Atlas Headquarters.
Tetsuya Kobayashi arrived early in the morning, greeted by a chorus of voices.
"Good morning, President!"
"Good morning, President!"
"President—good morning!"
Noriyoshi Ohba shot an extremely awkward glance at Tetsuya Kobayashi.
He'd meant to greet Nakayama Hayao, but in the blink of an eye, everyone was addressing Kobayashi instead. Where was the logic in that?!
However, today did bring some good news. Last night, Kunio Taki had informed him that there was no need for further ground promotion. Iwata Satoru from Development Division 2 had reviewed his résumé and decided to have him temporarily assist the division.
Ohba and Kobayashi exchanged glances.
"You're Ohba-kun, aren't you? From Waseda University. Your résumé shows you worked on software development during your studies—a very impressive record."
"Yes, thank you for the compliment, President."
"Having graduated from such a prestigious university, why didn't you go to one of the big companies—Nintendo, Sega—instead of coming to Atlas?"
Hearing the word "Sega" made Ohba's heart nearly leap out of his chest.
But he quickly regained his composure.
"Because Atlas is the company of my dreams. You've developed so many games I love, which is why I specifically waited for Atlas's job openings and applied here."
Kobayashi Tetsu nodded.
"Alright, that's good enough!"
He almost believed it.
Tetsuya Kobayashi just exchanged a few casual greetings before Kunio Taki arrived to report the situation. Kobayashi then stopped pestering Noriyoshi Ohba.
Ohba, on the other hand, was half-heartedly writing while listening intently, his mind already wandering.
Nakayama Hayao had made it clear when he arrived:
Observe more, listen more, and remember more!
Kunio Taki reported, "Reports from Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore have all been received. We're still waiting for the report from North America, but the situation there shouldn't be too bad."
Tetsuya Kobayashi said, "Let's discuss this in my office."
The two walked away, their voices fading into the distance.
Ohba's curiosity was piqued.
What's going on?! He wants to hear too!
But more importantly, Ohba astutely realized something else:
These were all Asian regions where the company had overseas sales. And overseas, those companies didn't have the power to arbitrarily shut down an arcade machine!
I need to report this!
As Ohba pondered this, he suddenly noticed Iwata Satoru, the round-faced man who looked like an easy-going, trustworthy person, approaching.
"Ohba-kun, go down and buy coffee for everyone. I'll reimburse you later."
Noriyoshi Ohba sprang up instantly.
He graduated from Waseda University! And you're asking him to go buy coffee?
And you're not even giving him any money?
Even Iwata Satoru felt a twinge of embarrassment.
And he's still got a degree from Tokyo Institute of Technology! Tokyo Tech is ranked higher in Japan than Waseda!
In the end, Ohba had no choice but to lower his head, mumble an acquiescence, and rush out to buy coffee.
Iwata Satoru casually adjusted his glasses.
Only he and Kunio Taki knew the truth: Noriyoshi Ohba was likely a commercial spy.
Tetsuya Kobayashi had already given the order: send Ohba on an errand and have him make a call while he's at it.
Iwata pondered.
Even an honest man like me can be dishonest when necessary!
Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore.
The moment the string of names was reported back, Nakayama Hayao shot up from his chair.
"So this is what you've been waiting for me for!"
He paced back and forth, hands clasped behind his back, deep in thought.
Atlas's lack of reaction means overseas sales are even higher than we anticipated!
But that doesn't make sense! Atlas spent a fortune on Jackie Chan's movie, yet they're only allowing 8,000 arcade machines in Japan? They must be up to something else!
He returned to the phone and instructed, "Ohba-kun, you're doing well. Once you get back, stay vigilant. Observe carefully, listen attentively, and keep detailed records!"
After hanging up, Nakayama Hayao pondered deeply.
What exactly is Atlas preparing in Japan?
What exactly is Atlas preparing in Japan?
It was a perplexing question.
However, Department Manager Nakamura had been feeling quite satisfied. Reducing Atlas's domestic market share to just 8,000 units was a remarkable achievement. As long as Atlas didn't seek Sega's assistance, they wouldn't be able to break through this 8,000-unit barrier. As for overseas sales, he knew Atlas would undoubtedly succeed, especially in Asia—where Jackie Chan's influence could help them sell their gaming consoles without issue. And they had no means to interfere with overseas markets.
As long as we control the domestic market, we're secure!
That's what Department Manager Nakamura had thought, until a phone call shattered the tranquility of his afternoon nap.
"Manager, I'm at Bandai's headquarters! They just shipped out another batch of arcade machines today, and all the machines under the covers at the loading dock look like Street Fighter!"
Department Manager Nakamura shot to his feet.
"How is this possible? Who are they selling them to? Don't overseas game consoles still need to be assembled in Japan? What about transportation costs? Would Bandai really be that generous?"
"No, it's all within Tokyo!"
"You've got to be kidding me! Which arcade in Tokyo would want this thing?"
"It's not arcades—it's game stores!"
What's the difference?!
Nakamura was about to snap, but the words died on his lips.
There is a difference! A huge difference!
Japan had 40,000 arcades, but 100,000 game stores! Most were small retail shops, but some, like Shimayose Yosuke's place, could be considered large.
But sheer numbers mattered!
Far more than arcades!
"Manager, another shipment just left! Looks like it's all pre-ordered. I bribed the Bandai warehouse manager for intel, and he said they've shipped about a thousand units recently. I asked where they're going, and he said game stores, bars, KTVs, convenience stores, and Atlas's own offline experience stores—"
Department Manager Nakamura couldn't believe it.
How are they even selling this many? He couldn't wrap his head around the numbers.
"Did Atlas go to the offline game stores to sell them? But even they can only handle one or two machines at most. How could there be so many? And how many people did Atlas hire? How could they possibly contact almost every store to start selling them all at once?!"
Department Manager Nakamura couldn't wrap his head around it. It defied his common sense.
Of course, you play games at the arcade. The game stores are just for trying them out.
After a long silence, Department Manager Nakamura suddenly stood up.
He had to see for himself. He had to find out where exactly Street Fighter was being sold!
If he had the chance, he'd even try the arcade game himself.
Now, Department Manager Nakamura had only one hope: that the game wasn't fun.
The definition of "fun" for arcade games was different from console games.
Only coin-gobbling arcade games were truly fun.
So, as long as the game wasn't fun, even if they couldn't suppress sales, it wouldn't matter. They'd only sell the arcade machines, not the game coins—and the coins were where the real money was made!
He had to experience Street Fighter himself!
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