Takayuki proposed to deliver results within one or two years. This also gave him some time to ease the situation. Currently, his focus is still on Final Fantasy VII, and everything else has to be temporarily set aside. However, he can give new development tasks to other restricted development teams, clarify the framework of real-time strategy games, and let them work on it for a while.
By October 1999, after four months of sales, GS1's sales had reached tens of millions. It was the second highest-selling game console that year. The highest-selling game console was GBA, which sold over 13 million units in ten months, a terrifying figure.
Now, the sales of electronic games have truly entered a white-hot stage. The gaming industry is rapidly rising, no longer the small-scale business of the past. During this time, there were several electronic games with sales exceeding tens of millions.
Not counting bundled sales, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and the retail version of Tetris all successfully broke the ten million sales mark. It's worth mentioning that the original FC game console sales exceeded one hundred million after six years.
According to commercial logic, such an old machine should have been phased out already, and a more radical approach might have been to cease production when a new console was released. However, Takayuki has a soft spot for the first game console he created. So, even if it doesn't make much money now, as long as it doesn't lose money, the factory keeps producing.
But now this machine is mostly sold to countries with slightly lower economic capabilities. Even with tariffs included, the average selling price doesn't exceed ten US dollars. Ten dollars for a genuine game console, with better after-sales service. Even though knockoff game consoles may have a price advantage, they can't compete with genuine ones. Plus, with the console being open source and no strict restrictions on pirated games, it became the biggest childhood companion for many children in various countries.
After all, Takayuki's childhood started with pirated games, so he is relatively tolerant in this regard. Of course, this only applies to outdated old machines. If someone is foolish enough to crack new machines, he'll directly call his team of lawyers and bankrupt you no matter how much money it costs.
Even though this isn't wise from a business standpoint because it would cost too much money, it does deter many hackers from making too much trouble.
Of course, breaking a hundred million in FC sales couldn't go without celebration. Breaking one million, ten million, one hundred million, these are all significant and memorable numbers, and also excellent low-cost advertising opportunities, proving the strong capabilities of Gamestar Entertainment.
But gamers' focus is still mainly on GS1. After several months of sales, GS1 already had over a hundred games. Almost every month, there were various games released for this console, including at least two or three high-quality 3D graphic games, both from first-party and third-party developers. Players experienced the charm of the new era of electronic games through GS1 and were now addicted.
The more they played GS1 games, the more they despised other gaming consoles. Compared to GS1, other gaming consoles were really inferior. Only SuRui Electronics' gaming consoles could compete.
Oh, by the way, there have been some good-quality games released for personal computers recently. But for now, most people still use computers for work, so there isn't any official statistical agency tracking PC game sales.
As for the FF7 trial version bundled with GS1, many players have played it multiple times, as the whole trial process only takes two to three hours. The more they play, the more they become addicted to this beautiful world. "I'll die without Final Fantasy VII" is a frequently seen post on community forums, showing players' desire for Final Fantasy VII.
With such a desire, Gamestar Entertainment finally announced the latest development progress of Final Fantasy VII in a small-scale meeting. Development has entered the final stages, and if everything goes well, it should be officially released in March or April of the new millennium.
This year's best game won't compete with Super Mario 64. It's boring for family members to compete against each other.
With a relatively accurate release time, players were naturally very happy. They can finally enjoy the new millennium with peace of mind. The game development process has also reached the endgame scenario of Final Fantasy VII. What's left is the production of animated CG, a process that cannot be rushed and requires a lot of computing power. Spending too much money won't necessarily yield better results, so patience is required.
As the last Christmas of the new millennium approached, Gamestar Entertainment also held a special promotion, with all games discounted by ten percent and game consoles discounted by twenty percent. This immediately stimulated players' consumption enthusiasm.
It's usually difficult for Gamestar Entertainment's games to be discounted, unless they reach the outdated standard set by Gamestar Entertainment, which is about a two-year time limit. Electronic games released for more than two years are classified as outdated games and then participate in special discount activities, aimed at increasing player audiences through discounts and preparing for attracting customers to future new games.
Being able to discount a game during its hot period is quite rare. Players went on a short-term frenzy of consumption, allowing Gamestar Entertainment's turnover to skyrocket just before the end of the year, paving the way for the next game development.
"Thanks to everyone's hard work this year. Because the new millennium is approaching, I think it's time to start the holiday from now on. Everyone, please go back and have an unforgettable New Year's, and next year, we will be the masters of the new millennium."
On the day before Christmas, Takayuki personally announced the start of the holiday. He gave the employees a collective holiday of half a month to thank them for their hard work over the years. The employees naturally celebrated with joy. Honestly, even though they didn't work much overtime during this time and worked with enthusiasm, the feeling of having a long holiday is always different.
They all thanked Takayuki and cheered, shouting "Long live Takayuki," before returning to their respective homes.
Nowadays, every employee of Gamestar Entertainment earns a good income, and they are the most well-off group of people even in the economic downturn market environment of Japan. Their New Year's celebrations are naturally the happiest.
And all of this is thanks to Takayuki.