Oguchi Hisao paused, then added, "Also, regarding Yang Jian's line after using the dog form, 'I seem to have forgotten something'—it was originally meant to convey the memory loss caused by the transformation, but the Japanese translation is too plain and fails to capture that sense of fateful sorrow. It didn't get full marks for that."
Nakayama Takuya took the notepad and jotted down a few comments.
"Tell Fu Zhan not to even think about the December release window. That time slot is reserved for the big publishers to fight it out. I suggest scheduling Mercury's first title for release right before the spring break next year."
Before the spring break, the student demographic has plenty of leisure time, and the major titles on the market, having been exhausted by the end-of-year rush, are in a lull.
An ARPG with a novel theme and solid mechanics often gains more attention than expected during this period.
Avoiding the clash of titans to attract enough gamers to try it out—this is the safest distribution strategy.
Nakayama Takuya issued an instruction, "Have the writers who worked on the text polish for the 'Phantasy Star' series assist them with this work. The dialogue doesn't need to be long, but it must be precise. Every time a player presses the transformation button, they should be able to feel the price the character pays. Express the charm of the ancient Chinese text in a way that suits the reading habits of Japanese players."
Takuya Nakayama paused for a moment, then added a key requirement.
"Include a Traditional Chinese language pack on the disc, allowing players to switch languages on the same disc. Once the game is released, ship it simultaneously to Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese-speaking regions."
Hisao Oguchi noted these requirements, then looked up and asked, "Are you targeting the overseas Chinese market as our main focus?"
"It's not just a commercial hedge," Takuya Nakayama explained. "The console market in Hong Kong and Taiwan has a certain scale, and a Traditional Chinese version can directly capture that share, guaranteeing a floor for the game's sales. More importantly, this will be of great benefit to Mercury Electronics Technology's situation in the mainland. The production cost for a Traditional Chinese version isn't high; it just requires replacing the font library and text files. We can directly leverage Nine-Tattooed Dragon's distribution network for sales. Mercury Electronics Technology already had deep ties with their distribution network when they were making learning machines. We can hand over the agency rights for the Traditional Chinese version to them and make appropriate concessions on profit sharing. What we need is sales data and market share."
"Hand over the agency rights for the Traditional Chinese version to them; we can make appropriate concessions on profit sharing. What we want are sales data and market share."
Takuya Nakayama stood up, walked to the whiteboard, and drew a simple diagram of the stakeholder relationships.
"Mercury Electronics Technology develops games in Fuzhou, Sega provides funding and technical support, and Nine-Tattooed Dragon is responsible for distribution in the Chinese-speaking regions. This is a perfect closed-loop business model. In this day and age, for a mainland software company to be able to develop games that are sold overseas—complete with Traditional Chinese versions—and earn foreign exchange, this is a concrete achievement. With this track record, Mercury can obtain more policy inclination and resource support in Fuzhou, laying a more solid political and economic foundation for subsequent cooperation. In the future, when we expand other businesses in the mainland, Mercury will be the best bridgehead."
"Understood. I will organize these opinions into formal guidance documents and send them to Fuzhou," Oguchi Hisao said, closing his folder.
"Regarding the pricing strategy for Investiture of the Gods: The Legend of Yang Jian, the initial shipment volume should be controlled between eighty and one hundred thousand units. We will adopt a batch distribution model."
Takuya Nakayama continued to instruct, "It is better to cause a small-scale shortage in the market than to have excess inventory."
Oguchi Hisao closed the folder.
"Regarding the pricing strategy for Investiture of the Gods: The Legend of Yang Jian.
The initial shipment will be controlled at eighty to one hundred thousand units. We will adopt a batch distribution model," Takuya Nakayama continued, giving instructions. "It's better to cause small-scale shortages in the market than to end up with excess inventory. A new IP has weak risk resistance; we must test the market's true reaction at the lowest possible cost. 5800 yen is a reasonable range. This is the standard price point for a second-tier solid title. High investment does not equate to a high retail price, especially since Mercury Electronics Technology's development costs are not particularly high compared to Japanese developers. Players today are very sensitive to the prices of original IPs. 5800 yen can lower the trial-and-error threshold for players.
We will adopt a 5:3:2 batch distribution strategy. Nintendo's Bahamut Senki was blindly confident, pressing 900,000 units for the first batch, and the price ultimately collapsed. We must learn from that lesson."
Oguchi Hisao nodded and took notes.
"In terms of marketing, avoid using slogans like 'Authentic Chinese Mythology'," Nakayama added. "Japanese players have limited awareness of the Investiture of the Gods theme. Focus the promotion on 'transformation-based strategy' and 'built using the same technology as Phantasy Star'. Borrow the reputation of established projects to endorse the new IP and lower the threshold for players to give it a try."
After Oguchi Hisao left the office, Takuya Nakayama turned his attention back to the report on his desk.
The year-end sales battle was about to begin, and all parties were gearing up for it.
After Oguchi Hisao left the office, Takuya Nakayama turned his attention back to the report on his desk.
The end-of-year sales battle was about to begin, and all parties were gearing up for it.
By yielding the December release slot, Sega had successfully diverted the conflict to the third-party camp, allowing them to sit back and watch the fight unfold from a position of safety.
Mercury Electronics Technology's Investiture of the Gods: The Legend of Yang Jian was a secret weapon.
By placing it in the spring break release slot, they could not only fill a gap in their product line but also accumulate data for future IP incubation.
The restraint shown by Fu Zhan's team in their technical approach proved that, after their training in Tokyo, they had begun to master the development logic of modern game industry.
Abandoning the gimmick of full 3D and focusing on refining the 2D graphics and the visual impact of the magical artifact special effects was the smartest solution given the current hardware limitations.
The deep integration of the Seventy-Two Transformations system with ARPG gameplay provided the game with a rich dimension of strategy.
Players needed to frequently switch between different forms based on enemy attributes and level terrain. This dynamic combat experience was the core competitiveness of The Legend of Yang Jian.
Nakayama had high hopes for the portrayal of the story.
The dilemma of Yang Jian's half-human, half-god identity, coupled with the memory loss brought on by each transformation, imbues the game with a tragic aesthetic.
This restrained and profound narrative style, distinct from the typical hot-blooded shonen tropes common in the market, is more likely to strike a chord with adult players.
As long as the Japanese localization reaches the expected standard and can accurately convey this sense of tragedy to Japanese players, "The Legend of Yang Jian" has a chance to break through during the spring break season.
Coupled with a guaranteed baseline of sales in the Chinese-speaking market from the Traditional Chinese version, Mercury Electronics Technology's first move, if not a guaranteed victory, is at least a steady and calculated one.
Along the streets of Meguro Ward, the ginkgo leaves were beginning to show sporadic patches of gold.
When Takuya Nakayama pushed open his front door, the light in the entryway was already on, its warm, yellow glow appearing exceptionally solid in the deep autumn twilight.
He had been buried in audit improvements at Sega Headquarters for some time, facing mountains of financial statements and the veiled probes of those old foxes every day. Only upon returning here could his tightly strung nerves finally begin to relax.
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