After Hironobu Sakaguchi stepped down from the stage, the thunderous applause showed no signs of abating.
Tom Kalinske strode back to the center of the stage. Instead of speaking immediately, he spread his arms wide like a rock star, closed his eyes, and basked in the roof-shaking cheers.
When the applause finally began to subside, he grabbed the microphone, his face beaming with his trademark, dazzlingly exaggerated smile.
"Did you all hear that? Our poor Mr. Sakaguchi is being 'mentally tortured' by Sega!"
His theatrical tone immediately drew another wave of uproarious laughter from the crowd.
The reporters, still amused by Sakaguchi's earlier roast, slapped their thighs in mirth.
"But!" Tom's voice suddenly soared, his index finger jabbing toward the audience. "He's right! We *are* a bunch of bastards! Bastards who would drive a genius producer mad just to bring gamers the absolute best games!"
"Because we believe the footage you saw at the press conference was just an appetizer! The real feast awaits you to savor firsthand!"
He abruptly waved his hand, pointing toward the exit of the venue, his voice booming like a military loudspeaker.
"The press conference is over! But Sega's party is just getting started!"
"Our booth! Right in the Gaming Zone! Five hundred square meters! We've thrown out everything unnecessary to give you the maximum play space!"
Tom's voice was electrifying, each word striking the audience's hearts like a war drum.
"Half the area is dedicated to *John Wick*! Grip your light gun tight and experience the thrill of being a Hollywood action hero!"
"The other half belongs to *The King of Fighters*! The first 3v3 team-based fighting game in history! Grab your friends or find two partners on the spot for an epic showdown!"
He paused, lowered his voice, and flashed a sly, mysterious grin.
"Oh, and we've prepared a few little gifts."
"Limited edition concept art books for *Chrono Trigger*, character posters personally signed by Akira Toriyama, and merchandise for Sonic, Pokémon, Kirby, Metal Slug—everything! All available exclusively at CES!"
"Once they're sold out, they'll never be reprinted!"
"So!" Tom's voice boomed, nearly a roar, "What are you all still sitting here for?! Go play! Go grab! Go scream! Let everyone see who the real stars of this show are!"
With that, he slammed the microphone back into its stand, turned, and strode off the stage.
For a split second, the entire venue fell silent. Then, like an ant colony exploding, the crowd erupted. Everyone leaped from their seats in unison, stampeding toward the exits!
"Hurry! To the Sega booth!"
"Get out of my way! That Akira Toriyama-signed character poster is mine!"
"Damn it, stop shoving! My camera!"
The gamers had coalesced into an unstoppable flood, surging from the press conference hall toward Sega's exhibition area.
Soon, Sega's massive blue booth was swamped, packed tighter than a sardine can.
Fortunately, Tom Kalinske had anticipated this chaos. The booth design included a vast queuing area, with two long lines snaking around the booth's rear—one for arcade game demos and the other for merchandise sales. The tails of the lines even spilled onto the main thoroughfare of the exhibition hall.
The spectacular queue itself had become a living spectacle, drawing curious onlookers who craned their necks to ask, "Hey, what's this line for?"
"It's for Sega's game demos!" the people in line replied without turning their heads, their eyes glued to the booth ahead. "Sega! You know? SEGA!"
Inside the booth, the players were completely losing their minds.
"Oh my god! Three-on-three! This is genius!" A burly man danced in front of *The King of Fighters* machine, while his two companions behind him stomped their feet impatiently. "Hurry up! Switch out! Let me play!"
"Hold on! I can take out three in this round!"
Meanwhile, the *John Wick* light guns blazed with rapid-fire shots, accompanied by the players' screams.
"Reload! I'm out of ammo!"
"Where did that guy suddenly come from?! Oh! This execution move is so cool!"
"Someone's behind me! Aah—!"
A player let out a pained cry and reluctantly put down the light gun.
A staff member immediately approached with a smile, handing over a heavy commemorative metal coin.
The coin was cool to the touch and felt substantial. The Sega logo was engraved on the back, while the front featured a sharp "KOF" or "John Wick" inscription.
"Wow! Cool!" The player who had just "died" instantly revived with full health, holding the coin up to the light, flipping it over and over, his excitement even greater than when he was playing the game.
This spectacle made the hundreds of people waiting in line even more impatient, craning their necks and practically trying to peer into the screen with their eyeballs.
The players who had finally finished their turn clutched the small commemorative coin, still wanting more. They turned to rejoin the end of the line, but when they saw the staff member holding up a sign that read "Estimated wait time: 3 hours," they quickly changed their minds.
"Three hours? Good Lord, the expo's almost over!"
"Forget it, let's go grab some merch first!"
As a result, the line at the merchandise area visibly lengthened.
"One item per person per type!" the staff member in charge of crowd control shouted through a megaphone.
But this rule couldn't dampen the scalpers' enthusiasm.
Not all scalpers were so resourceful, though. Many got distracted by the scantily clad showgirls inside the exhibition hall, lingering a bit too long to drool. By the time they rushed to join the line, they discovered that the others who had charged into the venue with them were already dozens of people ahead.
A young man with dreadlocks squeezed his way to the front of the line and leaned in close to the person ahead of him, whispering, "Hey, bro, can you grab an Akira Toriyama signed poster for me? I'll give you a hundred bucks."
The young man glanced at him, then at the sample poster displayed at the front of the line. He swallowed hard and shook his head. "Not selling. I want one for myself."
"One hundred and fifty!"
"Get lost."
Meanwhile, the cash register drawer clanged open and shut repeatedly, the crisp, rhythmic sound cutting through the noisy convention hall with unusual clarity.
Compared to the Sega booth, the crowds at other gaming companies' displays paled in comparison.
Watching the massive throng surrounding Sega and hearing the cash register's triumphant clanging, the other exhibitors' eyes burned with envy.
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