"We at Nintendo will provide you with 100 N.H.E.S units for free. Moreover, we'll prepay the rent for three months."
Suddenly, Arakawa, who had been observing me, looked astonished and spoke in Japanese.
"Hey... Kang. No matter how tough the situation for the shop owner here is, we can't give away 100 devices for free!"
Ignoring Arakawa, I calmly explained to the owner of Toy Box, who was holding the controller, "At Nintendo, we have a program where we offer a $1,000 incentive just for displaying our devices in your storefront."
"Hey, Kang! That hasn't been approved by President Yamauchi yet!"
"But, since the president has some concerns, we will offer an even higher incentive, equivalent to three months' rent. In return, for these three months, we'll take care of the shop window display from Nintendo. What do you say?"
"So, you're saying I can keep my shop running for three more months. Alright, if that's the case, then okay!"
"In that case, we'll bring our devices into the store tomorrow. Please take good care of it. Sir."
"Thank you... Thank you... I'm really grateful."
And so, the historic first contract for the Nintendo N.H.E.S model was finalized. Two weeks later, the Super Mario that came from Japan with a new approach began to spread rapidly through American gaming centers.
"Up... Mr. Wilson... catch it over there."
"Mr. Kang, is it over here!?"
"Yes! Right there... Uwaaah!!"
Bang! It crashed... Spinning and rumbling...
"Oops! Mr. Kang! Are you alright!?"
"I'm... I'm fine. I'm fine. Ouch..."
"You're still young and energetic; if it were me, my bones would have snapped~ Hahaha~"
It had been a month since we displayed Nintendo's N.H.E.S at Toy Box. I was hanging a banner in front of the store window. I had cleared out all the other Nintendo toys from the display and left only one N.H.E.S, like a premium model, alongside a video of Super Mario's gameplay, an item box, and a brick-shaped mobile hanging in the air.
As if it were reminiscent of Super Mario's stage, people passing by were all exclaiming in awe.
"Wow! Super Mario!"
A little kid passing by pointed at the TV in the display window and exclaimed. In response, I shouted, "Yes~!" and shook my fist, and the kid smiled and clapped.
After hanging the banner, I returned to the store with Mr. Wilson, the owner of Toy Box. Arakawa, who had been organizing the inventory in the warehouse, was sweating profusely as he came out.
"Have you finished organizing already? Thank you for your hard work."
"Mr. Wilson, here are an additional 200 units. They're all in place."
"Thank you. Have some of this."
Mr. Wilson wiped Arakawa's sweat with a handkerchief and handed him a drink, smiling.
"Why don't you leave it to your employees below? You don't have to work so hard yourself."
"No, no, thanks to Kang, we've finally started to see some progress, and I can't just sit back and relax. I've been cooped up in a gloomy office for the past eight months, and now I'm getting restless. It's better to move my body like this. It makes me feel like I'm working."
Arakawa had become a completely different person compared to when we first met. From a complete recluse, he had transformed into a more outgoing individual. I chuckled and swallowed my drink.
Ding dong~
Just then, the shop door opened, and a mother, accompanied by a little boy, asked us, "Excuse me, do you happen to carry a product called N.H.E.S here?"
"Welcome! Ma'am, the products have just arrived and are available for purchase right away!"
People were changing, and it wasn't just Arakawa. Mr. Wilson, too, was riding the wave of Nintendo's aggressive marketing, significantly boosting his sales. As someone who had always loved gaming, he easily showed customers how to operate the devices when they visited his store. As a result, most of the customers who came to his shop bought an N.H.E.S straight from him. The initial 100 units were quickly sold out as soon as Super Mario was introduced to the arcade centers.
Mr. Wilson completely filled half of his store with our products, and we spared no support for him. One month later, we were selling nearly a thousand N.H.E.S units from this small store.
At that moment, a little boy playing Super Mario and DuckHunt in the storefront tugged on his mother's sleeve and shouted, "Mommy, I want that, please!"
I almost burst out laughing at the sight. Super Mario had become a must-have title for every customer buying an N.H.E.S, and together with DuckHunt, it started to lead N.H.E.S in the American market. Watching that boy pestering his mother reminded me of my own childhood. If he loves games, he might become a great developer someday, just like I did.
A small crack. N.H.E.S, having found a foothold in the icy American gaming market, began to create cracks starting from a small toy store in New York.
Mr. Wilson even took DuckHunt outside to the streets to offer free demonstrations to passersby. People who initially looked on with curiosity soon began excitedly aiming their toy guns at the TV and started shooting.
DuckHunt, especially popular among children, received a very positive response, probably due to its intuitive gameplay. In nearby game centers, people crowded around the game boards for Super Mario, and Super Mario quickly became a symbol of Nintendo in the United States. Children were becoming more familiar with Mario than the original American character, Poppy. Finally, inquiries about N.H.E.S started coming in from a few stores.
The display incentive requested by President Yamauchi was supposed to last for two months, but I convinced him to agree to unconditionally provide incentives for two months to the first stores that exhibited N.H.E.S. I also gave thorough explanations to the staff on how to play the game, and I provided manuals to help with sales.
As Nintendo's rental office grew larger and more comfortable, I, who was still short on staff, hired a female secretary named Alice. She didn't know much about games, but she was adept at delivering goods and negotiating deals with toy stores. In this era, there were few people who knew games well, and her ability to answer questions confidently during the interview caught my eye. It was also nice to see her always taking notes with a notepad and pen when we went to visit the stores for market research.
One day, on our way back from market research, Alice carefully made a suggestion.
"Manager, I feel that each store displays our products differently, and it would be better if there were a bit more uniformity. Also, some stores only take the incentives and don't manage the displays as we promised. I think we should handle the display ourselves."
"I've been feeling the same way lately as more stores are added. You're absolutely right, Secretary."
"By training the delivery drivers separately to not only deliver the goods but also immediately set up the display in the stores, we and the stores could both benefit, but..."
"I think it might cause dissatisfaction among the delivery drivers."
"It's very likely."
"Store display isn't something anyone can do. It needs to be continuously managed, so it might be a good idea to create a management team that can decorate the stores."
After that, stores that received our products began to have our staff visit to help with the display, and we beautified the stores with various character products. The word quickly spread in the toy industry that, if you received Nintendo's products, you not only got incentives but also had your store beautifully decorated. Of course, there was some initial capital investment, but once you succeeded in placing N.H.E.S in your store, they quickly sold out, just like a sponge absorbing water. A new wind was blowing into the American console market that had been hesitating with the Atari Shock.
I preferred going out for market research in casual attire rather than sitting in the office all day with the phone ringing. Unlike when I first arrived, it was now easy to find Super Mario and N.H.E.S in toy stores all over the streets.
But only one place, Toy World, the largest toy store on the street, still didn't have Nintendo's N.H.E.S.
"I guess they're still holding out, huh?"