Kobayashi Tetsu's shameless and unapologetic GG campaign quickly hit the television screens.
Not only that, but he also swept through Japan's five major private TV networks—TBS, Asahi TV, Fuji TV—and the other two, Nihon TV and Tokyo TV, came as a bonus. These two smaller networks were relatively inexpensive to secure.
The 200 million yen budget was completely depleted, leaving only about 10 million yen remaining.
The results, however, were spectacular. Combined, the five major private TV networks covered the vast majority of Japan. It could be said that any Japanese person who understood Japanese and watched TV at 7 p.m. would see Atlas's GG—and Kobayashi Tetsu's face.
They would also see Kobayashi Tetsu pointing at the screen, issuing a challenge.
The campaign's name: Atlas's Challenge!
Namco.
When word spread that Masanobu Endo had left his post to join Atlas, no one at Namco was surprised.
But...
No one at Namco could have imagined that Masanobu Endo, just after leaving the company, would pull off such a massive move!
He secured prime-time slots on all five major private TV networks in Japan for an unambiguous, in-your-face GG!
Masanobu Endo himself appeared in the GG, announcing clues. His appearance left all Namco employees who knew him with an inexplicable feeling.
What kind of groundbreaking game is this guy trying to create?!
Department Manager Nakamura frowned deeply, watching the entire GG with a complex mix of emotions.
"What is Atlas up to now? This kind of extravagant campaign must cost a fortune! Do they really believe Endo's crazy plan will succeed?"
Arcade revenue sharing was fundamentally different from home console games.
Since 100 yen coins were used directly as game credits, each coin was equivalent to 100 yen. Atlas received a portion of the revenue for every game credit sold.
Even so, Nakamura estimated that a GG campaign of this scale would cost at least several hundred million yen.
That meant the game would need to sell at least two million game credits just to break even on paper! And to achieve a net profit after revenue sharing, it would require selling four to five million game credits!
"Five million game coins? Is that even possible?"
Department Manager Nakamura thought it was impossible.
But this matter couldn't be ignored.
"Send someone to participate in Atlas's offline puzzle event. We need to find out what they're really up to!"
Nintendo.
Atlas had actually created such a crazy GG. Not even Namco, let alone Nintendo, could believe it.
As the head of Nintendo's hardware department, Gunpei Yokoi's first reaction was: Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
"A GG of this caliber can't possibly break even without five million game coins. Are they so confident their arcade game will sell for several million game coins? Could it really be a gesture to thank players? Has Atlas gone mad? That young man... does he not value money?"
Miyamoto Shigeru pressed a hand to his forehead, his face equally incredulous.
He simply couldn't understand how Kobayashi Tetsu could have conceived such a thing.
At that moment, the usually thick-haired game producer felt his hair thinning.
Ever since Atlas came along, he'd started losing his hair in clumps.
"Atlas might be crazy, but it's unlikely that Atlas itself is insane. On another level, this massive publicity campaign will inevitably boost the company's visibility and indirectly increase sales of all our games. So, in reality, we might only need to earn three million game coins to break even!"
But even as Miyamoto Shigeru finished speaking, he knew it sounded far-fetched.
Billions of yen spent on this kind of GG? He simply couldn't fathom what Kobayashi Tetsu was trying to achieve!
In the end, Miyamoto Shigeru could only sigh.
"Never mind it. Atlas is always baffling. Let's just focus on doing our own jobs properly."
Nintendo's product lineup was comprehensive, encompassing handhelds, arcade games, and home consoles. The Game Watch and Game Boy were particularly important models, requiring regular updates and new game releases.
Currently, Nintendo was considering developing a portable game—a handheld Mario, for example.
With work at hand and no time to dwell on Kobayashi Tetsu, the two discussed briefly and ultimately issued the order:
"Find someone to participate in Atlas's offline puzzle event. Let's see what Atlas and that young President are really up to!"
At Sega Corporation, the news struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving everyone momentarily speechless.
When Tanaka Minoru, Sato Hideki, and others heard about this, their expressions were like Washington's father returning home to find his son holding an axe, having just chopped down a tree and now aiming for him.
A mix of shock and disbelief.
"Kentaro," Sato Hideki frowned deeply. "That's your son, right? What on earth is he trying to do? Such a massive-scale GG— even if he manages to make profits from other aspects, is he really that confident this game will go viral? And he's even organizing offline puzzle events? What is he thinking?!"
Kobayashi Kentaro hesitated, wanting to speak but unsure what to say.
Even though he was the father, he didn't understand his son either!
Still, Kentaro felt a deep sense of pride.
"At least from every angle I can see, Atlas will need to collaborate with Sega to develop this new game. Sega is currently the most renowned arcade manufacturer in Japan, and indeed the world. Since this is an arcade game, Sega's assistance will be indispensable. So no matter how you look at it, this situation can't possibly harm Sega."
Sato Hideki naturally understood this logic.
He just couldn't figure out what Kobayashi Tetsu was trying to achieve!
In the silence that followed, Kentaro suddenly raised his hand.
"Why don't we send our own people to participate in this offline puzzle event? If we follow it through to the end, we'll learn what Tetsu is really after!"
Kobayashi Tetsu has gone mad! He's launching a new puzzle game!
The massive barrage of GG posts had the desired effect.
Not only did competitors pay close attention, but audiences couldn't ignore it either.
At the time, Japanese television operated on a network system, where multiple channels joined a larger network led by a more influential station. All channels within the network aired programs simultaneously, with only minor regional variations.
This resulted in viewers experiencing something akin to the American news broadcast format, where the same news anchor's face dominated all channels at the same time.
At 7 p.m., switch to one channel and there's Kobayashi Tetsu's face. Switch to another, and it's still Kobayashi Tetsu's face. It seemed impossible to escape him no matter which channel you chose.
While many were annoyed, even more were deeply intrigued.
It's just an offline puzzle, right? What harm could it do? Nothing to lose anyway.
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