December 24, 1992, Tokyo
A biting wind swept through the streets of Tokyo, but nothing could dampen the festive spirit of Christmas Eve.
Ginza, Casio Flagship Store
Store Manager Yamamoto straightened his tie, his brow furrowing as he watched several figures bundled in thick down jackets huddle outside, their heads tucked into their collars as they paced back and forth.
These weren't the usual office workers shopping for gifts for their girlfriends, nor were they trendy youths checking out the latest G-Shock models. Instead, they peered through the glass doors at intervals, their eyes gleaming with a wolf-like hunger.
"Keep an eye on those people outside," Yamamoto cautioned his staff in a low voice. "Make sure they're not here to cause trouble."
At exactly ten o'clock, the store doors swung open.
The lingering figures surged forward like bullets, charging into the shop.
Yamamoto moved to intercept them, but a rotund man in the lead pushed straight to the counter and pointed at the display case, where a promotional sign for the Chrono Trigger collaboration watch hadn't yet been straightened. Gasping for breath, he roared, "One Chrono Trigger edition watch!"
Without trying it on, asking about features, or even glancing at the price, the man pulled a bulging envelope from his coat and slapped it onto the counter. "Cash."
Yamamoto stood frozen.
The watch cost tens of thousands of yen, and combined with the previous Collector's Edition game, this "faith recharge" package would cost more than half a month's salary for an average salaried worker.
"Sir, this watch isn't on sale—"
"Who asked about a sale? Just ring it up already! There are people behind me!" The portly man impatiently urged, his eyes fixed intently on the box the clerk had just pulled out, as if afraid it might grow wings and fly away.
Only then did Yamamoto notice that the people who had been hunched over earlier had crowded up to the counter, each clutching wallets or envelopes.
In just ten minutes, the store's allocation of fifty watches was gone.
Similar scenes unfolded simultaneously in Casio's flagship stores across major cities like Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka.
Initially, Casio hadn't put much effort into this collaboration.
Though Sega was riding high recently, embedding game elements into a watch and selling it at such a premium seemed rather gimmicky.
Out of caution, and at Takuya Nakayama's insistence, the global production was limited to just two thousand units.
Casio's executives had even prepared for a six-month inventory buildup, expecting to eventually offload the unsold stock onto Sega to handle internally.
But reality delivered a harsh blow.
At two in the afternoon, a trembling employee at the Shibuya Store placed a small slip of paper on the poster at the entrance.
The note contained only two characters, yet it carried a weight of a thousand pounds: "Sold Out."
No sooner had it been posted than a taxi screeched to a halt in front of the store.
A bespectacled young man leaped out. Seeing the note, his face drained of color, his knees buckled, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.
"Sold out? It's already sold out?!" The young man grabbed the employee who had just exited the store, his voice cracking. "I drove all the way from Chiba! What kind of stock did you even have?!"
The employee, helpless and barely able to maintain his professional smile, replied, "I'm truly sorry, sir. There were only two thousand units for all of Japan, and Tokyo region sold out an hour ago."
"Which stores still have stock? I'll drive anywhere! Yokohama? Even Hokkaido!"
"According to Headquarters... all Kanto region stores are completely sold out."
The young man released his grip, staring blankly at the sky as he muttered to himself, "It's over... my Chrono Trigger journey will remain incomplete..."
The phone of the Marketing Department Manager at Casio rang incessantly that day.
It wasn't complaints; every call was from regional managers demanding stock.
"Manager! These gamers are crazy! They don't even look at the price! Do we have a list? Can you allocate any more units?"
"Allocate my ass! There are only 2,000 units being released in Japan, period!" The manager stared at the sales reports on his desk, his head buzzing. This wasn't selling watches; it was robbery.
He immediately contacted Sega, trying to discuss the possibility of increasing production.
After all, why let money go unearned? The molds were already made—wouldn't printing a few thousand more be a simple matter?
However, Sega's response was cold enough to make his hair stand on end.
"Executive Director Nakayama said it himself: limited edition means limited edition. One more unit would be a betrayal to the first 2,000 believers. Sega's rule is absolute: if we say it's never coming back, it's never coming back. This principle was established long ago with other limited-edition products, and we can't break it now. This unwavering commitment is the foundation of why our limited-edition merchandise retains its value—and even fetches premiums."
The Sega employee handling the matter spoke with a hint of disdain in his voice. "Also, the Managing Director asked us to pass on this message: 'The unattainable is always the most desirable.'"
Minister Casio hung up the phone, speechless for a long moment.
He finally understood that Takuya Nakayama wasn't just selling a product; he was manipulating people's desires.
Meanwhile, the players who failed to secure a watch, after their initial anger and frustration, quickly began venting their grievances in gaming forums and groups.
"Sega, you bastard! Two thousand units? Are you feeding ants?!"
"Give up already. I saw someone list it on a second-hand store the day it released—doubled the price and sold out the same day."
These expressions of frustration over the unattainable product only poured fuel onto the already raging flames of Chrono Trigger's popularity.
Even players who initially thought paying over 10,000 yen for a game was too expensive now watched as hardcore fans fought over watches costing tens of thousands of yen. Suddenly, waiting until next summer for the Mega Drive cartridge release didn't seem so unreasonable after all.
Some people even began to feel like they'd hit the jackpot just being able to play a game that wealthy collectors were clamoring for.
Takuya Nakayama sat in his office, listening to Manager Tanaka's report, his fingers lightly tapping the desk.
"Two thousand wristwatches sold out on the first day in the Kanto region alone," Manager Tanaka said, wiping sweat from his forehead, his face glowing red. "The Executive Director, the Casio side is going crazy. They keep asking if we can make a reissue or a second wave."
"Reject it," Takuya Nakayama said, taking a sip of his coffee, his expression calm. "Tell them this collaboration was pleasant, and we'll discuss future opportunities. As for these watches, their final destiny is to be discontinued."
"But... won't this disappoint the players too much?" Manager Tanaka asked cautiously.
"Disappointed?" Takuya Nakayama chuckled, his eyes deep and thoughtful. "Tanaka, that's called regret. Sometimes, regret is more memorable than satisfaction. It will make them pay closer attention when Sega releases another limited-edition product. And when the Mega Drive version comes out next year, they'll turn that regret into buying power and snap up the cartridges."
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