In late April, a new project seminar was about to begin at Sega Headquarters.
Around the oval mahogany conference table, there was a buzz of activity, with many more faces than usual.
In addition to the managing directors and heads of various departments, several shareholder representatives who usually did not participate much in operations were also present.
Their expressions were complex, showing both trust in Takuya Nakayama's past achievements and a subtle, almost imperceptible scrutiny.
After all, at the last shareholders' meeting, it was this young man who, with the promise of "new revenue growth points," secured crucial support for accelerating the development of the 16-bit home console.
Now, it was time for him to deliver something tangible.
The meeting began as scheduled.
The head of the game development department first gave a concise report on the progress of each team: the early demo version of "Out Run" had been completed, and work on several other projects was also progressing steadily, nearing completion.
The reporting session quickly passed, and everyone's attention, by coincidence, converged on the young figure at one side of the conference table—Takuya Nakayama.
He sat there, his back straight, his gaze calm.
"Thank you all for taking the time to attend."
Takuya offered a simple greeting. He gestured for his assistant to unfurl the screen in front and turn on the projector. When the beam of light appeared, what was projected onto the screen was not a game development proposal, but pages of charts and data.
"These are some social phenomenon surveys we commissioned a third-party research institution to conduct."
"The data shows that in current Japanese society, the time fathers spend with their children and wives is generally severely insufficient, and wives often find themselves lost in the not-so-easy yet monotonous housework."
"Many families, especially urban families with fast-paced lives, face immense parenting pressure, but their actual available energy is very limited. In the current environment of excellent economic conditions, too many people are busy making money and simply cannot spare the time to sit at home for a while."
"At the same time, we observed a phenomenon: against this broad social background, people, especially children and homemakers, show a strong potential need for emotional solace."
"Pets, naturally, have become an important outlet for emotional release and comfort."
"We found some papers that state pet companionship can effectively relieve stress and loneliness."
"However, the costs, time, and effort, and even a lot of specialized knowledge required to raise traditional pets, constitute an insurmountable barrier for many potential pet owners."
"Especially for office workers and students, they crave companionship but often find it difficult to bear the responsibility and burden that comes with owning a real pet."
He spoke at a calm pace, presenting the survey results.
Among the executives present, many instinctively nodded. The dilemmas depicted by these data, for some of them, might just be a reflection of their own or their family's daily lives.
The projection screen switched in time, displaying several photos of people warmly interacting with their pets, and the atmosphere eased slightly.
"Our survey further shows that if such a 'pet' existed, one that could provide sufficient emotional companionship value while requiring almost no real-life care effort—",
"—then, regardless of gender, age, or occupation, respondents universally showed extremely high interest and potential purchase intent."
The atmosphere in the conference room began to subtly change.
Takuya skillfully guided everyone's attention to a market demand that seemed unrelated to the main game business but was full of human interest.
The groundwork was laid.
Takuya paused briefly, his gaze calmly sweeping across the room, catching the growing intense curiosity in their eyes.
He knew it was time.
He reached into his briefcase, with a careful solemnity, and took out an object.
A red and white plastic sphere, only about the size of a palm.
In the middle of the sphere was a prominent black band, with a simple "SEGA" logo printed in its center.
Its surface was smooth, its shape rounded, and it lay quietly on the table, yet it possessed a strange allure.
"This is the core medium we have conceived to meet the aforementioned market demand."
He gently pushed the small ball to the center of the conference table.
Instantly, everyone's gaze was firmly fixed on this unassuming small ball.
"Please note, it is not a simple toy."
A hint of barely suppressed excitement unconsciously crept into Takuya's voice.
"It is the starting point for carrying our brand-new concept—'Digital Partner,' or, as I prefer to call it, 'pokémon[1].'"
"'pokémon' is the collective term we have given to these special 'Digital Partners.'" According to Japanese word-forming habits, this word is easy to understand: "poké" comes from the English "pocket," and "mon" from the English "monster," together meaning "Pocket Monster."
That's right, the project Takuya had meticulously prepared alone for half a year was none other than pokémon, which in his previous life was crowned the "World's Number One IP"!
"Inside this tiny sphere, various 'partners' with unique lives can 'reside.'"
"Each of them possesses distinctive appearances, personality traits, and even different abilities."
"Users can interact with the 'partner' inside their ball through extremely simple operations, such as 'feeding' them and observing their growth and changes."
"This directly satisfies people's deep-seated desire for companionship, and more importantly, it greatly lowers the barrier to 'raising' pets in the traditional sense."
"As our previous survey revealed the pain point, it is easy to 'care for,' perfectly aligning with the fast pace of modern society and the gap in emotional needs." Speaking of this, Takuya secretly said "sorry" to Bandai—Bandai's future life-saving work, "Tamagotchi," was thus usurped by Takuya.
A director who appeared to be in charge of finance finally couldn't help but speak, his tone clearly showing confusion and caution.
"Nakayama-kun, this… thing, what is its profit model?"
"And what is its connection to our existing arcade and home console businesses?"
This was undoubtedly everyone's shared question, and the most direct and core one.
Takuya seemed to have anticipated this question, and a confident smile curved his lips.
"Its value extends far beyond individual play and emotional companionship."
"One of its core charms lies in the extremely rich diversity of the 'partners' themselves, and the strong desire for collection that arises from it."
"Once a player owns one, they will naturally desire to acquire more different types and abilities of 'pokémon.'"
"This mechanism inherently gives the product extremely strong continuous consumption attributes."
"More importantly, the concept of 'pokémon' possesses unparalleled social potential and scalability."
"When designing this medium, I referenced and improved upon the battle data cable interface used in the handheld version of 'tetris.' We can also design a simple connection cable that allows two players with 'pokémon' balls to connect them."
"Once connected, the 'partners' of both sides can engage in simple interactions, communication, and even battles on their respective screens. Imagine it, like two strangers walking their pet dogs on the street; before the people even have a chance to strike up a conversation, their pets might already be sniffing and playing with each other."
"In Japan's unique social atmosphere, this design will easily generate a large number of 'conformist' groups and greatly promote interaction among players, thereby spontaneously forming a vibrant community ecosystem."
He paused briefly, observing the expressions on everyone's faces gradually shifting from confusion to contemplation, then threw out another plan with even greater imaginative scope.
"At the same time, relying on the universally cute, unique, and charming images of the 'pokémon' themselves—",
"—we can simultaneously plan and produce a series of animated TV shows to further expand the 'pokémon' worldview and influence through television media."
As Takuya spoke, he took out the pokémon designs he had prepared from his briefcase and projected them onto the screen—they were the first-generation starter pokémon: Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur.
Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to these three adorable characters.
"And based on the animated series and the 'pokémon' themselves, we can develop a range of merchandise."
"Such as various stickers, pendants, and the most popular—plush dolls."
"The profit margins on these peripheral products, I believe, you all understand better than I do."
His gaze swept over the directors whose eyes were gleaming, as if they could already see money printing machines running.
"This new model will attract a wider range of users that our existing business cannot reach."
"Especially younger users and female users."
"This will form a new, continuous, and highly profitable revenue stream."
"As for its connection to our gaming business, I intend to announce that at a suitable time in the future."
[1] ポケモンは世界で一番大きなIPです。Pokemon wa sekai de ichiban ookina IP desu.