The immense success of DDR was like a mirror, clearly reflecting Sega's weakness in channel building for the home console market.
"The MD is our next-generation console on which we have placed high hopes; it carries Sega's future. We must not repeat the same mistakes in channel building."
Everyone's eyes converged on Takuya Nakayama.
This young man had created a business miracle with DDR.
Now, they expected him to once again point the way for the future of the MD.
Takuya Nakayama felt the gaze of the crowd, a mix of pressure and expectation.
He cleared his throat, his voice steady and confident.
"Regarding the MD's sales channels, I have some immature suggestions."
He paused, organizing his thoughts.
"In addition to traditional toy stores and game specialty stores, I believe the MD should actively explore new partners to diversify and deepen its channels."
"For example, we could consider collaborating with Sanrio."
"Sanrio?"
A Director showed a puzzled expression.
"Yes, Sanrio."
Takuya Nakayama replied affirmatively.
"With its popular cartoon characters like Hello Kitty and its global retail network, our pokémon also sells well through Sanrio's channels. Sanrio's channels have a large number of young female users and family users. This market segment has been relatively neglected by us in the past, and it would be very suitable to promote simple, fun, and cute games and family party games there."
This proposal made the executives present light up; it was indeed a novel idea.
"Secondly, is cooperation with the international toy giant Mattel."
Takuya Nakayama continued.
"Mattel has unparalleled channel advantages and brand influence in the mainstream European and American family markets, which will be a key aid for the MD to enter these markets. The initial promotion style can also refer to Sanrio."
"And one more thing,"
Takuya Nakayama's gaze swept over everyone as he put forth his most forward-looking suggestion.
"pokémon Centers."
"Given that pokémon has continuously launched various exquisite peripheral products over the past year or so, the foot traffic in pokémon Center stores has always been very stable and considerable."
"Selling MD consoles in pokémon Center stores, as well as future pokémon-themed games, including limited-edition pokémon consoles, will be a win-win situation. The pokémon fan base and the game player base highly overlap, allowing for precise marketing. And users who buy game consoles will more or less consider buying other games, thus achieving our user expansion."
These suggestions, like opening new doors, allowed the Sega executives present to see a broader market prospect for the MD.
Director Yoshikawa's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Takuya-kun's suggestions are very constructive."
Suzuki Masao also nodded vigorously.
"Especially the cooperation with the pokémon Centers; these are individual channel partners directly connected with Sega. Although somewhat fragmented,
they are numerous and widespread. Once achieved, they will be a huge boost to the MD's promotion."
After a heated discussion, the board quickly reached a consensus.
Director Yoshikawa personally made the decision, authorizing the relevant departments of the company to immediately begin contacting and negotiating with Sanrio, Mattel, and Sega-authorized pokémon Center stores.
This would pave an unprecedentedly wide path for the global release of the MD.
One week after the release of DDR, the market's explosive popularity exceeded many people's expectations. Not only were the currently released songs well-received, but many players also jointly requested Sega and Sony to incorporate other songs that players liked into DDR.
Upon seeing the players' surging enthusiasm and skyrocketing orders, the executives of Sony and Sega decisively decided to seize this craze according to their pre-planned strategy, jointly announcing news that ignited the global player community.
"The Second Electronic Sports Tournament—the DDR Global City Championship, officially launched!"
The news spread rapidly to every corner of the world through television, newspapers, radio, and posters in various arcades. Detailed competition rules were also announced.
The city preliminary rounds will comprehensively evaluate contestants' "Aesthetic Appeal" (40%), "Completion Difficulty" (40%), and "Game Score" (20%).
Each preliminary round will adopt an eight-player competition mode with the same song, and only the highest-scoring group from each round will advance through a brutal elimination process until thirty-two contestants or teams are determined.
In the city finals stage, when the number of contestants or teams is less than thirty-two, the format will switch to individual performances, and the top eight will be selected by professional judges.
Subsequently, these eight will compete in a double-elimination tournament to determine the final city champions and runners-up.
The global grand finals are scheduled for January 9, 1988.
Champions from sixteen cities around the world will gather at the National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan, to compete for the highest honor in DDR.
In addition to generous prize money, the dances performed by the top three will also be recorded live by Sega and Sony, made into new song LDs, and distributed to various arcades. They will also enjoy royalty fees for the dance authorization!
As soon as this news broke, arcades in major cities worldwide instantly erupted.
Countless self-proclaimed DDR experts, or players who simply loved to dance, burst forth with unprecedented enthusiasm.
Within a short one-week deadline, the number of registered participants globally easily exceeded ten thousand.
Sega, leveraging its rich experience accumulated from the first Electronic Sports Tournament, combined with Sony's powerful resources and execution capabilities,
the organization of various events was systematically rolled out globally.
Despite the huge investment, both parties saw the even greater commercial value and cultural influence behind this grand event.
Los Angeles, CBS Television.
Veteran program host Mark Thompson was currently frowning at a program proposal on his desk.
His face, usually somewhat rigid from reporting serious news, was now filled with reluctance.
"Live coverage of the Los Angeles DDR City Championship Preliminaries and Finals?"
Mark muttered the title, his tone carrying a subtle sense of absurdity,
because during a report on the Middle East situation last week, he accidentally mispronounced a country leader's name by one syllable. This minor mistake made him the office's unspoken "unlucky guy."
Now, this task, which he considered "unprofessional," naturally fell to him.
"Mark, this is a decision from above."
The department head patted his shoulder, his tone leaving no room for argument, yet his eyes held a hint of sympathy.
At nearby workstations, several young colleagues exchanged glances, trying to suppress their smiles.
Mark took a deep breath, suppressing the irritation in his heart.
He quickly flipped through a few pages of DDR information.
The colorful interface and young people dancing on arrows made his impression of this "dance-on-arrows game" even more disdainful.
This was simply a waste of the TV station's precious prime-time resources.
It was also an insult to his professional journalistic integrity.