In two weeks, like a giant rock thrown into a calm lake, the publicity wave jointly launched by Sony and Sega swept across the globe with unprecedented force.
The bombardment of TV commercials, full-page reports in fashion magazines, experience videos from popular celebrities, and the bustling crowds at pre-release events propelled an arcade game called "Dance Dance Revolution" to major cities worldwide.
Everything was accumulating energy for DDR's release date.
On the eve of Thanksgiving, the official release date of DDR arrived.
On this day, as dawn broke, the scene at the entrances of flagship arcade halls in major cities around the world was strikingly similar.
Crowds surged, mostly young faces in the queues, their eyes sparkling with excitement and anticipation.
Media reporters set up their cameras, ready to record this undoubtedly extraordinary moment.
Tokyo, Akihabara.
The hustle and bustle of the electronics district had not fully awakened, yet several girls in dark school uniforms were already chattering, unable to contain their excitement.
"The dance moves for 'Masked Ball' in the commercial are super cute!"
A girl with pigtails gestured, drawing a burst of soft laughter from her companions.
"Yeah, yeah, I never thought a boy band could dance like that; it seems like both boys and girls can dance it."
They were discussing the DDR dance moves performed by a popular female idol group in the promotional video—novel, appealing, and full of girlish dreams.
Not far away, a young man in loose hip-hop clothing and a baseball cap scoffed at this craze.
He was a seasoned street dancer, with faint tattoo patterns visible on his arm.
"Tch, isn't it just stepping on arrows? Kid's stuff."
He mumbled in a low voice, full of disdain.
His friend pulled him hard.
"Don't say that, A-jian. Since we're here, give it a try."
The young man, referred to as A-jian, was eventually half-coaxed, half-dragged into the queue by his friend.
When it was his turn, he deliberately chose the song "Bad." Michael Jackson's figure appeared on the screen, and a high-difficulty chart poured down.
Initially, he was still somewhat playful, trying to hit the arrows accurately while following LaVelle Smith Jr.'s dance moves on screen.
However, the continuous "Miss" notifications on the screen wiped the relaxed expression from his face.
Sweat seeped from his forehead, and a few suppressed snickers came from around him.
When the song ended, his score was terrible.
A-jian's cheeks felt hot, not from exertion, but from a long-lost sense of frustration.
He stared at the glaringly low score on the screen, then thought of Smith's cool moves in the game just now, and his eyes changed.
The competitive spirit of a dancer was completely ignited.
"One more time."
He pulled a coin from his pocket, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
North America, New York.
On the giant screens near Times Square, a cool DDR promotional video was playing in a loop.
Inside the arcade hall, deafening music intertwined with dazzling light effects, attracting countless curious gazes.
A young man with blonde hair and blue eyes awkwardly stepped to the beat of "Never Gonna Give You Up," his body stiff and somewhat comical.
Each of his mistakes drew good-natured laughter and encouraging whistles from the surrounding crowd.
The atmosphere was lively and free, full of American exuberance.
Suddenly, a small gasp erupted from the crowd.
An elegant girl, dressed in a simple T-shirt and jeans, stepped onto the dance floor to the melodious tune of "La Isla Bonita."
Her dance steps did not strictly follow the on-screen instructions; instead, on the basis of precise footwork, she incorporated many improvised, Latin-flavored upper-body movements and spins.
That confidence and composure instantly made her the center of attention.
When the music ended, there was a thunderous applause.
A middle-aged man in a suit walked through the crowd and handed her a business card.
The girl took the card and glanced at it; it bore the logo of a famous modeling agency.
Such stories quietly unfolded in various parts of the world during the first few days of DDR's release.
Europe, London.
A trendy arcade hall located in Soho gathered many fashionably dressed young people.
ABBA's "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" with its powerful disco beat, made several girls with exquisite makeup eager to try.
They quickly discovered that this game was far more challenging than it looked.
The arrows on the floor were just the basics; what truly attracted attention and earned high ratings was the upper-body performance and overall stage presence that matched the music's rhythm.
After several rounds, thin beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads, their cheeks flushed, but their eyes sparkled with the desire to conquer.
Challenging high-difficulty songs and researching more elaborate dance moves became their new pleasure.
Whether it was the subtlety of Tokyo, the exuberance of New York, or the fashion of London.
Players were all stunned by DDR's high-definition MV footage delivered by the LD format.
They were impressed by the precise judgment system.
They were ignited by the gorgeous sound and light effects that perfectly linked with the dance steps.
In particular, those female idol group songs that were not difficult but had catchy melodies and cute dance moves attracted a large number of female players who had previously shied away from arcade games.
They leaped lightly in front of the screen, their faces beaming with pure joy.
Sega Headquarters, conference room.
Just a few days after the release date, orders and revenue data from channels worldwide flew here like snowflakes.
Takuya Nakayama sat by the conference table, his expression calm, but the slight upward curve of his lips still revealed his mood at the moment.
The voice of the CFO, filled with barely suppressed excitement, echoed in the slightly quiet conference room.
"Reporting to all directors, as of yesterday, the first batch of 50,000 Dance Dance Revolution machines globally has been mostly sold out."
"The number of additional orders from arcade halls in various locations has exceeded 100,000 units."
"Preliminary calculations show that project research and development and initial promotion costs have been fully recovered within three days of release."
"Currently, the daily net profit is climbing at an astonishing rate."
As his words fell, a collective gasp was heard in the conference room, followed by enthusiastic applause and low exclamations.
Director Yoshikawa's wrinkles seemed to smooth out. He clapped his hands vigorously. Although he had initially supported this project because he was responsible for liaising with Sony, the company now credited him with a Achievements, and he could only say that passively winning was truly irresistible.
After the excitement, a more senior executive maintained a hint of calm amidst the joy.
"The success of DDR is certainly the result of our team's efforts, but we must also acknowledge that Sony's powerful global distribution network and rich music copyright resources, as well as the existing, mature channel of arcade halls, played a crucial role."
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the conference room settled slightly.
Everyone nodded, agreeing with this point.
Takuya Nakayama also nodded slightly; Sony's assistance was indeed one of the key factors that allowed DDR to quickly explode globally.
The conversation naturally shifted to Sega itself.
"In contrast, our own home console sales channels have always been a weakness."
Director Yoshikawa's brow furrowed slightly, his tone carrying a hint of heaviness.
"Taking the SG-1000 as an example, we relied too heavily on a few large game distributors like Tonka Toys."
"The distribution scope was far from enough, which led to many excellent game titles simply being unable to reach a wider range of potential users."
The atmosphere in the conference room immediately became somewhat somber.