On November 9th, a piece of news spanning time zones spread across the world via television signals.
The Berlin Wall had fallen.
That symbolic monument of decades of Cold War confrontation between East and West crumbled overnight into the rubble of history.
Inside Sega's headquarters, the boardroom atmosphere should have been light and cheerful.
News from the North American market had every director beaming, as if even the air carried the sweet scent of money.
"This combination punch of the Sonic the Hedgehog release and the price cut for the Mega Drive worked brilliantly," one director said.
"Exactly. At this pace, by the time Nintendo releases the Super Famicom next year, we'll probably have nearly ten million Mega Drives sold in North America," another added confidently.
"Let them experience the despair of trying to break into a market already overflowing with Sega systems!"
The room filled with laughter and self-congratulation. It was as if Sega had already won the 16-bit console war.
Only Takuya Nakayama sat silently, his eyes fixed on the TV in the corner that was showing the live news.
On the screen, countless Germans were climbing over the broken remains of the Berlin Wall, cheering and embracing one another.
That wasn't just history in motion.
To him, it was the awakening of a vast, untapped market — hundreds of millions of potential consumers.
A new, hungry, blank blue ocean.
His father, CEO Hayao Nakayama, noticed the subtle change in his son's expression. He cleared his throat gently, bringing the room's attention back to order.
"Alright, let's hold off on the celebrations. Let's continue with the meeting," Hayao said. Then, turning to his son, he added, "Takuya, anything you'd like to add?"
All eyes turned toward the young executive.
Takuya Nakayama — the company's undisputed strategic mastermind.
After orchestrating the miracle of one million Mega Drives sold in a single week in North America, every word he spoke now carried weight.
He turned down the TV's volume, but the image of the falling wall continued to play.
"The Berlin Wall has fallen," he began.
"To many of you, that might just seem like an international political event."
"But to me, it means a new world — full of potential — is opening its doors to us."
"Eastern Europe."
The two words hung in the air.
The board members froze for a moment before murmurs began to ripple through the room.
Eastern Europe?
Those still-closed, Soviet-aligned countries?
What kind of business could be done there?
One director spoke up, hesitant. "Executive Nakayama, the Eastern European market… surely their purchasing power is extremely limited? Can they even afford our Mega Drive?"
Another chimed in. "And aside from Poland and Hungary, most of them are still under Soviet control. What if the Soviets clamp down again?"
Takuya shook his head and pointed toward the silent television screen.
"Berlin — a city split in two by the world's most powerful nations. The very front line of the Cold War."
He tapped his temple lightly.
"Think about it. If the Soviets can't even control East Germany — right there at the front line — what does that say about their grip on the rest of the Warsaw Pact countries?"
"You've all heard stories about the Soviet Union forcing those countries to buy industrial junk through COMECON, right? Do you think they're still loyal to Moscow after that?"
"Just watch — soon, Western goods will start flowing into East Germany, Poland, Hungary… and eventually, even Moscow itself."
"The Cold War's outcome is becoming clear."
He paused for a sip of tea before continuing calmly.
"As for their spending power — yes, they can't afford high-end systems right now. That's why we won't sell them our most expensive consoles."
"We'll sell them the ones that fit their situation."
He handed out a prepared set of documents to each director.
"My plan is multi-layered — full penetration."
"Step one: clear inventory."
"The SG-1000 consoles we still have in storage — along with used units about to be phased out in North America and Japan — can all be bundled and sold to Eastern Europe."
"Use Poland, Hungary, and the newly opened East Germany as our hubs. We'll dump inventory there at dirt-cheap prices — even license local factories to produce SG-1000s themselves. As long as we don't lose money, we move forward."
"Our goal is simple — when these people play their very first video game, it must be a Sega game."
The confusion on the directors' faces began to fade, replaced by curiosity and thought.
"Step two: software localization — building the market."
"Our GamePocket handhelds, old arcade boards — all of those can go too. For game cartridges, we'll provide only the core code and data, and let them handle localization."
"For example — they can produce Russian-language versions and sell them across all Russian-speaking regions."
"We'll license production at just above piracy-level prices. The point isn't to make money right now — it's to build a massive, Sega-loyal user base and market ecosystem."
"Of course, we can't seriously talk about copyright in those regions yet. But Sega must not encourage piracy either."
"As for the profits we give up here—"
He paused and tapped his finger on the table.
"—we'll earn them back in step three: technology export and control."
That got everyone's attention.
"They can mold plastic, they can assemble — but they can't make chips."
"All essential semiconductor components for consoles and cartridges will be imported from us."
"This business won't bring huge profits, but it's stable and long-term. It'll be logistically complicated, so I suggest we hand it over to our factories in Hong Kong and Taiwan."
His gaze swept over several directors — Terauchi, Hatano, and a few others with deep connections in those regions.
"These factories won't just handle Eastern Europe. They can also oversee authorized SG-1000 production in mainland China."
"Helping them expand in China is also paving the way for Sega's future. And those sales figures will, of course, factor into Sega's dividends."
When he finished, the room went silent.
Three birds with one stone.
Everyone in the room understood instantly.
This wasn't just a business plan — it was a redistribution of power and profit.
With what seemed like a simple "waste recycling" plan, Takuya had managed to tie together Sega's global strategy, its business partners' interests, and the personal networks of everyone present.
Each director now saw a new, nearly risk-free opportunity for profit.
CEO Hayao Nakayama, who had been listening quietly, finally allowed himself a faint smile.
He looked at his son — poised, sharp, commanding the room with confidence and clarity.
This young man was no longer a fledgling under his protection.
"Alright," Hayao said, tapping the table gently. "We'll proceed with Takuya's plan. He'll be in charge of coordination."
That one sentence — "He'll be in charge" — firmly handed the reins of the massive project to Takuya.
The directors nodded, their faces lighting up with polite smiles and silent understanding.
Over the next thirty minutes, Takuya divided the Eastern Europe strategy into several segments — slicing the cake neatly for every interested party.
Domestic sales divisions got the clearance and liquidation responsibilities.
The arcade division was tasked with offloading old machines from company-owned and franchise arcades.
The overseas department took charge of building Eastern European distribution networks.
Those with factory stakes in Hong Kong and Taiwan received chip export and manufacturing contracts.
Even the director with ties to Ubisoft was assigned a "special mission" — to help Ubisoft penetrate German-speaking regions.
Finance and legal directors, too, were granted oversight of licensing fees.
By the end of it, everyone had a slice.
Everyone was satisfied.
And everyone had tied themselves a little tighter to the Nakayama family's ship.
When the meeting ended and the board members left, each already daydreaming about their coming profits, only father and son remained in the room.
Hayao looked at his son — part pride, part admiration.
This boy… no — this man — had truly grown into the future of Sega.
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