December 2, 2005, was the release day of the GSX console, which launched simultaneously in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Australia, Europe, and other countries, with slight changes due to time zone differences.
This time is also one of the most frenzied shopping days in many countries.
The closer it gets to Christmas, the more intense the shopping atmosphere becomes, and everything will calm down before Christmas Eve, as everyone enjoys the festive atmosphere before welcoming the new year.
Choosing to release the console at this time was a well-thought-out decision.
This time frame is the fastest for hardware development and mass production delivery, and Gamestar Entertainment had been racing against time to ensure mass production.
By December 2, the weekly sales could be counted, without being affected by the holiday atmosphere, and it was also the time when people's purchasing desires were at their peak, making it the perfect moment to boost sales.
Sury Electronics wasn't far behind, following up with the release of their upgraded console on December 5.
They were also well-prepared, boasting a substantial stock, claiming to have a supply of tens of millions of units ready for market distribution, with factories ready to ramp up production to meet all player demands.
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At the same time, many people were waiting for Gamestar Entertainment to fail.
There were many people online criticizing Gamestar Entertainment, and at least in terms of public opinion, it seemed like the company was on the defensive.
However, Gamestar Entertainment didn't seem interested in engaging in an online argument with these critics.
In the past, Gamestar Entertainment had first made achievements and then let the results speak for themselves, leaving those who criticized them speechless once the numbers came out.
But Gamestar Entertainment didn't waste time on these critics, and their team members were not as calm.
Especially Shirotori Yuuumi.
This guy was known for his explosive temper online.
Of course, he had the reputation to back it up.
He had worked on multiple major games like Street Fighter, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Mario World, and Zelda: The Legend of Zelda.
He had a high-ranking role as the lead of the second team, and he had substantial influence in the industry.
So when he spoke, it was a full blast against these so-called economic experts.
He told them not to apply their narrow economic knowledge to Gamestar Entertainment. These so-called experts didn't even understand the core of Gamestar Entertainment, yet they naively believed they had figured it out.
He urged these experts to go comment on another industry and stay out of the video game field. The only company with the authority in the video game industry was Gamestar Entertainment.
These were relatively mild words, but there were even more radical ones that even Facebook's filter system couldn't handle, so they blocked some of his words.
Still, his frequency of posts was so high that, whenever he had a moment, he would post a fresh round of criticism every two or three minutes, tagging many economists without showing mercy.
These economists were furious, criticizing Gamestar Entertainment for lacking any sense of responsibility, and even claimed they would send a lawyer's letter to Gamestar Entertainment.
But Gamestar Entertainment had a high-priced legal team, and no one could benefit from dealing with them. Even some local U.S. governments had headaches dealing with this legal team, having tried to sanction Gamestar Entertainment in the past without success.
As it was hard to get anything out of a legal fight, they tried to take it out on Shirotori Yuuumi online, even though it seemed like a downgrade, but they couldn't tolerate being insulted so much.
But at that moment, they realized that Shirotori Yuuumi, after tagging them and cursing them out, had immediately blocked them, leaving them with no chance to respond. It left them frustrated, with no outlet for their anger.
"I still want to see what Gamestar Entertainment has to be proud of. How can they continue to succeed after offending so many customers? This is impossible!"
Abiston, a famous economics professor at the University of Michigan in the U.S., was over 70 years old.
In his lifetime, he had experienced many economic disasters: the Great Depression, the oil crisis, the toy market bubble, the film industry downturn, the Japanese bubble collapse, and recently, the bursting of the internet bubble.
His age was his greatest asset, as it represented his accumulated experience in economics.
Therefore, he didn't believe that the emerging video game industry could escape the traditional economic rules. He believed that a company that everyone doubted couldn't possibly rise.
If Gamestar Entertainment had been a public company, its stock would have been targeted for a short sale recently, and Abiston had hoped to profit from that.
But it didn't matter, because Sury Electronics had a good reputation online and in the media, so buying their stock seemed like a safe bet.
At the same time, Abiston was one of the people cursed by Shirotori Yuuumi.
He had also followed trends, and as an economist, he had to stay up-to-date with modern topics, so he had a stable online account where he frequently posted economic insights and current affairs.
Being heavily criticized by Shirotori Yuuumi almost made him faint.
Shirotori Yuuumi told him that he was too old and should retire, stop being a professor, and stop trying to understand the new age.
"Times have changed, old man."
He also told him to open his eyes and understand the development of Gamestar Entertainment, so that he wouldn't be used by people with bad intentions, ruining his later years.
After calming down, Abiston decided not to respond with the same tactics as his colleagues but instead wanted to see Gamestar Entertainment's new console in person.
He wanted to see their failure firsthand.
The public opinion was against them, so what could they say about breaking market trends?
"Grandpa, where are you going?"
Abiston, dressed and ready to leave, was stopped by his ten-year-old grandson. He immediately turned with a kind smile and looked at his grandson.
"I'm going to the supermarket to see if there's anything nice for my little grandson for Christmas."
"Wow! Grandpa, you're the best! Can I pick a special gift?"
Abiston nodded without hesitation. "Of course, as long as you're happy. What do you want?"
"There's a new game console on sale today called the GSX, Grandpa. Can you buy it for me? I heard it's super awesome!"
Abiston's kind smile immediately froze.