Hayakawa frowned as he reviewed the latest sales performance report in his office.
This time, their two gaming consoles received positive feedback in the initial phase, thanks to extensive advertising campaigns.
After one month, the shipment volumes of both consoles exceeded the initial projections, which was a good sign.
Simultaneously, game sales were also performing well.
It seemed that among gamers, there were indeed many visual-oriented individuals. They didn't necessarily deeply understand the gameplay; as long as it met a certain standard and had excellent graphics, maximum profits could be achieved.
This had been validated by market research over some time.
Their flagship title, "Sun Knight," naturally required stringent standards; it had to be an exceptionally outstanding product, with maximum appeal.
However, other in-house productions had validated previous theories.
Next, they could consider implementing a streamlined approach to game development.
Here, he couldn't help but admire once again the gaming industry system advocated by Takuyuki.
By employing mature gaming industry specialization, a company could consistently produce products that met the standard.
As long as they continued this approach, the company could ensure its survival in the gaming market.
Indeed, the gaming market required such an industrial system to truly stabilize, much like the Hollywood film industry.
At least this industrial system could ensure that players wouldn't get bored for the next twenty to thirty years. As for what would happen later, Takayuki wasn't sure. In his original world, the true golden age of gaming lasted only about twenty to thirty years.
With this mature assembly line, Hayakawa could at least present a satisfactory answer to the shareholders and appease their dissatisfaction.
Previously, investing too much capital in electronic games had led to continuous complaints from the shareholders because it squeezed the funds circulation of many other departments.
If they couldn't even achieve a passing score after competing for some time, then this battle would likely be the first to crumble internally.
Those shareholders were just a group of people who only cared about immediate profits, with hardly anyone having long-term plans.
But once he handed in a satisfactory answer, there would be an opportunity to aim for higher scores.
Otherwise, expecting a struggling student to suddenly rank first in the class would be like everyone having diarrhea on the day of the class exam.
That would be equivalent to Takuyuki's towering mountain announcing the abandonment of the gaming industry, but that was almost impossible.
Just then, one of the private direct lines on his desk rang.
Without hesitation, he picked up the phone.
At this time, there should be only one person calling his direct line, and that was Nagao, the CEO of YOO Internet Portal.
During this period, they frequently exchanged information to ensure flawless execution in the upcoming protracted battle.
"Hayakawa, I have good news for you. The sales through our online shopping channels are excellent. The latest sales data should have reached you, right? Have you seen it?"
Hayakawa held the latest document in one hand and the receiver in the other, then glanced at the document before nodding and saying, "I've seen it."
"Hmm? You don't sound particularly satisfied. Our sales data has exceeded the initial projections for your company's first-month shipments, hasn't it?"
"Yes, indeed it has exceeded. But I'm still not feeling happy."
"Is it from GameStar Entertainment?" Nagao immediately realized that if such sales figures could still bother Hayakawa, it must be the results of their competitor.
"Yes, according to the information we've collected, their handheld gaming console sales for the first month should have exceeded 2.3 million units, while ours just barely broke 1.5 million. We're lagging behind by more than 800,000 units, which is really enviable."
After listening to the explanation from the other end of the phone, Nagao immediately comforted him, "Hey, don't worry about it. Our real efforts haven't started yet. According to some of my research data, there's been a recent upward trend in sales data in some countries we haven't paid much attention to before. It's just that we didn't notice it before, resulting in product shortages. Otherwise, we could have sold even more."
"What do you mean?" Hayakawa was taken aback.
Nagao cheerfully continued, "This is the information I inferred from online shopping channels. There have been shortages in areas like Hong Kong, Singapore, and the EU, which we previously didn't focus on much. According to our estimates, the population base in these areas shouldn't be able to buy so many products, but unexpectedly, there have been shortages. So I think the products from these areas have been sold to other regions. If that's the case, I believe we can increase distribution in these previously neglected areas. This way, our sales performance can reach a higher level."
Hayakawa, also a shrewd businessman, immediately understood the implications of Nagao's words.
They had previously abandoned certain markets because their products couldn't be sold due to different national policies. However, it seemed they had only just realized that this could also be a significant market.
However, it was impossible to speak out the truth about this matter, as they both tacitly understood.
Hayakawa also became more thoughtful.
Nagao, using very tempting words, tentatively asked, "So, should we increase distribution in these areas? I think these places have great potential."
"We can give it a try."
After a moment of serious consideration, Hayakawa made a decision.
This was also a market they could strive for, and it seemed that GameStar Entertainment hadn't realized this yet.
With Hayakawa's approval, Nagao didn't need to worry about anything else. He immediately prepared to arrange for people to start increasing distribution in these areas. Under such vigorous efforts, he felt that things were becoming more promising.
Of course, he didn't slack off in the internet sector either, as this was his main industry. Online shopping was the new growth point he intended to promote, but it was still in its early stages and needed to be taken slowly.
First, they had to pave the way for this hot gaming console product through online shopping channels, gradually getting people accustomed to online shopping.
This was Nagao's ambition. Why else would he be willing to pay $50 each to supplement the cost of each console? It was because this endeavor was very profitable.
For him, there were many benefits to be had.
This point was naturally understood by Hayakawa as well. Both sides were smart individuals, so there was no need to explicitly reveal each other's intentions in mutually beneficial matters.