Traveling through the Tokyo bubble era

Chapter 906: The unstoppable PS2 console
Ishihara Tomoe's explanation reminded Hanyu Hideki of the calls that Satoshi Iwata and Mike Katz made to him last night.

With the end of the E3 Expo in Las Vegas, the much-anticipated PS2 console has officially gone on sale worldwide.

There are too many factors that dealers cannot control, but the Elf Show stores directly operated by Elf Entertainment have begun to sell products as planned.

The first region to start is North America, followed by Neon, the home base of Elf Entertainment, and Europe will have to wait until next week to start.

However, even though it is now only available in two regions, the launch of the PS2 console has directly ignited consumers' enthusiasm and instantly detonated the global game market.

As of now, according to incomplete statistics, the total sales of PS consoles in North America and Japan alone have exceeded 2.4 million units.

The marketing department of Elf Entertainment originally made an extremely optimistic estimate that the inventory of more than four million would be enough to cover the first month's sales of the PS2 console after it was launched.

But now it seems that the inventory of more than 4 million units may not last even a week.

Now, not only the stores in Japan have started to limit purchases, but all the Elf Shows in America have also started to limit purchases.

This was not instructed by Hideki Hanyu, but was done to imitate a certain brand's hunger marketing in later generations.

Because there is no need for this at all. Elf Entertainment is the only one in the entire electronic game console market. Players are already starving without any marketing.

The reason for this is that, first of all, they don’t want stores to be out of stock, resulting in a serious window period, which would then allow unscrupulous merchants to hoard goods, or for competitors to spread conspiracy theories.

After all, as long as we give consumers hope and prevent them from despairing, we can at least calm everyone's mood.

Another reason is that Elf Entertainment wants to ensure that there is goods to sell in major regions such as Europe and Asia.

Otherwise, all supplies will be supplied to the North American market and the Japanese market, and consumers in other markets will be looking forward to it, but what they will get is only Elf Entertainment’s delay in delivery.

In fact, the PS2 console could achieve such astonishing sales, not only the sales department of Elf Entertainment, but even Hideki Hanyu did not expect it.

You have to know that when the PS1 console was launched, its sales in North America in the first week were not as much as its sales in Japan in one day now.

Of course, Elf Entertainment at that time was completely different from what it is today.

But the problem is that the total sales of Sony PS consoles in another time and space only barely exceeded 100 million units in ten years.

But judging by the current performance of the PS2 console, the sales in the first month may exceed million.

Although subsequent sales will certainly not be able to maintain such terrifying numbers, surpassing the PS1 console from another time and space is clearly a foregone conclusion.

The most important thing is that both the new console X·ES, a strong collaboration between Sony and Nintendo, and the Saturn console with a low-price strategy by Sega, have been given great attention by everyone in Elf Entertainment.

But when the PS2 console produced by Elf Entertainment was launched on the market, its overwhelming sales made them realize that their worries were totally unnecessary.

The first is Sony's X-ES console, which is not only slower in distribution than the PS2, but its sales are also far behind.

It can be said that facing the impact of the PS2 console, Sony, which teamed up with Nintendo, was on the verge of collapse.

So far, neither Sony nor Nintendo has officially announced any sales information for its new consoles.

Hideki Hanyu is very familiar with this kind of operation.

Because all the opponents defeated by Elf Entertainment in the past had this reaction.

As for Sega, it can only be said that it has remained silent in major markets.

Sony's X-ES console has been criticized and attacked in various ways by the gaming media, which is controlled by Hanyu Hideki.

But at least Sony has used its powerful marketing network to create a lot of hype for the X·ES console, which can be seen in various TV commercials and offline promotions.

However, the scale of Sega's advertising investment in its two major markets, North America and Japan, is visibly "meager".

Whether it is marketing or supply, these large markets are obviously not Sega's main battlefield. They still focus on maintaining their share in emerging markets and put their main efforts there.

So when the sales of Genie Entertainment's PS2 console exploded, these two companies had almost no impact.

Thinking of this, Hanyu Hideki in the car couldn't help but say, "Haha, it's really vulnerable, there's no challenge at all."

"President, do you have any instructions?"

Kanako Higuchi, who was standing next to her, didn't hear what Hanyu Hideki said clearly, so she asked carefully.

"Nothing, just thinking about some company affairs."

Hanyu Hideki explained in a gentle voice.

He is different from the naive Ishihara Tomoe. He no longer shows his likes and dislikes, happiness and anger on his face. Even if he doesn't care much about the person in front of him, he will not show it on the surface.

He doesn't mind acting out the other person's favorite look even without getting in his way.

After dealing with Kanako Higuchi, Hideki Hanyu remembered what Satoshi Iwata reported to him.

That is because of the extremely hot sales of the PS2 console, and the Elf supply chain, which was thought to be well prepared, is now completely stretched.

Even if all the companies in the Elf supply chain were operating at full capacity today, they would still be unable to meet the explosive production of PS2 consoles.

And it's not just the consoles, even the production of dedicated EMD game discs is in short supply.

According to Iwata's estimation, the shortage of Phantom Show and dealers cannot be resolved in a short period of time, and the purchase restrictions will continue for some time.

To this end, the production department of Elf Entertainment has begun contacting alternative manufacturers and preparing to expand the scale of the supply chain.

In order to ensure product quality, more than 300 employees from the quality control department of Elf Entertainment have been dispatched to various parts of the world to control product quality on the front line.

It is imperative to eliminate the possibility that supply chain manufacturers ignore product quality in order to rush production.

As the saying goes, the more prosperous you are, the more careful you have to be.

Now that Elf Entertainment is firmly in the leading position, there are naturally countless people who want to see Elf Entertainment in trouble and want to replace it.

If any quality problems really occur, then Sony will use the same method against Elf Entertainment as it is using the media to deal with Sony now.

If nothing unexpected happens, the PS2 console sales cycle will continue for several years.

After all, even according to the original historical calculations, Nintendo would have to wait until the mid-1990s to develop a 64-bit console.

Even if Nintendo doesn't do it in this time and space, Elf Entertainment will definitely launch its own 64-bit console according to the time node.

After all, in this time and space messed up by Hideki Hanyu, he can't expect Nintendo to produce a console that is obviously 1-bit but has gaming effects that are "comparable" to the PS, as it did in another time and space.

What's more, even if Sony, a large and powerful company, suffers some loss on the X·ES console, it will never give up like small manufacturers and will definitely make a comeback.

By then, a new console war will be inevitable.

Hideki Hanyu will not underestimate any opponent, let alone Sony.

Looking back at the history of another time and space, which gaming overlord has never been overthrown by its opponents?
And with the development of Internet technology, when we enter the 21st century, the era of mainframes is destined to come off the stage.

PC games, Internet games, mobile games, one after another. What Hanyu Hideki wants to do is just to lay a solid foundation for Elf Entertainment, prepare for a rainy day, and then prolong its life in the future.

As for helping Jingling Entertainment turn around and develop into a new field?
Think about Neon Future’s poor Internet technology conditions, bad industry environment, and rigid innovation atmosphere.

Hideki Hanyu feels that instead of doing this, it would be better to start a new business when the time comes.

Suddenly, Hideki Hanyu felt that he was thinking too far ahead. There was no need to worry about things ten or twenty years later.

Instead of thinking about that, it’s better to think about the next work arrangements.

With the launch of the PS2 console, he may want to consider embarking on a global supply chain inspection tour to demonstrate his attention to supply chain manufacturers.

Just as he was thinking about it, the co-pilot Tomoe Ishihara reminded him.

"Teacher Hanyu, we have arrived at our destination."

Hanyu Hideki stopped thinking, turned his head and looked out the window, and found that he had indeed arrived outside the hotel where Toho was holding the event.

Although it was just a banquet to celebrate the completion of the filming and to conduct advance publicity, it still looked quite lively.

The reporters at the hotel entrance and the various celebrities coming in and out all proved that Toho attached great importance to this movie and had put a lot of effort into tonight's event, mobilizing a lot of resources and inviting many people to build momentum.

In contrast, Yunshang Entertainment basically did not participate except for a few staff members and performing artists.

After all, although Yunshang Entertainment participated in this movie, it was only a member of the production committee and it was a courtesy investment.

The most they could do was use the investment to get Kanako Higuchi and a few other artists into the crew, and to find some resources for the artists under the company.

The scene outside the hotel prompted Ishihara Chie to ask again, "Teacher Hanyu, do we need to find another entrance?"

Hanyu Hideki waved his hand and said, "No need. I don't need to hide from the media yet, and it's too late to change places now."

As he spoke, the reporters at the hotel entrance had obviously noticed his presence.

It’s not that these people have X-ray vision and can directly see him sitting in the car.

But his modified Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit is so famous in Tokyo that both the model and the license plate number are information that media practitioners must remember.

Therefore, as soon as the vehicle approached, these reporters were like sharks smelling blood. They immediately abandoned the celebrities they were interviewing and quickly surrounded the vehicle.

However, before the reporters got close to Hanyu Hideki's car, several bodyguards appeared and separated them from the car.

At the same time, one of the bodyguards had already opened the car door.

Hideki Hanyu, who the reporters had been looking forward to for a long time, stepped out of the car, buttoned up his suit, and waved to the reporters with a smile.

From the beginning of the year to now, Hanyu Hideki has relied on one piece of heavy news after another to boost public opinion. There is no need to elaborate on how high the public opinion is.

In short, when he appeared, the media reporters at the scene immediately fell into excitement.

Such a commotion naturally attracted the attention of other people around.

When those people saw that it was the big boss Hideki Hanyu who appeared, their expressions changed involuntarily, filled with surprise and astonishment.

After all, no one had said before that Hideki Hanyu would appear at the event tonight.

Especially the celebrity artists present were already racking their brains, thinking about how to leave a good impression in front of this big shot.

Among them, any female artists who were a little confident in their own looks could not help but check their appearance.

By the way, lower the neckline of the evening dress and raise the hem of the skirt to make yourself more ambitious, more eye-catching and more attractive.
After all, Hideki Hanyu's "preferences" are well known in the circle.

If they are lucky enough to be noticed by Hideki Hanyu, they might be able to rise to the top overnight.

At worst, we can at least ask for some resources from Hideki Hanyu.

Besides, Hideki Hanyu is not only outstanding in appearance, but also generous. They are all in business, so why not aim directly at the ultimate goal? After all, there are too many benefits to accompanying Hideki Hanyu.

At this moment, Kanako Higuchi also walked down from the other door, trying to act dignified and elegant, and came to the side of Hideki Hanyu.

By doing this, she was clearly telling the media that she was Hideki Hanyu's female companion tonight.

Of course, it is also necessary to declare sovereignty to those who covet Hideki Hanyu.

Hideki Hanyu turned a blind eye to this.

Instead, the media became excited again, and the name of Higuchi Kanako was added to the questions that they originally asked loudly to Hanyu Hideki.

"Mr. Hanyu, your participation in tonight's event was not announced beforehand. Why did you suddenly show up?"

Hideki Hanyu was walking towards the hotel under the escort of bodyguards when he heard the reporter ask this question and answered it casually.

"Toho is an important partner of Cloud Entertainment, and Cloud Film is also a member of the production committee for this film, so it seems only natural for me to be here."

When the reporters around heard this, they wanted to complain that this was totally unreasonable.

Normally, Yunying screens its own movies and holds activities, but I never see you, the big boss, show up. But today you came to support Toho.

Of course, facing the big boss like Hanyu Hideki, they only dared to think about it in their hearts and it was impossible for them to really complain about it.

However, there were some reporters with quick minds who quickly associated other aspects with Hanyu Hideki's words.

Mr. Hanyu, the big boss behind Yunshang Entertainment, rarely participates in circle activities on weekdays. However, he suddenly appeared at Toho's event today and emphasized that Yunshang Entertainment and Toho are important partners.

Is this a sign that Yunshang Entertainment and Dongbao are planning some major collaboration?
Just when they wanted to ask further questions, Hanyu Hideki answered another question from the reporter.

"Mr. Hanyu, is there any special reason why you brought Ms. Higuchi as your female companion tonight?"

The reporter almost asked directly whether Hideki Hanyu and Kanako Higuchi were in a relationship.

Of course, other reporters were actually quite interested as well.

Although everyone is tired of the gossip and scandals about Hideki Hanyu, readers will still buy into it if new characters appear.

It is basically a consensus among Japanese media that whichever company has news about Hideki Hanyu will not have to worry about sales.

Faced with this question, Hideki Hanyu simply answered indifferently.

"There's no special reason. I just brought Miss Higuchi along."

When these words were spoken, the reporters were disappointed, and Kanako Higuchi also showed a look of loss in her eyes.

After all, Hanyu Hideki was unwilling to give her even the ambiguous status of lover.

But Hideki Hanyu didn't care about the feelings of a woman who was looking for fun. After asking this question, he entered the hotel under the protection of bodyguards and ignored the reporters who were still asking questions.

(End of this chapter)