On October 30th, the PCEngine, jointly launched by Hudson and NEC, officially went on sale after two weeks of intensive promotion.
Although the initial launch games were only Sunsoft's "Shanghai" and Toei Animation's authorized "immortal demon war," and the console's price was as high as 24,800 Japanese Yen, this pricing seemed quite bold in the market.
However, relying on the powerful IP linkage effect of the anime "immortal demon war," the PCEngine's first-week sales data, like a storm sweeping across the industry, quickly spread to every corner.
500,000 units.
This number weighed heavily on the meeting table of the Sega board of directors.
Having just finished the exhilarating launch lineup presentation for their new console, the excitement and confidence on the directors' faces had not yet completely faded, but now they were brought to a halt by this sudden information.
The air in the conference room became a little stagnant for a moment, mixed with an indescribable sourness.
"500,000 units," one director murmured, his voice tinged with a hint of unwillingness, "They only have two games."
"The appeal of 'immortal demon war' is indeed not small.
But our games are not bad either; just 'pokémon adventure: pokémon land' alone is no worse than theirs," another director tried to analyze, but his tone also could not hide the frustration of being preempted by a competitor.
Hayao Nakayama's face was ashen, his fingers rhythmically tapping on the cold tabletop, making a faint "thump-thump" sound, breaking the brief silence.
"Fortunately," Director Hatano took a deep breath, breaking the dullness, "fortunately, we have Executive Director Nakayama's foresight to plan ahead for a true 16-bit console.
Otherwise, in today's situation, we would only be able to watch Hudson and them monopolize this cake."
At these words, the atmosphere in the conference room eased slightly.
Yes, they had Takuya Nakayama, and the upcoming new console, far superior in performance to the PCEngine.
Director Terauchi took over, his voice steady: "Although the PCEngine is coming on strong, it is not without hidden worries."
"Its display chip specifications are indeed much higher than the FC, which is also their confidence in promoting 'next-generation.'
But don't forget, its core CPU is still at the level of an 8-bit machine."
"With a price of 24,800 Japanese Yen, NEC and Hudson have clearly reserved a very generous profit margin for themselves, which also means that their pressure on the home console royalty system is far less than what we might face in the future."
"But such a high price will inevitably limit the expansion rate of its user base.
More importantly, with a thin game lineup, once the popularity of 'immortal demon war' fades and subsequent titles are weak, this momentum will likely be difficult to sustain.
If there are no new games to expand the lineup, subsequent sales may slow down, or even cause interested third parties to return to a wait-and-see attitude."
Director Terauchi's analysis was like a shot in the arm, causing the directors present to nod in agreement.
"Director Terauchi is absolutely right," one director echoed, "This further highlights the correctness of our strategy to attract third-party software developers for our new console and win with a continuous lineup of high-quality games!"
"That's right, the PCEngine's brief glory has instead shown us the way."
Several directors who had previously felt some pressure due to the million-chip order now even felt that the order for one million chips seemed a bit conservative.
"Perhaps two million chips will be able to meet the huge initial market demand?" someone whispered, his eyes gleaming with even stronger confidence in their new console.
In this atmosphere of dissecting the PCEngine and renewed confidence in their own console, a director who usually focused on brand building suddenly spoke up with a suggestion:
"President, fellow directors, our new console, from its inception to now, is nearing completion in all preparations.
Shouldn't we give it a resonant, official name?"
As soon as this question was raised, it was like a drop of water falling into hot oil, instantly igniting the enthusiasm of the conference room.
"You're right! We can't keep calling it 'new console,' can we?"
"A good name can save a lot on advertising costs!"
The directors began discussing animatedly, and the atmosphere became exceptionally lively.
"How about 'Super Sega System'? It inherits the lineage of the SG-1000 but also surpasses it," a relatively older director suggested, with a touch of nostalgia.
"Too small a scope," another younger director shook his head, "To reflect the advanced nature of our 16-bit machine, how about 'Sega Advanced Entertainment'? Highlighting the concept of 'advanced entertainment'."
Even more ambitious individuals suggested: "'Sega Universe'! Symbolizing that we are about to create a whole new gaming universe!"
Various names, some conservative and steady, others grand and magnificent, were thrown out one after another.
Hayao Nakayama listened quietly, his deep gaze sweeping over each speaking director, but his brows remained imperceptibly furrowed.
These names seemed to fail to truly touch a chord in his heart.
The discussions in the conference room gradually subsided, and everyone's gaze, by common accord, converged on Takuya Nakayama.
This young Managing Director always managed to provide fresh answers at critical moments.
Takuya Nakayama met their gazes, a confident smile playing on his lips.
He cleared his throat, his voice clear and steady:
"Father, directors, regarding the name of the new console, I do have a suggestion."
Everyone's spirits were lifted.
Takuya Nakayama slowly uttered a name that would hold a pivotal position in the future history of gaming:
"MEGADRIVE."
He paused, giving everyone a brief moment to savor the name, and then explained:
"'MEGA,' the word itself contains the meaning of 'million,' symbolizing not only that our new console will have powerful processing capabilities at the megabyte level, but also carries our earnest hope that it can achieve millions, or even higher, sales targets."
"At the same time, 'MEGA' also represents a 'huge' and 'grand' artistic conception, foretelling that our new console will bring a major revolution to the entire electronic gaming industry."
The conference room was silent as the directors carefully pondered the deep meaning contained in the word "MEGA."
Takuya Nakayama continued: "And 'DRIVE' signifies 'driving' and 'power.'
"It symbolizes that our new console will become the core force driving future gaming entertainment experiences.
It also represents the exhilarating feeling players get when they encounter our games—that complete immersion, driven by ultimate enjoyment."
"'MEGADRIVE'—this name is concise and powerful, with a sense of technology and impact.
More importantly, its pronunciation avoids potential ambiguities across different languages, making it very easy for international promotion and dissemination."
"MEGADRIVE—" Hayao Nakayama repeatedly murmured the name to himself, and a hint of an undeniable sparkle finally flashed in his deep eyes.
The other directors also began to savor it.
"MEGADRIVE… it has presence!"
"Mega Drive—hmm, it sounds very powerful!"
"And indeed, as Managing Director Takuya said, this name is very smooth to pronounce in English, with no unusual combinations."
After a brief discussion, almost everyone expressed high approval for the name.
Hayao Nakayama looked around, seeing the rekindled, even more fervent anticipation in everyone's eyes than before, he nodded heavily, making the final decision:
"Good! Our new console will be named 'MEGADRIVE'!"
"The official Japanese name will be 'Loss of strength'!"
This 16-bit console, which carried Sega's hopes for revival and would engage in an intense console war with Nintendo in the coming years, finally received its official name at this moment—MEGADRIVE.