Just as Ethan was about to capitalize on his discovery and solve the physics simulation for the new game in one go, Sam pushed the door open carrying several folders.
"Back already?"
"Yeah, these are pretty much all the properties that meet our requirements. I've checked almost every one of them."
Sam flipped through the documents in his hands.
"There are more commercial properties that fit our needs in downtown Los Angeles, but the prices aren't exactly ideal."
"I don't think that's necessary. Somewhere near USC or Santa Clara will do."
Ethan took the documents and quickly skimmed through them.
When they had expanded MicroNova earlier, he had already instructed Sam to keep an eye out for a large office building.
According to the listings, purchasing a sizable office in downtown Los Angeles or the heart of Silicon Valley would cost at least $300 per square foot. So, an office space of just over 900 square meters would easily exceed three million dollars.
If GAMENOVA wanted to evolve from being purely a content developer into a true all-encompassing corporate giant, then establishing a solid physical base was essential. Even if they were only buying factories to manufacture hardware, they would still need warehouses and logistics facilities.
"This one."
Ethan tapped one of the listings.
"Along Vermont Avenue. It's easy to get around from there, and it'll be closer to Vivian and Gerald too."
Land near USC was certainly cheaper, but getting around was a hassle. Back when business wasn't so busy, occasionally dropping by the hardware department or MicroNova to provide guidance didn't waste much time.
But now MicroNova was entering a period of explosive growth, and every division required Ethan's oversight.
Although Santa Clara was still in California, Los Angeles and San Francisco sat at opposite ends of the state. The distance between them wasn't exactly short.
"Alright. I'll go negotiate tomorrow."
"And buy a house nearby while you're at it. I'd rather not end up sleeping in the office."
"Relax, relax. I've already picked out a few."
Patting his chest confidently, Sam grinned. Every property in his shortlist had been personally inspected. After locking the documents away in a cabinet, he noticed a copy of Fire Emblem sitting on the desk.
"Oh, right. The sales figures from Japan are in."
"As of the first full month after launch, Fire Emblem has already sold over one million copies."
"That strong?!"
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
One million copies in the very first month had far exceeded even his own expectations.
After all, Japan wasn't America, and to Japanese players, GAMENOVA had appeared out of nowhere as a complete newcomer.
To make the biggest splash possible, he had even bundled the Japanese version of the NovaBox with Pokémon. Comparing Fire Emblem's first month on the market to Super Mario Bros's lifetime sales was hardly fair, and Ethan knew it. Even so, he wasn't worried in the slightest.
Fire Emblem was never designed to appeal to the mass market. Its punishing difficulty and complex gameplay mechanics naturally discouraged casual players. That was obvious enough from the fact that Tetris had already surpassed 1.5 million copies sold in just a month.
"What about NovaBox?"
"Just over 1.6 million units."
Sam pulled out another report for comparison.
"But growth has started slowing down."
The numbers were only slightly higher than Tetris' install base. In other words, nearly every NovaBox owner also owned a copy of Tetris.
Meanwhile, Pokémon had already surpassed two million copies sold. The reason… Naturally, it was because of the red and green dual-version strategy.
"Selling over 1.6 million consoles in a single month is already an incredible achievement."
Seeing Sam still looking somewhat dissatisfied, Ethan laughed.
Over its lifetime, the original Famicom sold fewer than twenty million units in Japan. Even the hugely successful American version, the NES, had yet to surpass its original sales figure.
"Increase our promotional efforts in Roppongi."
"The Japanese version of NovaPocket should finish localization within the next couple of days. We need to take advantage of this momentum and firmly establish our foothold."
With these numbers, they already possessed enough leverage to shake Nintendo's absolute dominance in Japan.
"At least until the Sega Mega Drive and the Super Famicom arrive, we can afford to relax a little."
Stretching lazily, Ethan found himself thinking about Minoru Arakawa, president of Nintendo's American branch.
He was undoubtedly one of the key architects behind Nintendo's global expansion. Ever since NovaBox had unleashed one blockbuster after another, both Arakawa and the entire Nintendo American division had seemingly gone silent.
It was almost as though they had completely given up on competing with GAMENOVA.
But Ethan had never once taken his attention off such a dangerous competitor, because neither Minoru Arakawa nor his father in law, Hiroshi Yamauchi, was someone to underestimate.
The last time he had heard about Arakawa, the man had been negotiating with Sir-Tech in hopes of securing another RPG tailored specifically for western audiences on the NES.
At that thought, something suddenly clicked in Ethan's mind.
I have a feeling... Arakawa's next move is coming soon.
As if to confirm his intuition, the office telephone suddenly rang. Ethan exchanged a glance with Sam before picking up the receiver.
"Jim?... Television? Got it."
He gestured for Sam to turn on the television and switch to the broadcast.
"I see it... Mm, don't worry. We've already prepared for this."
Click.
Ethan hung up and fixed his eyes on the screen.
Standing before the cameras in a neatly tailored suit was Minoru Arakawa. Opposite him stood another man in a business suit, an American businessman. The two exchanged a firm handshake as the cameras recorded the meeting.
"So that's Jim's old classmate..."
The moment Ethan saw the man's face; he recognized him immediately. A California-born, Stanford graduate, and former Apple marketing executive.
Sam stared for a moment before realization dawned on him.
"Trip Hawkins!"
The founder of EA.
EA Announces One on One Sequel for the NES!
Hawkins Reveals That NBA Rookie Magic Johnson Will Join the Game!
One on One: Earvin Johnson vs. Larry Bird Coming Soon!
"Mr. Arakawa, what are your thoughts on this collaboration?"
As the two men took their seats, reporters immediately crowded forward with microphones. Facing the cameras, Arakawa maintained his composed smile.
"I've played One on One, developed by Mr. Hawkins and Electronic Arts."
"To be perfectly honest, even someone like me, an old-fashioned fellow who never had much interest in basketball, couldn't help but become completely engrossed in it."
"But in my opinion, the limitations of the PC platform have prevented Mr. Hawkins from fully expressing his talent."
"And our NES is precisely the kind of dedicated gaming platform capable of unlocking that potential."
Hawkins accepted the microphone with a smile and nodded.
"That's right. Mr. Arakawa has truly been an incredibly supportive friend."
"When he learned about the technical challenges we were facing, he immediately arranged for Konami to develop an entirely new MMC graphics enhancement chip for us."