According to the venue staff's statistics, fewer than 500 spectators had attended the event. Logically speaking, preparing a stock of one thousand copies for each expansion pack should have been more than enough.
But that assumption fell apart the moment the first person showed up and bought ten copies in one go.
Sam was forced to introduce emergency restrictions, limiting each ticket holder to a maximum of two purchases. Only then was order restored and besides the players present at the venue, another group of quick-thinking people had already begun taking action.
On New Year's night, sleeping bags and folding chairs had already filled the space outside game stores.
Celebrate the holiday? What holiday? Was celebrating a holiday more important than securing a launch copy of The King of Fighters?
The store owner looked through the glass storefront at the massive line outside and let out a helpless sigh before switching on the television facing outward.
"Folks, the supplier has regulations. I really can't show you the actual product ahead of release."
He switched several televisions receiving signal over to Channel 29.
"Watch the show and satisfy your cravings for now."
Although everyone had come because of GAMENOVA, they were still supporting his business.
"Hooray!"
"Man, come sit here! There's still room!"
"Quick, look! He dropped the combo again. If he can't get the Shoryuken out this time, he's done for."
On the screen, the community exhibition matches were already halfway finished. Standing across from Arnold, John was trembling so hard he could barely hold the joystick.
Although they had switched back to Street Fighter, a game everyone was familiar with and skilled at, facing his hero made it impossible for him to control his hands.
This ticket had already paid for itself even if he died now!
The expansion floppy drive was ultimately priced at $119.90 per unit. At that price, it already cost nearly half as much as a NovaBox, even so, it still sold an astonishing 100,000 units on its first day.
Meanwhile, The King of Fighters base cartridge quickly surpassed 500,000 copies in sales during its initial launch period.
The bundle containing the base game, the Psycho Soldier Team, and the Women Fighters Team was especially difficult to keep in stock. Faced with this expensive and aggressive new device, many people still chose to wait and see.
Buying The King of Fighters? No problem, the game was absolutely worth playing. But spending several hundred more dollars on peripherals and expansion packs? That required serious consideration.
Fortunately, that situation didn't last very long. Just one day later, the player community found the perfect solution.
"Anyone on 19th Street doing a group buy? I've got an expansion floppy drive here. Looking for a Mai Shiranui card!"
"Anyone on Oak Avenue starting a cartridge exchange club? I've got the Ikari Team expansion pack."
Perhaps Pokémon's trading system had inspired them. Players gathering in arcades spontaneously formed new communities. As long as everyone agreed beforehand who would purchase which expansion pack, they could simply trade and experience different teams.
And if they wanted complete freedom when building teams, two people could each contribute an expansion drive.
It had to be said that GAMENOVA's team system in The King of Fighters '86 was a genius idea; it naturally transformed the game into a modular product.
Or rather, a collection pack. Players could freely choose which sets to purchase based on their preferences and budget. Combined with the fact that character expansion packs were far cheaper than the base game, the system actually lowered the barrier to entry.
Aside from the unavoidable cost of the expansion floppy drive, players only needed to spend less than half the price of the base game to receive three entirely new characters along with exclusive music and stages.
No one understood this more deeply than Meyer, the man who stared at financial reports every single day. The sales curve for The King of Fighters '86 was completely different from any of GAMENOVA's previous products.
It didn't shoot straight upward like Pokémon Red/Green. Nor did it form the perfect stepped curve of Harvest Moon. Its sales were steady and powerful.
"Ethan, The King of Fighters '86 will probably have an even longer sales cycle than originally anticipated! You can even extend its popularity further by releasing additional expansion packs."
Meyer's voice was filled with excitement. For a distributor like him, a steady revenue stream carried tremendous significance.
"Still, Ethan, I really didn't expect Hitbox to sell over thirty thousand units this fast. Sales are still climbing in my own store chains, and they're probably even higher for the other distributors across the country. And if the growth continues, Hitbox might actually catch up to the Light Gun."
On the other end of the phone, Ethan laughed heartily. Even he was somewhat surprised by Hitbox's sales performance.
The device had been designed specifically for fighting games. When used with other genres, especially casual games, its user experience couldn't compare to a traditional controller at all.
"It's probably thanks to that television program. Looks like adding an extra camera angle to record the players' hand movements was the right decision."
The popularity of the first EVO had exceeded everyone's expectations as well. Although ratings hovered around 5.5% by the end of the broadcast, the late-night rerun and the following morning's rebroadcast somehow performed even better. That was nearly half the performance of popular prime-time programs.
McCoy immediately approved several additional reruns on the spot. As long as the show continued, even if Episode Two aired next week, or next month, it could gradually become Channel 29's flagship program.
Naturally, Meyer knew exactly which program Ethan was referring to. As GAMENOVA's most loyal soldier, Meyer had ordered every employee of Silicon Oasis to watch the show on time the day it aired.
"I would've never imagined that so many people would watch others play video games."
"I call it esports, Meyer. It will become an important branch of gaming culture in the future."
Every match in the first episode, except for the community matches, had been carefully arranged exhibition games. Once they established a proper competitive format and built stars around elite players, there would be endless possibilities.
In that regard, it could even be integrated with the talent agency they had recently acquired in Japan.
"Speaking of which, how are the various expansion packs selling?"
"What do you think?"
Meyer asked with a smile in his voice.
"Ethan, the top sellers right now for my chains are the Women Fighters Team Pack and the Psycho Soldier Team Pack. The competition between them is extremely close."
"Those two groups still haven't settled it?"
Ethan chuckled.
Yui Asaka and Sayuri Kokusho had been sent back to Japan shortly after the program ended. Yet the conflict surrounding them, or more accurately, surrounding their two characters, had continued all the way until now.
Perhaps the debate between cuteness and sexiness would only receive a definitive answer at the end of humanity itself.
Ethan hung up the phone and glanced at the date.
The period between 1986 and 1987 was an era overflowing with legendary games. To solidify and continue expanding their foundation during this time, they would need even more high-quality titles.
His gaze drifted toward the neatly arranged floppy disks stacked on the shelf. After a moment, it stopped on one particular concept: strategy.
Games that tested not only reflexes, but also a player's ability to think several steps ahead. Commanding units, managing resources, arranging formations, and making decisions that could determine the outcome of an entire battle.
When it came to strategy games, the potential was far greater than most developers realized and among all the possibilities, one particular idea had already begun taking shape in Ethan's mind.
A game where every soldier mattered, every decision carried weight, and every battle felt like a story of its own.
It was an idea that would eventually become one of the most legendary IPs in gaming history. A tactical strategy franchise that would leave an unforgettable mark on the entire industry.
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A.N: Any guesses about the new game?