Zaborn_1997

Chapter 615 ZAGE Tower Progress. 

Tuesday 1 October 1995

Zaboru was now in Tokyo’s main office district, where the ZAGE Tower was under construction. He was accompanied by Shinsuke, ZAGE’s Head of Marketing, and Zanichi, his father and the company's Chief Technology Officer.

Shinsuke grinned proudly. Ever since Zaboru bought the land in 1992, he had been overseeing the progress of the ZAGE Tower, and so far, everything was moving along smoothly.

Zaboru’s eyes lit up as he looked up at the 51-flo...

Chapter 614 Rest of September Part 2 

Outside of video game releases, Zaboru assigned each ZAGE team with additional tasks to prepare for the months ahead. 

ZAGE Osaka is currently focused on developing the Rurouni Kenshin game for the ZEPS 2, but Zaboru has also assigned them two additional projects scheduled for release in December. Both are for the ZGB platform: the shoot-'em-up classic R-Type DX and the quirky platformer Wario Land 2. These games will go into production later, allo...

Chapter 613 Rest of September Part 01

After the first two high-octane days of the ZAGE Fighting Tournament wrapped up, Day 3 took a completely different turn — and it did so with a blast. The spotlight shifted from arcade battles to music as Zaboru and the Zankoku band, better known as Z&Z, delivered a thunderous live performance to debut their newest album. Titled “Blast,” the album was fully recorded in Japanese and featured an all-star tracklist drawn entirely from the music Zaboru remembered from his previous...

Chapter 612: ZAGE Fighting Tournament Part 02

On September 12, 1995

The second day of the ZAGE Fighting Tournament is just as thrilling as the first, and even more exciting, since the remaining two fighting games are the ones players and fans have been most hyped for: MARVEL VS ZAGE and Tekken. The venue is packed once again, buzzing with energy as cameras roll and lights flash. The excitement is palpable — you can feel the crowd's heartbeat in every cheer.

First up is MARVEL VS ZAGE, and it really surprises many people t...

Chapter 611 ZAGE Fighting Tournament Part 01

On September 11th, ZAGE will air its first-ever official Fighting Tournaments as part of its landmark event. This tournament features a wide array of fighting games that have already been released in ZAGE arcades, including great titles such as Street Fighter, MARVEL VS ZAGE, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, and the newest addition to the ZAGE fighting lineup, Guilty Gear. This marks a historic moment for ZAGE as it officially enters the competitive fighting game scene with an exciting and diver...

Chapter 610: Hotwheels

Wednesday, 9 September 1995.

After acquiring 30% of Studio Ghibli, Zaboru made his way to HanDai HQ in Tokyo. He had important meetings scheduled regarding the launch of a new line of collectible miniature cars called Hotwheels.

Zaboru was set to meet with the current HanDai CEO, Mido Mitoma. Although Mitoma only held 10% of the company shares, he retained full profit access from his portion, giving him both influence and wealth. With Zaboru now owning the majority 90%, Mit...

Chapter 609 Certain Studio. 

Inside a modest animated studio known as Ghibli, three individuals are gathered, each absorbed in thought. The studio, newly established this past July, is humble and unassuming—its walls lined with sketches and storyboards. Despite the earlier success of Hayao Miyazaki’s previous films and help from Publisher company Takuma Shoten, the fledgling studio is struggling financially. Their current budget is clearly insufficient to support upcoming projects, let alone cover the signific...

Chapter 608 ZAGE tournament plan and Ayumi Apartment Room

Wednesday 2 September 1995. 

Zaboru is currently busy working while also preparing for the upcoming ZAGE Tournament, which is scheduled to take place later this year in Japan. Unlike previous tournaments, this one will place a strong emphasis on a wide variety of fighting games, including Tekken, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, MARVEL VS ZAGE, and even the newest ZAGE fighting game, Guilty Gear. This will be the first time ZAGE has hosted a tournament of this kind and scale, ...

Chapter 607 Gabe Newel Officially Join ZAGE 

Tuesday 1 September 1995 

ZAGE Offices USA

Gabe Newell is now inside the ZAGE building and is about to be formally introduced as the newest member of the team. 

Ever since he visited Zaboru in June following their meetings, Gabe quickly submitted his resignation from Microsoft, where he served as the Head of Engineering. He expected that Microsoft—and especially Bill Gates—would try to convince him to stay. However, to his surprise, Bill Gates didn’t s...

Chapter 606 Rest Of August

Chapter 606 Rest Of August.

During the rest of August, plenty of things happened .

First of all the Zanki and Hamazou drama. 

After Akechi informed his grandfather, Azai Hamazou, about the troubling situation with Zanki, Azai immediately understood the gravity of the issue and took action. Drawing on his connections within the Japanese government, he requested their assistance in protecting Zaboru's image. To Azai’s relief, the government held ZAGE in very high regard...

Chapter 605: ZEPS 1 Closure Plan and Special Projects

While a shadowy scheme involving Akechi and Zanki was quietly unfolding elsewhere, Zaboru was simply enjoying a peaceful night. After devouring a plate of delicious gyoza at a small restaurant near the ZAGE offices, he returned to his Tokyo headquarters. With a full stomach and a clear mind, he leaned back at his desk and resumed work on an ambitious project—his plan for the graceful retirement of his very first console: the ZEPS 1.

Zaboru smiled to himself. “ZEPS 1... such...

Chapter 604 Interrogation

The truck and a convoy of black cars came to a halt in the center of a dimly lit warehouse district. Akechi's subordinates dragged out three unconscious individuals—two men and one woman—and securely tied them to chairs arranged in a triangular formation. Moments later, Wakizou, Akechi's trusted lieutenant, stepped forward with a metal bucket full of cold water. With a sharp toss, he splashed it over the trio, causing them to jolt awake instantly, gasping and blinking in confusion ...

Chapter 603 Zanki Zagashira Plan in Motion.

10 august 1995 ZUSUGA offices. 

After Zenzou Zagashira requested that Zukechi Zagashira step away from any involvement with ZUSUGA, Zanki Zagashira officially assumed full rights over the company. Now in complete control, Zanki began restructuring ZUSUGA from the ground up. Using his strong negotiation skills and persuasive communication, he successfully convinced the company’s investors to continue supporting him. His reputation in the business world was well-established, and ma...

Chapter 602 Punishment and Planning

Monday 3 August 1995.

Zaboru and the ZAGE higher-ups held a morning meeting to discuss the situation with Yoshi Motohira. In the end, Yoshi was punished by being immediately terminated from ZAGE and officially blacklisted. This action severely damaged his CV and reputation, as he had violated company policy by stealing sensitive data and handing it to a rival corporation. Despite Yoshi’s desperate pleas for forgiveness, Zaboru remained firm and unmoved. He believed a clear exam...

Chapter 601 Spy

Saturday 1 August 1995 ZAGE offices Japan Tokyo

Zaboru was in his office, working as usual, surrounded by the steady hum of machines and paperwork. However, this wasn’t a typical workday—two other people were present with him. One was his cheerful girlfriend, Ayumi, and the other was her sharp, serious older brother, Akechi Hamazou. Their presence made the normally quiet room feel unusually dynamic.

Ayumi smiled and said, “Zabo! These ZAGE forums are so amazing! Heheh...

Chapter 600 Rest Of July 

In July 1995, many developments were underway at ZAGE. First, Zaboru assigned new tasks to the Tokyo team, entrusting them with two additional projects for the ZEPS 2 system. These projects were none other than Sonic 3 and Knuckles and an original game by Zaboru himself—SpongeBob SquarePants 2. Both titles were scheduled for a September release.

With these new assignments, the Tokyo team now had three major projects in active development. Following the recent ...

Chapter 599: ZAGE Forums

Friday, 24 July 1995

It had only been a week since the official launch of the ZAGE Forums, and already the global gaming community was buzzing with excitement. Players who had never even considered joining an internet provider were now doing so just to be part of the experience. The forums became a lively, digital hangout—full of energy, curiosity, and connection. Zaboru had anticipated growth, but even he hadn’t expected this level of engagement so soon.

To keep things...

Ask Questions

Hey guys, quick question for you all:

Have you noticed I’ve barely mentioned Zabo-man lately? He still exists in the games—he’s always popping up as a cameo or hidden character in ZAGE titles—but I haven’t really brought him up recently because I figured most of you already know he’s there.

Also, I realized I’ve been skipping out on featuring my OG games—like the ones I usually include when reacting to Sonaya games, Akaishidan games, or other 3rd-party stuff.
...

Chapter 598 ZAGE Websites and Forum Ads

Saturday 18 July 1995. 

After a couple of months in development, the ZAGE website and game forums are finally ready for launch—and in fact, they’ve already gone live. The official website is accessible at www.ZAGE.com, while the dedicated forums can be found at 2025-08-23 03:12:24 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter 597 Donkey Kong Country Wonder.

Following the successful release of Paperboy 2 and Quake Zaboru in June, and a series of key meetings with Philips in early July, Zaboru continued to focus on advancing ZAGE’s ongoing projects in both the USA and Japan. Momentum was building, and he was determined to keep it going on both fronts.

The Tokyo team was focused on two main projects. First was Phantasy Star 2, scheduled for release later this month in July. The second was Unirally,...

Chapter 596 DVD player Progress and Amaterasu Progress

July 1 Wednesday 1995 Philip Offices. 

Zaboru was invited by Jan Timmer, the CEO of Philips, to their offices in Japan. The agenda for the meeting was to discuss progress on their joint development of a larger-capacity CD drive—one that could store significantly more data than current models. 

Zaboru then arrived at Philips’ main lab, where he was shown a CD that looked nearly identical to a standard disc—except for its slightly glossier backing, hinting at ...

Chapter 595 Rest Of June.

In June 1995, several notable events shaped the gaming world. ZAGE released two major titles that month: Paperboy 2 on the ZEPS 2 console, developed by ZAGE Japan in Tokyo, and Quake on PC, launched by ZAGE America.

Paperboy 2 is the sequel to the infamous, goofy game from ZEPS 1, and players were thrilled to see a follow-up to the cult favorite.

Overall, Paperboy 2 offered gameplay similar to Paperboy 1 on the ZEPS 1, but with s...

Chapter 594 Zukechi Zagashira Fate and Zanki Plan.

June 24 1995 

At Zagashira Mansion, Zukechi—the owner of the ZUSUGA company, which created the game console ZU-Gen 1—was fidgeting nervously. “Wh... what should I do? What should I do?! It’s all Zaboru and ZAGE’s fault! They monopolize the video game market! That’s why ZUSUGA’s games can’t sell!” 

Zukechi had been blaming Zaboru for the ZU-Gen 1’s poor sales ever since its release a few months back. None of the games had sold more than a few th...

Chapter 593 Visit from Gabe Newel.

24 June 1995 Wednesday Evening.

Zaboru is in his office at ZAGE USA, carrying on with his usual busy routine. Earlier that morning he had presented the Unreal Engine to a large group of video game developers. The presentation sparked great interest, and soon many developers began reaching out to ZAGE and Emerald Wings. Plenty of them expressed a strong desire to collaborate, eager to obtain a license for Unreal Engine in exchange for sharing the valuable data they generated while...

Chapter 592 Unreal Engine Present. 

24 June 1995 Wednesday ZAGE USA.

After a couple of months of development, the Unreal Engine was finally ready to be used in full production. Alongside it, the first game created with the engine, Quake, was scheduled for release on June 27, 1995. In the meantime, Zaboru had already begun shifting his USA-based ZAGE team to work on major upcoming projects such as NBA LIVE and Warcraft 2. Later, he planned to assign them to even more ambitious titles, ensu...

Chapter 591 Breath Of Fire

After the release of Mario Kart, another notable title launched in May was the JRPG Breath of Fire. Although it largely followed the traditional formula of Japanese role-playing games, it managed to capture players’ attention by combining familiar mechanics with fresh twists and distinctive ideas that made it stand out in a crowded genre.

First of all, Breath of Fire delivers an expansive RPG narrative. The overworld map is vast, filled with towns, dungeons, a...

Chapter 590 Mario Kart

Saturday, 23 May 1995.

Sakaki and Sawada, both employees of ZAGE, were practically buzzing with excitement as they called up Kumogi and Rikki to meet them at Bakudan Arcades. The reason? None other than to experience Super Mario Kart! — the hottest new game from ZAGE, officially released that very day. Thanks to their employee privileges, Sakaki and Sawada had secured an early copy and had been itching to share it. What thrilled them most was that the game supported up...

Chapter 589: Time Skips to 23 May 1995

Before Zaboru even returned to America to attend Sanika’s school, he had already assigned his Tokyo team another set of projects to plan and develop. At that moment, the Tokyo team was juggling two major titles: Mario Kart, which promised to bring fast-paced multiplayer racing, and Breath of Fire, an RPG with a unique fantasy world. Zaboru, however, was always thinking several steps ahead, preparing the pipeline for future releases. In June, the Tokyo studio was sch...

Chapter 588  Zaboru Visits Sanika’s School

15 May 1995 Friday.

Right Now , Zaboru would be attending Sanika’s school because the school was holding a family competition where students had to bring either their parents or older siblings to participate in different games and activities. It was meant to be a cheerful community event, filled with laughter, friendly rivalries, and school pride. Zaboru decided to attend as a surprise for his little sister, since the very next day he would have to fly back to America and might...

Chapter 587: AKAI Phone Craze

Friday, 15 May 1995

After just a couple of days from the official release date and only a week after Zaboru’s much-hyped presentation, the AKAI Phone Z1 absolutely exploded in the market, capturing headlines, dominating sales charts, and sparking conversations in every corner of the tech world.

First of all, because it was incredibly cheap compared to other available phones in the current market, people became very interested in buying on...