In June, Aoki Haruhi received an invitation to the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo in America.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo (English: Electronic Entertainment Expo), abbreviated as E3, is the world's largest and most famous interactive entertainment exhibition.
It has been held since 1995 and holds an important position in the global electronic entertainment industry; some commentators have hailed it as "the annual Olympic event of the electronic entertainment industry," attracting the attention of global players.
And over 60,000 influential retailers, distributors, developers, investors, and media.
The official definition of the E3 Exhibition is "a conference for the release of video games and related peripherals under production," belonging to a "Trade Show."
This means that E3 is a trade exchange exhibition open to professionals in the game industry.
The main audience of this exhibition includes publishers, distributors, developers, and media within the industry.
This is fundamentally different from the Tokyo Game Show, which is mainly aimed at general audiences.
The E3 organizing committee hoped that Pokeni would participate in the E3 Exhibition in July this year and made a commitment that if Pokeni participated, they would be allocated a more spacious area for exhibition.
In other words, Pokeni's booth would be quite luxurious, possibly even larger than those of other game companies.
After seeing the invitation letter, Aoki Haruhi pondered for a moment, then made a call to Ken Kutaragi of Sony.
"Mr. Kutaragi, let me be direct. The E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo has extended an invitation to Pokeni."
"So what?" Ken Kutaragi's heart skipped a beat.
To some extent, the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo has a certain competitive relationship with the Tokyo Game Show.
"So we plan to participate," Aoki Haruhi said. "And we also suggest that Sony participate in this E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo."
"Huh?" Ken Kutaragi felt his mind starting to burn.
"Our consideration is this: although the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo and the Tokyo Game Show, which we host, both promote electronic entertainment products, there are still some differences."
Aoki Haruhi said, "E3's official definition is a trade show, targeting global game manufacturers, publishers, distributors, and players. It not only serves a very good promotional purpose but also facilitates business discussions, collaborations, and exchanges among everyone.
There is no need for us to waste such an opportunity.
Secondly, more Europe and America companies will appear at the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo, and their basic market is also different from that of the Tokyo Game Show.
Why put all your eggs in one basket?
If everyone can have more contact and communication, share their resources, and create a larger stage and resource pool, it will also be beneficial for us.
What's more, E3 targets global players and has a very good exhibition effect.
As a game development company, Pokeni has no reason to waste promotional opportunities.
By the same token, I also recommend that Sony do the same."
Good gracious, you've already made the decision and then come to discuss it with us, haven't you?
Ken Kutaragi thought to himself, even if I don't agree, you wouldn't listen to me, would you?
"In that case, Pokeni's participation in E3 or not is your company's freedom, and we have no right to interfere."
"Then, see you at E3," Aoki Haruhi said.
Ken Kutaragi hung up the phone, still feeling a bit confused.
Wasn't President Aoki on our side?
...
After much deliberation, Ken Kutaragi decided to let Sony Computer Entertainment participate in this E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo.
To some extent, he believed that Aoki Haruhi had a broader perspective, and after internal meeting discussions, everyone unanimously agreed that there was no need to avoid participating in the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo just because of conflicts with Nintendo and Sega.
Why should one go against money?
In fact, if Aoki Haruhi had not intervened in this lifetime, Sony should have participated in E3 from the very first exhibition.
The establishment of the Tokyo Game Show was to contend for the power to set rules and the right to speak in the Japanese game industry.
Now that this goal has been achieved, as Aoki Haruhi said, Sony has no reason to refuse E3's invitation, even if E3 is not as large as the current Tokyo Game Show, it is still a globally influential gaming event.
More exposure means more money.
It's also time to expand the influence of Sony's electronic games.
Aoki Haruhi truly thinks further ahead and has a broader perspective.
It's just that this guy's mind is too flexible.
To this day, Ken Kutaragi still hasn't quite understood how Pokeni, having offended so many industry giants along the way, always manages to easily change partners and somehow becomes more and more powerful?
...
"Huh? Are we going to participate in this E3 Exhibition?"
After hearing the President's words, Takahashi Kazuma, the director of the operations department, was completely stunned.
"Yes," Aoki Haruhi nodded, "Please help prepare a list of games to be released in the second half of this year, and at the same time, ask the relevant project teams to produce corresponding exhibition CGs.
I want to take them to the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo."
Weapons are very important.
Aoki Haruhi also considered that Pokeni currently has a good foundation, having accumulated many different games, and as far as he knows, several games are already in the final stages and can be released.
For example, Pokémon Racing, Pokémon Adventure, and also "Frontier" developed by the American subsidiary.
Putting everything else aside, just "Frontier" alone would be enough to shake the entire E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo.
"What about Sony?" Takahashi Kazuma asked with some concern, "If we participate in E3, it means our games will be exposed first. What will we have to exhibit at the Tokyo Game Show then?
And will Sony be unhappy with us for suddenly participating in E3?
In some sense, E3 and the Tokyo Game Show are in competition, aren't they?"
"Naive."
Aoki Haruhi said, "In this world, electronic exhibitions are inherently promotional channels. One is in July, the other in September, so their schedules don't conflict. It's simply an additional exposure channel.
There will be no competition at all. And…"
President Aoki smiled, "I already called Sony and arranged it. Sony will also be participating in the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo then."
"Huh?"
Takahashi Kazuma was stunned to hear this news.
However, after a few seconds of thought, he immediately understood.
"As expected of the President, he effortlessly accomplished something others couldn't imagine."
The Tokyo Game Show is an annual game exhibition organized by the Japanese Electronic Entertainment Industry Association, led by Sony. According to normal perception, people would assume Sony is the core of the Tokyo Game Show.
They would even subconsciously consider the Tokyo Game Show as Sony's own.
Making Sony participate in E3 was unthinkable; if you put it in ancient times, it would be like making an emperor of one country bow to another.
But after Aoki Haruhi's reminder, Takahashi Kazuma finally emerged from his misconception.
Although Sony took the lead, the president of the Japanese Electronic Entertainment Industry Association rotates. Last year was Sony, this year is Konami, and in the future, it might be Pokeni...
This is a consortium of interests that jointly manage the game industry, not entirely controlled by Sony.
And just as Aoki Haruhi said, an extra channel means extra exposure, so why not go?
Sony Computer Entertainment is not only a member of the Japanese Electronic Entertainment Industry Association but also a console and electronic game manufacturer, and they have a strong influence in the American region.
If analyzed as an ordinary game manufacturer, Sony has no reason to refuse E3's invitation.
Correspondingly, Pokeni is the same.
Not only Pokeni, Konami, Square, they are all the same, having multiple identities, and from the perspective of actual interests, those shrewd individuals might weigh the pros and cons clearly and might even be actively preparing to participate in E3.
Amazing, President!
He analyzed all the multiple attributes of the company in one go.
Aoki Haruhi stated that sometimes, you shouldn't listen to what a person says, but rather look at what they do.
In the business world, whether others treat you well or if you have friends often depends on your strength and status.
If Pokeni didn't have its current actual combat strength, hadn't produced numerous popular titles, and hadn't built up its reputation as the "Game Overlord," it would have been devoured by the big players long ago, leaving not even a speck, let alone acting like Lu Bu, a servant of three masters.
From Nintendo to Sega, and then to Sony.
Aoki Haruhi relied on nothing but [strength]!
Strength, ah, strength!
...
In fact, everything Aoki Haruhi said came true.
Soon after, the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo organizing committee released a list of participants in advance.
Companies such as Konami and Square were prominently listed.
Takahashi Kazuma admired the President even more.
Aoki Haruhi was simply prescient.
...
On July 8, 1997, the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo was held at the Atlanta World Congress Center in America.
The E3 Exhibition can be said to be an early preview of the annual business war in the game industry. Major game manufacturers will showcase their most important products of the year at this exhibition, and success at this exhibition, to some extent, represents the market prospects of the product.
However, from the day it was born, the E3 Exhibition has had an indissoluble bond with the Tokyo Game Show.
In this world's timeline, due to the influence of Sony and Pokeni, in the previous two E3 Electronic Entertainment Expos, although world-class game giants like Sega and Nintendo could be invited, the absence of influential Japanese electronic game manufacturers such as Sony and Pokeni always diminished E3 considerably.
In terms of scale, the difference between the two was not very large.
One was based on Europe and America manufacturers, plus Nintendo and Sega, barely qualifying as the World Cup of the game industry.
The other, although lacking Nintendo and Sega, was supported by a host of Japanese giants like Sony, Pokeni, Konami, and Square.
In a sense, at this point in 1997,
The global gaming field was dominated by Japan.
The most competitive games were also Japanese.
Although the Europe and America region also had companies like Westwood and Blizzard, skilled in real-time strategy games, and EA, which produced racing and sports games like Need for Speed, NBA, and Major League Baseball...
However, in terms of overall sales and popularity, there was always something lacking.
So, E3, with only Nintendo and Sega participating, always felt like something was missing.
However, this E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo seemed to have some changes compared to the previous two years.
Because a group of Japanese game manufacturers, such as Nintendo, Sega, Square, Konami... and a large number of other game manufacturers,
Even Sony joined in.
The E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo also became the edition with the most participating electronic game manufacturers since its inception.
Many players directly stated that they couldn't understand this E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo.
But at the same time, they were extremely excited and happy to have so many game manufacturers, especially Japanese electronic game developers, coming together as a group.
...
Among the participants, one company received much attention.
That was Pokeni.
The E3 organizers first had to confirm the list to better organize and arrange the corresponding exhibition areas, as well as coordinate the order of pre-exhibition press conferences.
So when the official list was released, players around the world were shocked.
"What?! Pokeni is actually participating in this year's E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo?!"
"Not only Pokeni, but Sony is also participating?!"
"I always thought these Japanese electronic game manufacturers were reluctant to participate in E3. I didn't see much of them last year or the year before."
"Yeah, this time it's really a bit unexpected."
"The most unexpected is Pokeni, right? I really like Pokeni, this game company. They missed the previous two exhibitions, and I thought they wouldn't be there this year either.
I didn't expect to see them in the end. It's truly not easy."
Even though Pokeni has been suppressed by Nintendo in its home country of Japan, people subconsciously haven't really considered Pokeni as a top-tier champion.
Japanese players' general impression of Pokeni is—
This is a very promising young game development company.
All games produced by the company are high-quality, and it excels at making high-quality games.
Intuitively, even though Pokeni's revenue last year had already surpassed many game manufacturers and successfully climbed to second place, second only to Nintendo, everyone still didn't have a concrete feeling that Pokeni should be in second place.
However, Pokeni receives completely different treatment in the Europe and America region.
In the minds of Europe and America players, Pokeni is now the undisputed Overlord, a Trailblazer, and a leader in the game industry.
Whether it's the Diablo series, The Witcher series, or the Pokémon series, all have been extremely popular in the Europe and America region.
It even reached the point where—
Every household must have a Pokeni game.
Last year, a large wave of Pokémon games densely occupied the game market.
This year's the witcher 2 successfully elevated Pokeni's games to legendary status.
In The Witcher: Devil's Egg, the eerie and steady dark narrative style, coupled with an excellent plot and first-class combat performance, directly drove Europe and America players wild.
So this time, upon hearing that Pokeni's name would appear at the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Europe and America players literally went crazy.
"What the f*ck?! Pokeni is actually coming to E3 too? Oh my god, I want to buy a plane ticket to see it."
"That's too awesome! This year's E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo can actually invite Pokeni. I really want to go and see it live."
"What kind of games will Pokeni bring this year? So excited."
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