Kazumasa Kozuki set down the sales report and slid his gold pen into the holder with a satisfying click.
"Inform the factory to print another batch based on our two-week sales forecast. We cannot afford to run out of stock. Also, prioritize the localization testing for other Western languages. The demand for this kind of exploration-heavy action game in Europe and the Americas will be no less than in Japan—it's a much larger blue ocean."
Mid-March.
The second week after the release of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
The critical acclaim had absolutely exploded.
In the editorial offices of major gaming magazines, the ringing of phones and the clatter of keyboards blended into a chaotic symphony. Everyone was talking about this sudden "dark horse."
Inside the review meeting room at Famitsu, smoke hung thick in the air. A group of veteran editors crowded around a CRT television connected to a PlayStation console. They passed the controller back and forth, their faces alight with excitement.
"This map design is simply genius—a stroke of absolute brilliance!" An editor in a baseball cap pressed pause, bringing up the labyrinthine panoramic map. He pointed at the screen excitedly. "This isn't some clunky, old-school level-based system! The entire massive castle is seamlessly connected. Once you get a new ability, you can access areas you couldn't reach before. This kind of freedom, this sense of accomplishment from exploration... it's just incredible!"
"And it doesn't waste your time with self-important nonsense," the Editor-in-Chief added, adjusting his glasses as he flipped through his review notes. "After the opening fight with Dracula, it dives straight into the action. Players are sick of long-winded cutscenes, but if they want to dig deeper, the depth is still there. Koji Igarashi has balanced this perfectly. Konami has truly captured the zeitgeist."
On the screen, Alucard transformed into a swarm of black bats, gliding gracefully over a death trap of spikes. The moment he landed, he reverted to human form, his cloak billowing as he spun and slashed through a charging armored knight. The movement was fluid, without a single hiccup—so smooth it sent shivers down their spines.
"The RPG progression elements are a masterstroke," another editor added, taking a deep drag of his cigarette. "Action games have a high barrier to entry? Can't beat a boss? No problem—just grind mobs, level up, and farm for top-tier gear! Even players who struggle with the action can crush the game with raw stats. This instantly expands the target audience from hardcore gamers to the general public!"
"The music! We have to give the music its own massive section of praise!" the audio editor in the corner slammed his hand on the table, his face a mask of pure bliss. "Michiru Yamane's soundtrack is a gift from the gods! Gothic style blended with a classical symphony, even mixing in rock elements. I'd bet my life on it—this is absolutely the peak of game soundtracks this year, bar none!"
Similar frenzied discussions were playing out across gaming media circles in North America and Europe.
This viral wave of critical acclaim translated directly into terrifyingly high sales figures.
On Konami's financial reports, the numbers surged daily with an almost obscene level of growth.
Chuo Ward, Konami Headquarters Building.
The President's Office on the top floor.
Kazumasa Kozuki leaned back in his leather executive chair, the latest weekly sales report gripped in his hand.
He remained silent, his eyes fixed on the figures on the page, his fingers tapping a rhythmic beat against the leather armrest.
The first-week sales of 350,000 copies were just the beginning.
The momentum in the second week showed no signs of slowing down. Instead, fueled by a frenzy of word-of-mouth praise, it was even hinting at a terrifyingly rare counter-trend: sales were actually increasing.
"President," the Sales Manager said, bowing slightly as he stood before the desk, his voice thick with excitement. "Feedback from Akihabara indicates that players are absolutely captivated by Alucard's character design. Even the proportion of female players is far higher than we ever anticipated!"
"Ayami Kojima's original artwork has certainly paid off." Kazumasa Kozuki set down the report, his gaze deepening. "That ornate, melancholic, and even slightly androgynous style is exactly what young people are into right now."
He rose and walked to the massive floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the gray, overcast Tokyo sky.
"Notify the Marketing Department to deploy all available staff," Kazumasa said, turning back with the sharp, calculating glint of a businessman. "I want them in every major retail store and game center, conducting the most detailed player surveys possible. I need to know exactly what they love about this game. Is it the exploration mechanics? The RPG progression? Or are they just playing to stare at Alucard's face? The more detailed the data, the better. This will directly dictate the development direction for our next few major projects."
"Understood! I'll get right on it," the Sales Manager said, nodding vigorously.
"Wait." Just as the Sales Manager turned to leave, Kazumasa Kozuki stopped him. "What's the status of the Merchandise Development Department?"
"The art book and posters are already in the prototyping stage," the Sales Manager reported confidently. "We're also finalizing the release details for Michiru Yamane's OST with a top-tier record label. It should be available for full distribution early next month—it's guaranteed to be a goldmine!"
Kazumasa Kozuki frowned, dismissing the report with a wave of his hand.
"These are just minor skirmishes," he said, slowly walking back to his desk. He leaned forward, planting his hands on the surface, his sharp eyes boring into the manager. "I'm not interested in these crumbs."
The Sales Manager froze, his Adam's apple bobbing as he struggled to find words.
"Contact the Amusement Machine Division," Kozuki commanded, rapping his knuckles hard against the solid wood desk. The sound echoed dully. "Send them every single asset from Symphony of the Night—character art, music, sound effects, background art—the whole lot, without leaving a single thing behind!"
The Sales Manager stared blankly for a moment, then his eyes widened in shock as he gasped.
"President, you mean—"
"Pachinko. Pachislo." Kazumasa Kozuki uttered the words casually. His tone was flat, yet it betrayed the chilling instinct of a true capitalist. "This is Konami's real money-printing machine."
In Japan, no matter how well a console game sold, it was ultimately a one-time transaction. Once the player bought the disc, the profit was capped.
But the neon-lit Pachinko machines in the arcades—those were a steady, never-ending stream of exorbitant profits! Konami had been in this game for over twenty years, and Kazumasa Kozuki knew all too well how terrifyingly lucrative it was.
"This game is the perfect candidate for Pachinko," Kazumasa said, picking up Alucard's concept art book from the table and flipping through a page. "The character designs are stunning, appealing to both men and women. The music is piercing and provocative—it would instantly grab a customer's ear in a noisy arcade. Add to that the gimmick of vampires and medieval castles—once the machines are built, we won't have to worry about gamblers frantically feeding them coins."
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