"I've got it! Big news, explosive big news!" On the way back to the company, Mutou Game couldn't contain his excitement, almost bursting into song.
Then, Mutou Game's phone rang.
"Baka, who dares to interrupt!" Mutou Game grumbled, then saw the caller ID and his face contorted in pain. He answered the call, but before he could say anything, the person on the other end of the line exploded, yelling, "Baka, what time is it? The press conference ended ages ago!"
"Other magazines have already finished their articles and are planning to release special editions immediately, but you haven't even returned to the company! Baka, Mutou Game, do you want to go play games in Egypt!" The one scolding him was the chief editor of the magazine, Mutou Game's direct superior.
"Chief Editor, please let me explain. I didn't deliberately delay my return. I've unearthed some big news!" Mutou Game quickly explained.
"Baka, what big news could you possibly have? It's just the same old stuff from the press conference. Stop feeding me nonsense!" the Chief Editor became even angrier.
"No, Chief Editor, I really found big news. Blizzard Entertainment is about to officially enter the Nintendo platform!" Mutou Game quickly stated.
"Baka, what Blizzard Entertainment? I've never heard of such a company. Stop trying to fool me. There's no company called Blizzard Entertainment in Fusang!" The Chief Editor grew even more furious. This Mutou Game dared to insult his intelligence! Although he got the Chief Editor position through his brother-in-law, he was still working very hard, wasn't he?
While others worked eight hours, he spent eighteen hours a day in the editorial department, glued to his computer and television, diligently playing games to deepen his understanding of the gaming industry. Wasn't this spirit truly great?
Moreover, the Chief Editor's work had yielded results. At least he had played through products from major game companies in Fusang and had a good understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.
Yet, an expert like him had never even heard of Blizzard Entertainment. Could it be a foreign company… Wait, a foreign game enterprise? Could this Blizzard be…
"You mean *that* Blizzard? The Blizzard of Warcraft III?" the Chief Editor finally reacted, asking hurriedly.
"Yes, I met the backstage boss of Blizzard near the venue. He told me this himself, and I have audio recordings and photos as proof!" Mutou Game said.
"Sou ka, Mutou-san, where are you now, and how long will it take for you to return to the company?" the Chief Editor quickly asked.
"Reporting to the Chief Editor, I'm still near the venue. I'm just about to head to the train station to catch a train back to the company to write the article!" Mutou Game replied.
"Baka, time is money! By the time you take the train back to the company, the izakayas will already be open! Take the nearest taxi back immediately. The expenses will be reimbursed by the editorial department. You must return as quickly as possible!" the Chief Editor shouted. Mutou Game quickly agreed and, for the first time in his life, took a taxi on the company's dime, returning to the company at top speed.
Meanwhile, the entire editorial department was kept overtime by the Chief Editor. Some were responsible for layout, others for title design, some for images, and others for creating relevant investigative charts and diagrams. Some even rushed to the printing company, intending to print this issue of the magazine overnight, collectively helping Mutou Game's big news to be published as quickly as possible.
In the highly conservative Fusang magazine industry, any big news had to be released quickly. Otherwise, if another magazine got wind of it and published it first, the news would lose its value.
Thus, with the collective efforts of all employees, Mutou Game returned to the company around 7 PM, finished the article by midnight, completed the layout and design of the special edition by 1 AM, and handed it over to the printing company at 2 AM to begin overnight printing.
Consequently, by the next morning, "Game Chronicle's" emergency special edition would be displayed in the most prominent positions at all magazine sales points.
"No way, Blizzard Entertainment is going to fully launch on the Nintendo platform!" In the morning, on a rare Sunday off for office workers and energetic schoolchildren alike, when they passed by newsstands and saw such a shocking headline displayed in the most conspicuous location, they were stunned into silence!
Many immediately bought the special edition of the magazine and quickly read the entire article.
Although the article mentioned that the reporter merely encountered Huang He, the backstage boss of Blizzard Entertainment, as he left the venue, and only learned from him that they were discussing Blizzard Entertainment joining Nintendo.
However, the author dedicated more of the article to introducing Blizzard Entertainment and the Jiangnan Group… Nintendo needed no introduction, as no one in Fusang was unaware of Nintendo.
Then, it began to introduce the enormous impact Blizzard Entertainment joining Nintendo would have on the gaming industry, how it was a mutually beneficial event, how much both sides needed each other, and how perfect this collaboration was.
Finally, the author also stated that Huang He's tone during the interview was very relaxed and happy, and his answers were very straightforward, which was not the attitude one would expect when a cooperation has not yet been finalized.
Therefore, it was highly likely that the cooperation between the two parties had already been reached, and in the future, Nintendo gamers would be able to play Blizzard games on their handheld consoles!
Upon the announcement of this news, many Fusang console gamers who were curious about Blizzard Entertainment's games were overjoyed. They had long wanted to experience how fun the legendary PC top-tier Blizzard games were, but they didn't have computers at home, only game consoles, which had prevented them from realizing this wish.
And fans who had computers at home and were also fans of Blizzard games were even more ecstatic.
Although they had pretty much played all the Blizzard games, the ingrained Fusang gamer's obsession that "games should be played on consoles, connected to a television" had never disappeared. They always felt awkward playing computer games.
Now, they finally had the opportunity to play authentic games on their consoles. There was nothing more moving than this in the world. They had to buy it in droves!
Even players who didn't have that peculiar obsession that games should be on consoles were very curious about how such advanced games, which required the coordination of a mouse and keyboard, would be played with a controller on a game console. This was incredibly interesting.
And so, they were filled with anticipation for these games.
Of course, some Blizzard detractors expressed disdain or even anger. However, just as there weren't many Blizzard fans in Fusang, the number of Blizzard detractors was also small, not posing any real threat.
And even if they did gain momentum, it wouldn't matter. At worst, they could protest Nintendo.
In summary, as the magazine predicted, the news was incredibly popular and had an explosive impact. In less than two hours, the initial print run of 30,000 special editions had completely sold out, and the printing factory was urgently reprinting them.
However, at this very moment, Mutou Game, the great contributor to "Game Chronicle," having only slept a few hours on the company sofa, was already eagerly informing the Chief Editor that he was going out to gather material, as he was about to have another big news scoop.
"What a great employee!" The Chief Editor was moved to tears and, in his report to the controlling company, claimed 90% of the credit for himself.
After all, it was due to his excellent leadership!
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The next morning, a large number of players gathered on the first floor of a building in Akihabara, essentially surrounding half of the floor. These players were mostly there to witness the spectacle.
They were generally aware of the news from two days prior: a rich patron had swept clean the largest store in Akihabara of all Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. It was said that less than a tenth of them were opened on the spot, and one rare "Swordsman Canaan" card, valued at one million yen, was pulled from them.
Furthermore, that rich patron announced on the same day that he would sell the opened cards at the same location two days later, pricing them at over 400,000 yen above the original purchase price.
For some reason, this news, which should have only spread within a small circle, was quickly posted on various Yu-Gi-Oh! forums, complete with clear photos of the "Swordsman Canaan" card, stirring the desire of all Yu-Gi-Oh! fans.
If this "Swordsman Canaan" card was indeed sold for 400,000 yen among those cards, it would be a highly profitable venture.
However, what most Yu-Gi-Oh! players cared about were the other cards that were opened.
It was unclear who was so resourceful as to photograph all the rare cards that had been opened previously and post them on the forums, making many people eager.
While these rare cards were not as expensive as the "Swordsman Canaan," they were all first-edition cards from '99 and were already out of print. They were usually difficult to purchase or required sifting through many consignment shops, which was very time-consuming.
Now, it seemed there was an opportunity to buy these rare cards, which made many Yu-Gi-Oh! enthusiasts' hearts pound.
Since they usually went to Akihabara as if they were going shopping, many Yu-Gi-Oh! enthusiasts flocked to the first floor to witness this interesting event.
When the appointed time arrived, the rich patron did appear as promised, but this time he brought many people with him, dozens of them, surrounding him as if to protect him. xxs1
"My friends, thank you for waiting. Has the beautiful shrine maiden arrived?" This rich patron had even brought a microphone and was directly addressing the crowd.
"I'm here!" Soon, the shrine maiden from last time appeared. However, she was no longer wearing her red and white shrine maiden attire but was dressed in modern clothing, or rather, a stylish OL outfit: a short suit skirt paired with sheer black stockings, along with her tall figure and ample curves, making her exceptionally alluring.