Game Market 1983

Chapter 139: Laon's Launch

Kang Junhyuk muttered, "How much are they trying to make us spend today?"

As Inoshita-san made his announcement, the protagonist with fiery red hair on the projector screen leaped high towards the goalpost, making the net tremble with an astonishing dunk scene.

The users couldn't help but cheer as if the goalpost might actually break from the intensity of that slam dunk.

If you were to mention the two major pillars that led the Japanese manga industry from the late 1980s to the early and mid-1990s, most would think of Dragon Ball and Slam Dunk.

While Dragon Ball, which had been actively adapted into games since the Famicom days, was well-known as a game, Slam Dunk had never been adapted into a game until now.

Perhaps it was because, during that time, titles like "Rival Schools" and "Madden NFL" had a firm grip on the sports game genre, so it might seem a bit boring without brawls and chaos.

But was that really the reason?

I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to create a game using the unique character personalities found in Slam Dunk.

In fact, the game "Slam Dunk Super Slam" released in the mid-90s became a massive hit thanks to the popularity of the characters.

Even those who didn't know much about basketball positions nodded in agreement when the characters were compared to them.

The Slam Dunk game developed for Laon had transformed the arcade game into a third-person SD-style game, preserving its unique cuteness.

-Beep!-

As the whistle signaling the start of the match sounded, the game between Shohoku (North Mountain) and Ryonan (South Mountain) began, and the event hall was filled with excitement and anticipation.

"Oh, how adorable!"

"Look at Mitsui Hisashi's expression!"

When Shohoku won the jump ball, the ball quickly found its way to Mitsui Taichi (Jeong Dae-man), and the sight of him sprinting to the basket in a fast break resembled a scene from a manga, eliciting cheers from the crowd.

However, when Mitsui Taichi (Jeong Dae-man) tried to drive to the basket, Sendoh (Yun Dae-hyeop) blocked his path, and the ball changed direction, heading towards Mitsui (Jeong Dae-man), who was unmarked on the perimeter.

Without hesitation, Mitsui (Jeong Dae-man) made a beautiful three-point shot, and the ball gracefully swished through the net. The screen zoomed in on Mitsui's face as the shot went in.

"Wow, the Flaming Ace, as expected!"

The demo of Slam Dunk continued amidst the enthusiastic crowd, and Laon's launch event began to feel like a festival.

"I'd like to request a big round of applause for the original creator of Slam Dunk, Inoshita-san, who honored us by coming to our event."

"Thank you. Please enjoy the game."

"Well, that concludes the presentation of our new product, and we officially start the sales of Laon."

"Wow!!!"

The gamers in the event hall roared like heroes marching into battle.

Those who hadn't entered the hall yet were curious about what was happening inside and were eager to get in.

A while later, as the official sales event began, Laon, the new portable device, rapidly started selling at all eight cash registers.

"I want Laon and Spa 2!"

"I'll take Laon, Final Frontier 4, and Slam Dunk!"

"Oh, what should I do? Slam Dunk came out of nowhere, and it's making me hesitate."

"Why hesitate? Just buy everything. You're going to buy it anyway!"

"Right? It's better to buy it now than regret it later when it's sold out."

"RPG, fighting action, and even a sports game, what a fantastic lineup!"

"Don't hesitate, and buy it quickly. I'm exhausted!"

The event hall, filled with Laon's customers, resembled a Thanksgiving gathering in the United States. Those who had just entered from the outside were caught off guard by the announcements and the news of Slam Dunk's release, staring at the screens in awe.

"So, Pentagon is making arcade games now..."

"Did they extract the versus part from the shooting game Psychic Battle and upgrade it? It's a bit frustrating without any game footage, but the opening movie is amazing, almost like a theater screening."

"It's winter! It's winter!"

"If that comes out, will Takashi, the champion from Psychic Battle, make an appearance again?"

"Oh, I watched that final match back then. It was so cool, especially the last bullet defense. Wow!"

"I still get goosebumps just thinking about it."

I listened to the conversations of the people, feeling grateful for the users' passion, still remembering Psychic Battle.

"This battle will be much more thrilling than Takashi's final match."

Psychic Battle, known for its ultimate battle speed, was a creation born from Morita's planning.

Shifting from the shooting genre, the genre it was originally focused on, to one-on-one combat, Psychic Battle was produced with a focus on preserving the characters' images using arcade boards.

Even though Laon was an outstanding device, it couldn't handle Morita's illustrations to their full potential. Still, it was clear that it would provide a much better result than a rushed production.

Moreover, the early 1990s were the heyday of game centers, so if we looked at coin turnover rates, it seemed like a profitable venture.

Considering the many versus fighting games that would emerge in the future, didn't Pentagon Soft need at least one fighting game to make its name known? That's what I proposed, and it was met with a welcoming atmosphere from everyone.

Since March, Psychic Battle had been in rapid development, with progress reaching about 60% by now.

We had already established the basic framework for one-on-one fighting.

A few days ago, we tested the game with Morita as a test character. The battle style was extremely fast-paced to the point where you couldn't catch a breath.

In contrast to Spa 2, where characters engaged in close combat with fiery punches, Psychic Battle focused on avoiding the barrage of bullets on the screen or engaging in a high-stakes battle of special moves.

Particularly, since the concept of super moves hadn't been fully established at that time, the "Last-Ditch Reversal," which could only be used when the character's health dropped below 30%, was highly popular among the staff. (It might be due to the excitement of seeing the character up close during the Burst Morphing when using the super move.)

As we headed towards the cash registers, Morita and Hayashi were waiting for me, both wearing satisfied smiles.

"It's a huge success. The low-cost software policy you suggested worked perfectly, Boss."

"This is all thanks to the resistance psychology against Mintendo. Capcom's decision to port Spa 2 was a godsend..."

"It's true; it seems like Spa 2 is selling out first."

Please let me know if there are any further revisions or if you have specific parts you'd like to focus on.

"Seems like it's the most popular game center right now. Plus, it's portable, so you can have a match anytime, anywhere. It could be a natural choice..."

As Hayashi put it, almost nine out of ten people in the crowd were purchasing Street Fire 2.

Impatient types were even setting up the game right on the tables set up in the store as soon as they bought it. Since the data cable was included, users who came with their friends immediately connected their devices and enjoyed Street Fire 2.

"Wow, it's just like the arcade..."

"Yeah, I didn't expect it to be this good..."

"I'm so moved; I might cry. To think we can play Street Fire 2 on a portable device. I won't be bored on the subway anymore."

The event started, and in about three hours, Laon had sold nearly 2,000 units. Half of the 5,000 units prepared for the first day had been sold in just three hours.

Despite changing employees to work the cash registers, the line outside continued to grow and showed no sign of diminishing.

Then, Junpei, who had been out since the morning to shoot the launch event atmosphere, asked me with a tired look on his face.

"It feels like it's even faster than Super Family, doesn't it?"

"We're a little ahead of schedule."

"The device itself is quite expensive, so I was curious about the user's reaction. It's really amazing. I didn't expect it to be like this."

"The device is something you only need to buy once; the cartridge price is what's important."

"I heard there were plans to make Phoenix's Dragon Warrior for Laon. Do you know anything about it?"

"Are you here for an interview at this point?"

"Rumors are already spreading in the industry, you know? Several third-party companies have already announced that they will switch to Laon."

"It's just a baseless rumor. Phoenix Soft announced that Dragon Warrior will only be produced for the most widely distributed current-generation console. The fifth series is already being made for Super Family."

"That's too bad."

"Even at Minntendo, they're desperate not to lose Dragon Warrior, so it won't be easy."

As Junpei said, after Capcom, a large software company, moved, several third-party companies changed their development routes to Laon.

Among them, the most famous company was Fox Soft, known for the "Demon Castle" series, and Wink Soft, which was planning an SRPG game using Gundam and Majin Ga.

"Well, sorry, but I can't tell you any more. It's a trade secret now."

"Damn it. So secretive."

"Secretive? How many things have I actually told you?"

At that, Junpei turned the conversation around with a casual laugh.

"Hey, I'm hungry. Are you going to eat?"

"Our employees haven't eaten yet, so how can I just go out for a meal?"

Then, an announcement over the speakers inside the event venue caught our attention. Judging by the tone of the voice, it was Ms. Miyazaki.

"Ladies and gentlemen who have visited the launch event to purchase Laon, we regret to inform you that all the cartridges of Street Fire 2, released by Capcom, are sold out. We apologize. We inform you once again."

"What did you say? Already!?"

"Oh no! I came here to buy that..."

As expected, Street Fire 2's stock ran out first. However, there was still plenty of stock for Slam Dunk and Final Frontier, so users started to buy other software with disappointment.

In fact, all three titles were excellent works, so users didn't express much dissatisfaction.

If there had been only Slam Dunk and Super Family, it could have been a bit risky...

On that day, at 5 p.m.

Laon's launch, which had been as hot as the weather in midsummer, had achieved a complete sellout with the last sale.

"Laon. Let's toast to the complete sellout!!"

Pentagon staff raised their cans of beer to celebrate the first console's sellout. They had worked all day, but they all seemed to be in a very good mood.

Junpei, the guy who had been with me all day as a friend, subtly participated in Pentagon's celebration event and enjoyed a lively conversation with the staff.

That guy is quite sociable...

While smiling, I drank my canned beer, and Miyazaki's voice calling me reached my ears.

"Mr. Kang, we received a call from Mantra Soft in Korea."

Ah, it seems like the launch event in Korea has ended...

I nodded at Miyazaki's words and picked up the handset placed in the staff office.

Then, I heard the excited voice of Mr. Kim Han-seok, the CEO of Mantra Soft.

"Mr. Junhyuk's planned Liberation Day launch event in Korea seems to have been a great success!!"

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