1988 Retro Game Tycoon - Chapter 35



Only Noblemtl

Episode 35 – Second TV

“No, listen to me, Mr. Park. is a fad and a bubble. It’s because people line up and it looks new. Once people gather, what’s happening? They’re new, right? That’s it. It doesn’t last long.”

“I’m also frustrated. I see people lining up to buy every day. I’m frustrated. How long is this going to go on? You’re wrong. You’re saying they’ll just back down and surrender? But it was on TV last time.”

“Well, just wait a little longer. When the gang starts, we have to suppress them and kill them. Otherwise, we don’t know what they’ll do later. They go around talking about exclusive sales and stuff, and they sell games for 10,000 won and eat up our profits. They open a shop in Myeongdong? Huh? If we leave them alone, we’ll all die. You have to come to your senses. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“No, that’s true.”

“Anyway, please be patient and wait a little longer. I’ll hang up now.”

Kim Ho-seung got angry and slammed the receiver down on the phone.

“Hey, you people with no sense of duty, loyalty, or patience. Just money, money, money right in front of you. Can’t you stand it for a few months? It’s not like you’re going to starve to death right now.”

“Why? Where else are they whining about wanting to sell ?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Do you think there are only one or two places like that? I’ve already received five since this morning. Anyway, everyone lacks perseverance. That’s why everyone is still the same.”

“Can everyone be like President Kim? That’s why President Kim is the leader.”

“What’s the point of freezing to death, Captain? Even so, he’s just a neighborhood boss.”

Kim Ho-seung just snorted even when Lee Young-bae praised him.

“But what the heck is this guy Seo Namjoon?”

Kim Ho-seung tilted his head.

“It’s strange. I thought I had the whole route under control, right? But it turns out I didn’t. Rather, I feel like I’m in the palm of his hand.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I thought it was because he failed to hack the demo at first. Yeah, he’s smart. I thought he was prepared to that extent. But I don’t know what he was cooked with, but that cowardly Modu Electronics CEO Jeong didn’t even flinch at my words. Is that all? I told every company that makes ROM packs to contact me for and ask them to give me the data, but they didn’t come either.”

“Who betrayed you?”

“That’s not true. If that were the case, it would have been discovered right away.”

“Well, I know exactly what’s coming in and going out.”

“I worked so hard to close down the store, and I thought it was really game over. But they’re making people line up for some kind of ‘exclusive sale.’ You know what’s funny? People are actually enjoying lining up right now. The world has gone crazy. They’re making all this noise just to buy one game.”

“It’s a real sight. Seo Nam-joon, this guy is really formidable. From what I’ve heard about Myeong-dong, he seems to be really cool. What the heck?”

“He’s no ordinary guy. There’s definitely something there.”

“Is there another money lender behind you?”

“Money?”

“Think about it. Even if a kid makes a good game, can you do production and distribution with just your head? Just look at the cartridges. The case itself is neat. And what about the poster? Honestly, I was drawn to it the moment I saw it. It’s so cool.”

“Well, that’s true. It’s just too much for that kid to do it all by himself. Besides, how much money does that kid have to open a store in Myeongdong? No matter how nice it is, how much is the rent there?”

“That’s right. I’m telling you, there’s definitely someone behind the scenes who’s got the money. Maybe that guy Seo Nam-joon is just a puppet of Madame Face. He’s trying to make a splash by appearing flashy like a genius.”

“Is that so? Even though was interested in it, I blocked it from being covered on the condition that I double the advertising. If were to publish an article on right now, it would just add fuel to the fire.”

“Wow, our President Kim. You’re really strong. Did you even block the magazine? Seriously, I can’t even keep up with President Kim.”

“Shit. I’m going to die right now. Why must I be like this? Why must I be like this? Even spending my own money. How great would it be if there was just one proper game that could be used as a countermeasure in the lab? But these guys make games! Just looking at them makes me so angry!”

“Not working out? In times like this, why don’t you try something new? Just do what you’ve been doing. There are a lot of good things about it.”

“What about you? Are you doing well with the copycat Super Mario thing you said you’d do the other day?”

“I also lose my appetite when I think about it these days. Is it that hard to make a flying Mario? Why can’t he do that? Move while wagging his tail? is so good even when it’s blocked up tightly. Anyway, I feel really bad at the end of the year.”

“Really? Then do you want to do it with me?”

“What? Mario?”

“Yeah, we don’t have much time right now either. In order to appease the shop owners, we need a title that can compete with , but the year-end lineup is already pretty much the same. So let’s make it together. After all, the kids all know each other.”

“That’s true, though.”

“If we don’t press this time, it will really hurt both of our businesses. You know that, right? Let’s join hands and make a proper Mario game. And we’ll split the profits exactly 5:5. Fairly.”

“Hey, I made it first. If you’re going to use it, it shouldn’t be 5:5. It should be at least 6:4. Me 6. President Kim 4.”

“What the heck? You’re saying you’re going to finish a game that I can’t even finish properly, and you’re being greedy here? Do you really have a conscience?”

“Oh, why can’t I finish it? It just takes some time. That’s a lot of compromise on my part.”

“Are you really going to come out like this? Should I just tell the kids to start making it now? Do you want to see who makes it first?”

“Ugh, I’m really angry. Okay. 5:5. This time, I’m going to give in on a grander level.”

“Of course it should be. Anyway, will die out quickly after it becomes a fad and there are no more stores to sell it. Then let’s just burst the Mario game pack and go. What are they going to do about it? Right?”

“That’s right. Whoever the money lord is over there, he’s probably got a ton of money squandered there right now. We’ve been in this business for a few years. Are you worried that a single rock rolling in will dislodge the stone? Let’s show them what a real game is with the number one pitcher attached!”

Kim Ho-seung and Lee Young-bae looked at each other and smiled.

But their faces were like awkward masks. They were both trying to pretend not to see the anxiety deep in their hearts.

***

Seoul, Myungsung Group Headquarters, Chairman’s Office.

Today, I’m meeting the president of Myeongseong Electronics. Normally, we should have met in the president’s office, but today, we decided to meet in the chairman’s office.

I didn’t wear a suit today either. But I did wear a jacket because I didn’t want to look too casual or my father would get angry. It’s still a bit early for the mix-and-match style to become popular, but I think it’s not bad.

My father didn’t say anything about my clothes either. Well, that was okay.

The meeting began and the chairman asked the president of Myeongseong Electronics a question to get things started.

“Yes, is Myungsung Electronics preparing well for next year?”

“Of course, Mr. Chairman. Next year, we plan to prepare for the 90s by pursuing a premium strategy centered on large TVs of 19 inches or larger. We are doing our best so that Myungsung Electronics can take over the living rooms and bedrooms of Koreans.”

“Okay. I believe you. The reason I called you here today, Mr. President, is because Starbeat, which Myungsung Electronics invested in, has already released a game. Since it is a company Myungsung Electronics invested in, shouldn’t we sell it through our dealership?”

“Oh, you want to play games at the Myeongseong Electronics store?”

An embarrassed look crossed the face of the president of Myeongseong Electronics. I pretended not to notice and demonstrated with the Jamix I had brought.

“Anyone who has played even a little bit of video games will know right away how much higher-level is compared to other Gemix games. In fact, there are lines of people waiting to buy at game shops in Seun and Yongsan. People are also lining up at the temporary store currently operating in Myeongdong.”

“As you may know since it was on TV, we opened a store called Myeongdong Saetbyeol and people responded very well. I went there myself and was honestly surprised at how well it was decorated. I think Myeongseong Electronics should definitely take note of it for their marketing.”

“Yes, Chairman. I will do so. Then, may I instruct each agency to sell this game?”

“But selling only the game probably won’t be very effective. is useless without a G-mix or MSX computer, and if you come to Myungsung Electronics to buy a TV, there’s a high chance you don’t have a G-mix.”

“then···?”

“We need to sell Jemix too.”

“Are you selling Jewoo Electronics’ Jemix at the Myungsung Electronics dealership···?”

The president of Myeongseong Electronics opened his eyes wide in surprise. He looked at the chairman, not at me.

It was a look that said, ‘What kind of nonsense is this, Chairman? Should I say something sharp?’

It is common sense that ‘Myeongseong Electronics dealerships’ only sell Myeongseong Electronics products. However, if they only sell the game pack, it will not stand out and it will not sell well.

“It may be presumptuous of me to say this, but yes, you have to do it. Otherwise, there’s no point in selling game software. It won’t sell very well.”

“Mr. Chairman, no matter what, this is something that goes against common sense. Not only me, but other employees will definitely think it’s strange.”

“If you look at the sales results at our Myeongdong Saetbyeol store, many people bought not only the game but also the Gemix. Since there are still many more households that do not have a Gemix, if you sell at a dealership, you must sell the game console as well.”

“That’s what I think.”

“but···.”

“It might seem awkward at first, but if you think about it, it’s not really like that. Does Myungsung Electronics have any plans to make a video game console like this in the future?”

“I don’t plan on doing that.”

“If Myungsung Electronics were selling game consoles, I wouldn’t dare tell them to sell Jewoo Electronics’ Gemix together. However, Myungsung Electronics has no plans to make game consoles, so there is no conflict between the two. And that’s not all. Selling Gemix and would be a great help to Myungsung Electronics as well.”

“You are saying that selling Jewoo Electronics products will help us?”

“Yes, you mentioned earlier that you will focus on high-end TVs in the future. However, Myungsung Electronics is still mainly focused on smaller TVs. They probably already have a lot of inventory, and their production lines are still the same, right?”

The president of Myeongseong Electronics also nodded.

“Large TVs over 19 inches are marketed strictly for living room use, and smaller TVs are marketed as second TVs for children’s rooms. However, everyone will ask why they would buy a TV when there is a TV in the living room. That’s when Jamix and appear.”

“Second TV?”

The president of Myeongseong Electronics was now starting to show some interest. The chairman was also listening to my story seriously.

“Yes, now our country’s income has increased a lot, and the TV penetration rate has also increased significantly. There are few homes that don’t have a TV. However, there is no rule that says that a home has to have only one TV. In the US or Japan, there are many TVs placed separately in children’s rooms. And in those rooms, there are always video game consoles.”

“Hmm···.”

“So, to sum it up, let’s sell the large TV for the living room, and sell the small TV as a second TV to be placed in the children’s room? Along with the game console and ?”

“Yes, it’s winter vacation season right now. If we bundle Myungsung Electronics’ TV, game console, and together to sell them for children who have a hard time playing outside because it’s too cold, it will probably be a big hit. It will definitely be a big help to Myungsung Electronics as well.”

“What do you think, sir? It sounds like a very good plan to me. If we bundle the old models that we have a lot of leftover stock into an emergency staircase package and discount them aggressively, wouldn’t it be beneficial for us as well?”

“Yes, Mr. Chairman. I think this is a good idea. If we can sell our famous TVs in that way, I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing.”

Selling to Myungsung Electronics dealers is not that difficult if you go through the chairman. However, in order for to achieve significant sales results at Myungsung Electronics dealers, you have to make the dealers work hard to sell it on their own.

It’s not something that can be done by simply specifying a sales target from above. Then, the people on site will grumble that they are doing all sorts of things because of the chairman’s son.

You can force the item to be passed on to a dealer who doesn’t want to receive it. is a very important game to me, but it can be just a headache worth 10,000 won to the Chungbuk Cheongju dealer of Myeongseong Electronics.

In order to avoid such a situation and to make dealers sell hard, the plan must be designed so that it provides not only a reasonable justification but also actual profits.

If Gemix were as popular in Korea as the Famicom in Japan, and Starbeat had a rich game lineup, there would be no need to create such a pretext or set product.

However, Jemix cannot yet be called the national game console, and cannot stand alone. If it enters a large company’s agency, it must be included as part of a promotion.

“ will soon be available at Jewoo Electronics dealerships. Since we purchased a large quantity of Jemix for Saetbyeoljeom, we will negotiate well to get the products that will be available at Myungsung Electronics dealerships at the lowest possible price.”

“Okay, I understand. Then I will order the set to be included in next year’s New Year’s sale lineup.”

“Thank you, sir.”

I got the approval of the president of Myeongseong Electronics. It wasn’t because I was reluctant to accept it because I was concerned about the chairman’s mood. It was because my suggestion that it would help sales worked.

“Then, the set composition will need to be coordinated, so let’s have the practitioners discuss the rest in detail.”

“Oh, by the way, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask you, sir.”

“Yes, what request?”

“I would like you to send just a few of your employees from Myungsung Electronics to Starbeat. I’ve been so busy making games that I haven’t been able to hire anyone, so I’m still the only one in the company.”

“Huh? You’re alone?”

The president of Myeongseong Electronics looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.