Sasaki, who had been eating his bento nearby, suddenly looked up, his chopsticks dropping the tempura back into the bowl. "Thanksgiving! American Thanksgiving!"
"Exactly," Hirokazu Hamamura said, standing up and walking to the window to gaze at the bustling Tokyo streets. "Black Friday. The craziest shopping week of the year in the United States. Takuya Nakayama is using turkey and pumpkin pie to stuff Jupiter into the living rooms of millions of American households."
This "global synchronization" was a true dimensional-lowering attack.
At Sega's Shinagawa Headquarters, the atmosphere was as oppressive as the low-pressure zone before a thunderstorm.
Ken Kutaragi stared intently at the pure white GG, his expression grave.
Creating a machine wasn't the hard part. The real challenge was ensuring that on the very same day, that machine appeared on Akihabara in Tokyo, Fifth Avenue in New York, Oxford Street in London, and the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
What kind of terrifying supply chain management would that require?
What kind of massive inventory would that demand?
While Sony was still scrambling to prepare for their domestic launch, Sega had already loaded containers onto ocean freighters bound for every corner of the globe.
"Did you find out?" Ken Kutaragi asked, his voice tinged with frustration.
Nobuyuki Idei hung up the phone, his expression complex. "Yes. Sega's manufacturing plants in China have been operating at full capacity for three months. Their inventory—it's likely more than five times our own."
Five times.
The number plunged the conference room into deathly silence.
If the 39,800 yen price war was a bayonet charge, this "global launch + Thanksgiving surprise" was like unleashing heavy artillery.
"We've been played," Kutaragi said, grabbing a glass of cold water and gulping it down. "He deliberately delayed the announcement until now to disrupt our launch plans. Even that 39,800 yen price was a trap set long ago. If we don't match it, players will hesitate over the cost. If we do, our cash flow will be stretched to the breaking point. Then, with his massive inventory flooding the market, he'll drain players' wallets before the PlayStation even launches, while simultaneously raising expectations for game quality."
Sony's PlayStation was originally scheduled for December 3rd, a date chosen to capitalize on Japan's Christmas shopping season.
But now, Sega had launched globally on November 19th, a move that put immense pressure on their cash reserves.
Sony had assumed they held a financial advantage, but they hadn't expected Sega to mobilize such a vast cash flow.
Once Sega established the perception of being the "next-generation's first machine," it would be difficult to reverse.
Nobuyuki Idei stroked his chin. "Such a massive stock level means Sega had this launch window locked in long ago. Even to sell enough, their current inventory is sufficient. Any more would simply drain their cash reserves. They delayed announcing the release date purely to spite us."
"We can't just sit back and wait," Ken Kutaragi said, his voice firm. "Inform the marketing department to move up all the TV commercials, originally planned for the week before launch, to next week. And contact all retailers—we need to hold trial events! Massive trial events!"
"If we can't open the retail stores, let's at least let people play it first!"
Nobuyuki Idei looked at his partner, who was on the verge of an outburst, and sighed inwardly.
Playtesting?
With what?
Are we going to pit Ridge Racer against their all-star lineup? Or let players play mahjong in the mall?
Before the battle had even begun, Sony was already being pushed to the brink.
But Sega's tactics didn't end there.
Takuya Nakayama handed a newly drafted fax to Hideki Sato.
"Send this to all third-party manufacturers. Inform them that this year's New Year's sale has been canceled."
Hideki Sato, who was holding a teacup, flinched at the news, spilling a few drops of scalding tea on his pants.
Without wiping it off, he stared wide-eyed at the paper. "Canceled? Now? This is the most critical moment of the holiday sales season! Normally, this is the perfect time for third parties to clear out their inventory. If they can't move their stock, they'll be in cash flow trouble. And this year, Sony is breathing down our necks!"
"We're canceling it precisely because of Sony," Takuya Nakayama interrupted Hideki Sato. "Read the announcement."
Hideki Sato picked up the paper, a look of suspicion on his face.
The announcement was written in a polite, even "tender and affectionate" tone.
In essence, it stated that due to the fierce console war expected at year-end, Sega had decided to suspend all first-party blockbuster releases after December 10th to protect the interests of its partners.
The prime retail space during the Christmas and New Year holidays would be entirely ceded to third-party manufacturers for clearing inventory and releasing new titles.
Furthermore, due to tight cash flow from new console production, Sega's annual New Year's discount event would be canceled in 1995. Third-party manufacturers were free to arrange their own discounts or submit proposals to Sega, which would then relay them to distributors and retailers.
"This—" Hideki Sato read the announcement twice, his mind racing. A chill ran down his spine.
This isn't about "protecting partners," he realized. This is a massive trap for Ken Kutaragi.
"Understood?" Takuya Nakayama stood up slowly, his voice measured. "Sony's launching on December 3rd, right? Fine. We'll strike first on November 19th. With a few launch titles and global momentum, we'll drain the core gamers' wallets in the first wave."
He walked to the massive floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the blurred silhouette of the Sony building in the distance.
"By December 3rd, Sony will finally get their machines on the shelves, but most of the money will already be gone. That's when they'll realize the PlayStation only has a pathetic handful of mahjong games and Ridge Racer as its only truly competitive title. Meanwhile, Sega might not have any new first-party games yet, but the titles we released in the previous two weeks will keep players busy for at least a month. And those who aren't buying new consoles yet will be waiting for third-party releases and holiday sales in the new year, further shrinking the pool of potential PlayStation buyers."
Hideki Sato swallowed hard.
This is ruthless.
It was as if Sega and the third-party manufacturers were launching a pincer attack on Sony.
"For third-party developers, even without the discount subsidies, securing a spot during the year's hottest sales season remains acceptable," Takuya Nakayama said, turning to point at the announcement. "By voluntarily stepping aside, they won't complain about the canceled promotions; instead, they'll be grateful. After all, without Sega's first-party next-gen console launch title crushing the competition, this is their chance to make a killing."
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