Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo-Chapter 1034: Surei Electronics Strikes Again

"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 come to the game 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 Gamestar Electronic Entertainment lead them around by the nose.

Though to be honest, when it came 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 some 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 Gamestar Electronic Entertainment's offerings—plus some unique tech features that Gamestar didn't have.

By this time, 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, some in the crowd cheered excitedly.

His name was Yoichi Okawa, a veteran of Sorei Electronics and one of the producers behind the famous Sun Knight series.

Several of the Sun Knight games he had worked on had been very well received, and among fans, his reputation was on par with the top creators at Gamestar Electronic Entertainment.

His appearance strongly hinted that a new Sun Knight game would be announced.

As of now, Sun Knight had at least two million loyal players.

That meant 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 game was in development.

However, this one would be a timed 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 name recognition to boost their visibility.

It was similar to how Gamestar often promoted games with Takayuki's name as supervising producer.

Of course, Okawa didn't have Takayuki's level of influence, but it was still something.

Next came Sorei's lineup of core "guns, cars, and sports" games.

One of these was a modern warfare first-person shooter.

Gamestar 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. freewēbnoveℓ.com

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 Gamestar promoted esports as a means of building a global league system and fostering industry growth...

Sorei's focus was more practical: squeezing every drop of revenue they could.

Then came Sorei's licensed FIFA World Cup game. Following Gamestar's approach of annual iterations, they released a new entry each year, with both companies maintaining separate but competitive soccer game franchises.

Players didn't mind—more games meant 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 Gamestar partnered with club leagues—and launched their own branded basketball game.

There was also 3D Racer, a series that had debuted around the same time as Need for Speed.

In both visuals and gameplay, the two were very similar, emphasizing fast-paced, high-adrenaline racing. And since Gamestar 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 games.

In games like GTA, which simulate modern cities, vehicles are already a key gameplay element.

You can race cars, ride bikes, fly planes—more variety than a standard racing game could offer. So even in the absence of competitors, 3D Racer wasn't doing great.

Gamestar had already claimed the biggest share of that racing-game pie.

Sorei didn't dare abandon the genre, though. Falling behind could be dangerous. So they kept making sequels—albeit with modest investment.

After showcasing all their first-party games, they introduced a few titles from partner studios—either timed 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 game console.