"President, there are already over two thousand people gathered, and more are still on their way. Our strategy seems to have worked—this many people are clearly very curious."
Sorei Electronics' president, Ueto Hayakawa, had personally co to the ga expo today.
This year's expo was being personally overseen by him—he was determined to make a big splash.
It was also a clear signal to the outside world: Sorei Electronics wasn't going to keep letting Gastar Electronic Entertainnt lead them around by the nose.
Though to be honest, when it ca to that point, they didn't have a lot of leverage.
But business isn't about pride—it's about winning in the end.
"Are the MC's lines all ready?"
"Of course. Everything is set."
"Good."
Three minutes later, Sorei Electronics' press conference officially began, and the mystery surrounding their booth was finally unveiled.
...
Previously, the entire area had been shrouded in black fabric, keeping everything hidden from the public eye.
But so things had already been teased in advance.
For instance, it had been leaked that Sorei Electronics would be announcing their new console, with performance and pricing directly matching that of Gastar Electronic Entertainnt's offerings—plus so unique tech features that Gastar didn't have.
By this ti, the number of players and attendees gathered in front of the stage had grown to nearly three thousand. The event's host walked onto the stage.
As soon as he appeared, so in the crowd cheered excitedly.
His na was Yoichi Okawa, a veteran of Sorei Electronics and one of the producers behind the famous Sun Knight series.
Several of the Sun Knight gas he had worked on had been very well received, and among fans, his reputation was on par with the top creators at Gastar Electronic Entertainnt.
His appearance strongly hinted that a new Sun Knight ga would be announced.
As of now, Sun Knight had at least two million loyal players.
That ant any new entry in the series could expect a strong sales base—essentially a guaranteed success.
As long as the new title wasn't a disaster, Sun Knight would remain one of Sorei Electronics' major cash cows.
Sure enough, Yoichi Okawa opened by announcing that a new Sun Knight ga was in developnt.
However, this one would be a tid exclusive, available only on Sorei's new console for at least one year. Beyond that, he said, would be up to corporate decision-making.
Still, for fans of the series, many of whom already owned Sorei's consoles, this was more than enough.
Okawa then went on to announce several other titles that he had supervised, using his na recognition to boost their visibility.
It was similar to how Gastar often promoted gas with Takayuki's na as supervising producer.
Of course, Okawa didn't have Takayuki's level of influence, but it was still sothing.
Next ca Sorei's lineup of core "guns, cars, and sports" gas.
One of these was a modern warfare first-person shooter.
Gastar had found great success with Counter-Strike, especially in the esports space, and Sorei wanted a piece of that market too.
Esports offered real business opportunities.
Sorei already manufactured a variety of electronic products, so launching a line of esports-focused accessories wasn't hard. That would expand their profit potential even further.
While Gastar promoted esports as a ans of building a global league system and fostering industry growth...
Sorei's focus was more practical: squeezing every drop of revenue they could.
Then ca Sorei's licensed FIFA World Cup ga. Following Gastar's approach of annual iterations, they released a new entry each year, with both companies maintaining separate but competitive soccer ga franchises.
Players didn't mind—more gas ant more options. And the healthy rivalry pushed both series to improve.
As for basketball, Sorei didn't hold the NBA license, but they found alternative deals—similar to how Gastar partnered with club leagues—and launched their own branded basketball ga.
There was also 3D Racer, a series that had debuted around the sa ti as Need for Speed.
In both visuals and gaplay, the two were very similar, emphasizing fast-paced, high-adrenaline racing. And since Gastar had shelved Need for Speed, many players had turned to 3D Racer as their only option.
Hardcore sims like Forza Motorsport were too niche for mass appeal.
That gave 3D Racer a window.
Still, its sales had never been stellar—rarely breaking a million per title. Even without a direct rival, it faced pressure from another genre: open-world sandbox gas.
In gas like GTA, which simulate modern cities, vehicles are already a key gaplay elent.
You can race cars, ride bikes, fly planes—more variety than a standard racing ga could offer. So even in the absence of competitors, 3D Racer wasn't doing great.
Gastar had already claid the biggest share of that racing-ga pie.
Sorei didn't dare abandon the genre, though. Falling behind could be dangerous. So they kept making sequels—albeit with modest investnt.
After showcasing all their first-party gas, they introduced a few titles from partner studios—either tid exclusives or full exclusives for Sorei's platform.
Sorei had paid generously to secure those deals.
Executives, including President Hayakawa himself, believed these exclusives would help make their new console more attractive.
Finally, Sorei Electronics unveiled the main event—the heavily guarded secret that had been kept under wraps all day:
Their next-generation ga console.
Reviews
All reviews (0)