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Preface: On September 28, 2000, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) released Alfa System’s simulation video game, Gunparade March. Given the game’s experimental nature and that it was a PlayStation One title being released six months after the PlayStation Two’s launch, SCE reportedly had little faith in the game and spent virtually nothing on advertising. The majority of game magazines also ignored Gunparade, providing little to no coverage, the sole exception being Dengeki PlayStation who not only reviewed the game but also featured it on the front cover of issue 157 which included a special feature. Gunparade would continue to grow in popularity thanks to word of mouth and the internet. The following article presents one such story. Here, Gamespot Japan interviews Takahisa Moriyama, the video game floor manager of a TSUTAYA in Shinjuku, who strived to improve sales of Gunparade. This article was first published by ZDNET Japan through Gamespot Japan and is currently only available via the Wayback Machine here.
A retail representative tells of the year’s biggest dark horse!! Gunparade March (from here on “Gunparade“) holds various charms, however, it was also true that the game’s initial sales were underwhelming. Here, we’ll hear from someone who early on saw the appeal of Gunparade and deployed various tactics to improve sales. A game that has caught the eye of a hardcore game enthusiast. That’s Gunparade!
Takahisa Moriyama (27) is the floor manager at the Shinjuku TSUTAYA games and has been working at this location now for a year and a half. “Frankly speaking, the amount of games I buy every month is in the double-digits. A large portion of the money I earn probably goes back to TSUTAYA (laughs).” Incidentally, when asked, “What character do you like,” he quietly responded, “Hara….”
ーWhat was your first impression of Gunparade?
Moriyama: I first came across Gunparade back in July of 2000 in a pre-order catalog. Back then, it was advertised as a pseudo online game, but the image I saw left a rather plain impression. Honestly, I thought, “Just what kind of game is this…?” (laughs).