From the results, this Creative Workshop initiative was a massive success.
Not only did concurrent player numbers surge, but the number of people developing an interest in ga creation also rose to a whole new level.
Takayuki felt he could truly look forward to these talented individuals creating fun and innovative gas.
After all, he had always hoped to play more interesting gas himself.
But this kind of thing could develop slowly. Now that the groundwork for the Creative Workshop was finished, everything else could be left to the Battle team to manage. He didn't need to stay involved.
Right now, there was sothing else requiring his attention: the developnt of the next-generation ga console.
While he was busy setting up the Battle platform, the new console had already entered its late developnt phase.
"Takayuki, this is our final version of the ga console. We've already negotiated pricing with the chip manufacturer: 100 million chips over the next five years, at a reduced price of $270 per chip."
...
Standing next to Takayuki, who was holding the controller and testing the new console, Airi Hayasawa explained the specs of the new machine in detail.
At this point, all the key technologies required for a gaming console were in place. The remaining challenge was to push performance further, making it easier to develop gas and improving the overall developnt experience.
Takayuki simply gave an absentminded "mm" at the quoted chip price, staying focused on testing the latest console.
This new console already boasted performance close to that of a PS4, marking yet another leap beyond their earlier systems.
This was thanks to their now highly experienced hardware developnt team.
These were top-tier talents, each with over ten years of experience developing ga consoles.
Any one of them would be a prized asset at any other ga company—especially at Surei Electronics, which was practically drooling over Gastar Entertainnt's hardware and software teams.
Surei had tried more than once to lure them away with generous offers.
So were tempted—after all, the salary was enticing. But most stayed, unable to part with the environnt they'd grown used to at Gastar.
The company treated them well, and the benefits were excellent.
Why risk jumping ship to a new, unfamiliar environnt just for a bit more money?
In fact, many of their spouses had advised them against leaving.
Their families were happy, work-life balance was great, and there was no culture of overti. They could go ho, spend ti with their kids, and enjoy chatting about the day's work.
In Japan, Gastar Entertainnt was almost an anomaly.
Countless people were scrambling just to get a job there. Leaving? That would be insane.
Their spouses were adamant: no amount of extra pay was worth being unhappy at a new job.
It's not like Gastar was on the verge of collapse—on the contrary, it was thriving.
Only a few people with the mindset of "better to be a big fish in a small pond" left to join smaller studios. As for how their lives turned out... nobody knew. None of them ever rose to prominence after leaving.
Takayuki's reaction to the new chip price was lukewarm, which made Airi frown a little.
"Takayuki, don't you think this price is a bit high? Just the chip costs $270. After full production, the total cost per unit could be nearly $400. That's way higher than anything we've released before."
Takayuki casually replied,
"That's not necessarily a bad thing. This ti, I said the console must support higher-end visuals. If that ans higher costs, so be it. Matsuhashi, at $270 per chip, can we hit a $399 retail price?"
At that mont, Matsuhashi was also in a remote video eting with Takayuki.
She furrowed her brow, thinking it over. She didn't handle production directly, but with her experience, she could estimate the overall cost based on the chip price.
"At $399, we'll likely take a slight loss—maybe $10 to $20 per unit."
"Hmm. So we'll definitely lose money in the first year?"
"That's right. But chip prices will co down over ti, and we can recoup those early losses in later years."
Takayuki waved it off.
"That's fine. A $10–20 loss per unit is no big deal—I can cover that. Let's set the price at $399."
Matsuhashi hesitated, then added,
"President, Surei Electronics also priced their console at $399 last ti, and the reception wasn't great. Players really didn't like the high price. If we also go with $399, don't you think it might be a little too steep?"
Takayuki nodded.
"Yeah, it's a bit high. But we're still very different from Surei."
"I think we need to be cautious. Player feedback is important. If they strongly dislike the price, it could seriously hurt sales."
Takayuki said, unfazed,
"No need to worry—I've got this."
"Alright then..."
Seeing her concerns go unheeded, Matsuhashi didn't press further.
After all, Gastar wasn't strapped for cash. Still, she couldn't help but worry that such a high price might alienate players.
Player support was Gastar's lifeline. If the high price shut too many people out, it might not be worth it.
At that point, Airi Hayasawa spoke up.
"Takayuki, we could actually lower the price a bit—if we dropped compatibility with older gas. That would save us around $50 per unit. It's a pretty good trade-off."
"Yeah, I agree," added Matsuhashi."At this point, very few players care about retro gas. Most just want modern titles with flashy graphics. We probably don't need to support the old stuff anymore."
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