mind without further comment. He knew 3D0's precarious situation well. Their hardware was too expensive, and their distribution channels were too slow. For them, this E3 was less about showcasing their products and more about proving they were still alive.
The lack of a response could be due to lack of time, or perhaps no one was even responsible for following up. It was hard to say.
The two men sat in silence for a while, the checklist still spread across the table.
Footsteps passed in the hallway from time to time, occasionally punctuated by snippets of English conversation. The building was already bustling with personnel from various manufacturers.
As Takuya reached the door, he glanced back. Oguchi Hisao was already on the phone, dialing. The checklist remained on the table, several lines crossed out and new ones added.
In the hallway, the door to Nintendo's office opened, and an engineer in a plaid shirt emerged, his head bent over the blueprints in his hands. He nearly collided with Takuya Nakayama, quickly sidestepping and apologizing. Their eyes met for a second; the engineer recognized him and paused slightly, but Takuya nodded and continued walking.
The air in the building was a chaotic mix of ink fumes from the various companies' printers and the aroma of fast food from outside—noisy but not chaotic.
The building would remain this lively for several more days.
Once all the engineering teams moved in on June 5th, the Los Angeles Convention Center would truly erupt in activity.
At 8:00 AM on June 5th, the side entrance of the Los Angeles Convention Center opened.
The previous event had been a lighting equipment trade show. Even the night before, scattered exhibitors had been dismantling their booths, and the area wasn't fully cleared until after midnight. Forklift tire marks still marked the floor, and staff had swept twice before calling it a day.
By the time the doors opened, Sega's delivery trucks had already been waiting at the entrance for forty minutes.
Of course, Sega wasn't the only one who had arrived early.
In the parking lot, Nintendo's truck was parked at the far end, followed by three Sony vans. Atari had a semi-trailer and two light trucks on the periphery. Later arrivals gradually filled the space, blocking half the entrance lane.
Security guards and reception staff were caught between the convoy of vehicles, shouting into walkie-talkies. The cacophony of voices merged into an unintelligible roar.
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