Manager Tanaka had barely sat down when his tense posture stiffened again. "Yes, Managing Director, their momentum is overwhelming. Our distributors are already feeling the pressure—"
"Good," Takuya Nakayama interrupted, his tone relaxed. "That means it's time for our big gun to make its debut."
He slid a document across the table to Tanaka. "November marks the official launch of the Sega CD, with Chrono Trigger as our flagship title."
Tanaka glanced at the release date, his frown deepening. "Managing Director, the Sega CD's price point—"
"45,800 yen," he continued. "Even after shifting most of our manufacturing to China to minimize costs, this price is still too high for the average gamer. Our target audience will inevitably be limited to the most dedicated, wealthiest players. I'm worried about sales—"
"When did I ever say I expected it to sell millions?" Takuya Nakayama retorted.
Manager Tanaka paused, taken aback.
"The first users of the Sega CD won't be ordinary consumers," Takuya continued, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. "They're devotees—fanatics willing to spend a fortune for the ultimate experience. Our usual unconventional marketing tactics won't resonate with them."
"So... what's our marketing strategy?"
"We need to give them a Holy Scripture worthy of their devotion." A faint smile played on Takuya's lips. "Remember how we sold Final Fantasy IV in North America?"
Manager Tanaka's eyes lit up. "The collector's edition! With the soundtrack and artbook!"
"Exactly." Takuya snapped his fingers. "This time, we're going bigger."
He grabbed a pen and began sketching on a blank sheet of paper.
"The game itself—that's the foundation."
"All the music composed by Yasunori Mitsuda and his team—pressed onto vinyl records and CDs."
"All original illustrations and concept art personally drawn by Akira Toriyama will be compiled into a hardcover artbook."
Manager Tanaka nodded repeatedly at this familiar formula. The approach had already been proven successful and was part of the previously established plan.
Yet Takuya Nakayama's pen didn't stop there.
He tapped the words "Chrono Trigger" on the paper, then knocked on his wristwatch.
"The game is called Chrono Trigger, right?" He looked up at Tanaka, his eyes gleaming with an intensity that made the manager feel both exhilarated and uneasy. "How can our Holy Scripture be complete without something that truly represents 'time'?"
"Represents... time?" Manager Tanaka struggled to keep up.
"Contact Casio, or Seiko, or Citizen." Takuya spat out the names. "We'll collaborate on a limited-edition Chrono Trigger watch, sold separately."
"A watch?! A watch?!" Manager Tanaka was genuinely stunned this time. He adjusted his glasses, his voice pitching higher. "Managing Director! The cost of this... this is on a completely different scale! This is practically—"
"It's insane, isn't it?" Takuya Nakayama chuckled. "Costs? No, Tanaka, this is an investment."
He stood up, walked to the window, and gazed down at the bustling street below.
"This is an investment in Hironobu Sakaguchi and his Dream Team. We want them to know that at Sega, their passion will receive the highest treatment. It's also an investment in the reputation of all our players, to make them understand that Sega sells more than just games—we sell dreams worth cherishing."
Turning around, he added with a mischievous tone, "Didn't Mr. Sakaguchi publicly denounce us at CES, claiming we'd 'worked him to the bone'? Consider this watch a token of our compensation for emotional distress."
Manager Tanaka burst into laughter at these words, his doubts and worries swept away, replaced by a surge of fervent excitement.
He finally fully grasped Takuya Nakayama's grand strategy.
The Sega CD version of Chrono Trigger was destined to be niche, but through this extravagant, cost-indifferent approach, it would catapult the IP directly onto the pedestal of legends, becoming an unattainable myth within the core gamer community.
Once the game's reputation and word-of-mouth reached its peak, they would release a cut-down version for the Mega Drive, with reduced animation and some music, to capture the broader market of casual players.
First, elevate it to divine status, then make it accessible to the masses!
Developing all these versions was also partly to compensate for Chrono Trigger's inevitable lower sales on the Sega CD compared to a release on the Mega Drive.
If the sales figures didn't look impressive thanks to these efforts, even Takuya Nakayama's prestige wouldn't protect him from whispered criticism behind his back.
"I understand, Managing Director!" Manager Tanaka immediately stood up and bowed.
"Go ahead," Takuya Nakayama waved dismissively.
Less than two days later, the red light of the intercom on Takuya Nakayama's desk began to flash.
"Managing Director, it's a call from Mr. Hironobu Sakaguchi of Square."
"Connect him."
Sakaguchi's distinctive voice, full of earnest enthusiasm, came through the receiver.
"Takuya! It's me, Sakaguchi!"
"Good afternoon, Mr. Sakaguchi. It seems Manager Tanaka works with remarkable efficiency," Takuya Nakayama said with a smile, leaning back in his chair.
"It's not just high!" Hironobu Sakaguchi raised his voice. "I just finished reading the marketing plan you sent over—the Holy Scripture? You actually called it the Holy Scripture! I thought the Final Fantasy IV Limited Edition was the peak, but you've managed to outdo even that!"
His tone carried the immense satisfaction of an artist seeing their work wrapped in the most lavish packaging.
"Now I understand what you meant by 'torture' at CES," Sakaguchi said with a self-mocking chuckle. "This feeling of having a gold mine behind us, squandering talent without a care, completely disregarding cost—it's thrilling, but also deeply unsettling. The Sega CD's sales are destined to be low. Are we really doing the right thing by going all out like this?"
"There's a problem," Takuya Nakayama replied bluntly.
A moment of silence followed.
"The biggest problem is..." Takuya's tone lightened. "I'm worried players' wallets will complain about us. So, I deliberately held back a bit."
"Hmm?"
"Mr. Sakaguchi, you're worried about the co-branded watch, aren't you? Afraid we won't make the game's launch?"
"Yes," Hironobu Sakaguchi admitted. "Casio said the design, mold-making, and production schedule is extremely tight. They won't be able to deliver the watches in time for the launch."
"That's exactly what we want," Takuya Nakayama said with a chuckle.
This counterintuitive statement left Hironobu Sakaguchi utterly speechless.
"Mr. Sakaguchi, do you think a sacred relic should be something people can buy casually, or something they need to wait for and approach with reverence before bringing home?" Takuya Nakayama asked slowly. "The word-of-mouth buzz for Chrono Trigger needs time to build. Players need to fall in love with the story, fall in love with the world. By the time Christmas rolls around and their appreciation for this masterpiece reaches its peak, we'll tell them: 'Hey, here's a gift that truly represents time—you can wear this moment of emotion on your wrist forever.'"
Takuya paused before adding, "A watch even more expensive than the collector's edition game—perfect for buying yourself as a Christmas present. Separating the payments will give players' wallets a breather, won't it?"
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