Zaborn_1997

Chapter 557: Finance Report Part 2

The meeting continued as the focus shifted toward discussing the sales performance of arcade games and PC games. Sayuri took the lead and addressed the room, "Alright, let's begin. As of now, we have successfully launched and distributed a total of 9 standard arcade machines and 5 specialized arcade machines across various markets worldwide."

“First of all, most standard arcade units cost us about 200,000 yen to produce per unit, and we sold them to arcades at a price range bet...

Chapter 556: Finance Report on 1994

AN: In this story 1994 1 USD = 200 Yen

Tuesday, 6 January 1995

After a long weekend and with the close of 1994, Zaboru promptly made his way to the highly anticipated yearly revenue meeting of ZAGE. The air in the boardroom was thick with expectation as all ZAGE higher-ups had gathered, ready to evaluate the company’s financial outcomes and discuss its future direction. Zaboru took his seat among them, settling in with a sense of quiet an...

Chapter 555 ZAGE GOTY Events Part 3 Finale 

After an electrifying performance from Michael Jackson, Zaboru returned to the stage with renewed enthusiasm. "All righty! Thank you, Michael—your performance was absolutely insane as always! Now, let's keep the energy going as we move on to the next segment: Best Game Outside ZAGE Games this year! There have been so many incredible games created beyond the ZAGE family in 1994, and I couldn't be happier to see such talent across the industry. So, without further ado, let's jump right...

Chapter 554: ZAGE 1994 GOTY Event Part 2

After the GOTY events are announced, everyone on ZEB eagerly rushes to take their seats atop the main buildings of the complex. There's a palpable buzz in the air, with people chatting excitedly, grinning, and waving commemorative ZAGE flags in anticipation. The entire atmosphere is electric, filled with energy and enthusiasm, as the crowd prepares for the grand start of the much-anticipated Game of the Year celebration.

Soon after, Zaboru makes his entrance onto the stage, greet...

Disney Stuff

So... I've just researched some stuff about Disney struggling in 1984, before Eisner & Wells took over... so I might need to give you a little spoiler—I might alter some stuff so that ZAGE will acquire Disney in 1995. Let's Hope it's proper lol.

Chapter 553 ZAGE 1994 GOTY Event.

Friday 28 December 1994. ZAGE EVENT BUILDING (ZEB) 

Seth Vincent and his friend Edward Lorenza went to the GOTY Events. Although the event itself was scheduled to start at 11:00 AM, the ZAGE Event Building (ZEB) had already opened its doors at 08:00 AM. Many attendees arrived early to take advantage of the exclusive merchandise available only at the ZAGE GOTY Events.

Edward, also known as Ed, called Seth Vincent with an excited tone. "Sev, dude, are you ready to spend ...

Chapter 552: Zaboru Insanely Popular in the USA

Tuesday, 25 December 1994

After the release of Super Metroid, which went really well and sold very, very well, Metroid remained one of ZAGE’s most popular franchises.

Now, Zaboru had just arrived in America for the upcoming ZAGE GOTY event on December 28, and he had a mountain of things to prepare before the big day. The excitement in the air was palpable, but so was the pressure to ensure everything went off w...

Chapter 551: Super Metroid

Saturday, 22 December 1994

Raku Ichijou stood eagerly in line at the bustling ZAGE U Store, awaiting the highly anticipated release of Super Metroid, the newest title from ZAGE. The excitement in the air was electric, especially for Raku, a devoted Metroid fan who had followed the series since its first released on ZEPS 1 What truly captivated him was Samus Aran — the fearless bounty hunter who had become his ultimate gaming icon. Her strength...

Chapter 550: Little Time Skips to 22 December

On Friday, 7 December 1994, ZAGE and TOEI finalized a historic and transformative deal: ZAGE now holds complete ownership of all rights associated with Super Sentai, having purchased the franchise for a staggering 4 billion yen — a record-breaking sum in the entertainment industry at the time. The news reverberated across Japan’s media and pop culture circles, dominating newspaper headlines and evening television reports. For fans of ZAGE, the announcement was electrifying...

Chapter 549: Meeting with TOEI

Thursday, 6 December 1994

Following Tuesday's meeting and Yumi’s swift coordination of a session with TOEI representatives to discuss the future of Super Sentai, the parties agreed to convene at one of Tokyo’s most prestigious and discreet restaurants. The setting, chosen for both its privacy and sophistication, set the stage for what promised to be a pivotal negotiation in Japan’s entertainment industry.

Now, Zaboru and Shigeru Okada w...

Chapter 548: Zaboru Deep Talk with His Father

On the same day as the meetings, Zaboru was tucked away in his personal workshop, fully immersed in his latest project and working steadily until evening. But unexpectedly, he received a message from Zanichi, asking him to come home that night. The tone was unusually serious — Zanichi said he needed to talk.

Zaboru returned home with Zanichi around 19:00 — an unusually early time for him, making the moment all the more special. The family sat down together for dinner, enjoyin...

Chapter 547: ZAGE December Meeting

Tuesday, 4 December 1994

Following yesterday’s intense discussion with Keisuke Adachihara, Zaboru now leads ZAGE’s monthly executive meeting, with special attention on the Japan division. Joining the table today is none other than Shigeru Miyamoto, the head of the Osaka branch, whose presence underscores the meeting’s importance and scope.

Zaboru cleared his throat and stood at the head of the table. “Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here...

Chapter 546: Meeting with Government Representation

Monday, 3 December 1994

Zaboru sat in the lounge of one of Tokyo’s most prestigious hotels, the kind where government officials, international CEOs, and movie stars crossed paths. Today’s agenda was serious: a private meeting with Keisuke Adachihara, a high-ranking official from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Sports , Culture and Technology.

Zaboru was no stranger to Keisuke, one of Japan’s more forward-thinking politicians. Keisuke had long prai...

Chapter 545: Guitar Hero

Saturday, 1 December 1994 – ZAGE Offices, Tokyo

Although it was a Saturday and technically the weekend, a surprising number of employees had gathered at the ZAGE Tokyo office — not for work, but out of sheer excitement. Zaboru had just returned from the U.S. the day before, and the ZAGE Tokyo employees were buzzing with anticipation. They were eager to witness their boss attempt Through Fire and Flames on Expert difficulty in Guitar Hero —...

Chapter 544: ZAGE Rest of November

While the Fallout controversies and brilliance were still buzzing in the air, ZAGE showed no signs of slowing down. This time, Zaboru unleashed two titles from ZAGE Japan onto the global stage — the wildly anticipated Battletoads in Battlemaniacs and the clever, genre-bending The Lost Vikings, both for the ZEPS 2 system. Their joint release on Saturday, November 25, 1994, was met with excitement and long lines outside game stores across Japan , Europe and U...

Chapter 543: Fallout Reactions

A few days after Fallout’s release, the game sent shockwaves through multiple spheres — from everyday gamers to pop culture icons, and even within the halls of the Japanese government.

For gamers, especially PC players, Fallout was absolutely insane — the amount of freedom, customization, and branching choices it offered was unlike anything most of them had ever experienced. Players could shape their character’s personality and skillset to an extreme deg...

Chapter 542 Fallout

Saturday, 18 November 1994 – Los Angeles

Today marked a brand new game release, and no one could have been more excited than Tim Cain to experience ZAGE’s latest computer game firsthand. A lifelong fan of games, Tim had been hooked ever since he was a teenager, spending late nights glued to a screen gaming with Atari Consoles . After investing countless hours into Diablo, one of ZAGE’s previous smash hits, he was more than ready to dive into a bold...

Chapter 541: Public Reactions to the Secret Concert

Friday, 10 November 1994

In the days following the concert, Zaboru and the Zankoku Band shifted their focus to producing video clips for each of the 11 tracks on their Guitar Hero album. The clips featured the band performing the songs live, enhanced with studio-edited audio to ensure maximum polish. Z&Z released the album once again through Polygram Studio. The video clips dropped on Wednesday, 8 November, followed by the full album release on Thurs...

Chapter 540: Z&Z Preparation for Guitar Hero

Friday, 3 November 1993, Night

Zaboru and the Zankoku Band are right now in the Zankoku Band studio, and the band members have just finished training for today. All the personnel are tired.

The drummer, Kingo Hashi, is covered in sweat. “Huh! This is tiring but insane at the same time! Though I don’t understand shit about English songs!” He wipes his forehead, a grin spreading across his face despite his exhaustion, feeling the rush of the intense practice. Jun Hasega...

Chapter 539: Sonaya’s Plan and Zagashira Dinner

Wednesday 1 November 1994 

Hikaru Kurata sat in the development room alongside other engineers and Sonaya’s head of video game development, Junpei Hoshida. Though Kurata didn’t fully grasp the technical details, he genuinely valued the company’s projects and made it a point to stay engaged. His calm presence and open-door attitude earned him quiet respect among the developers, as they knew he was always willing to listen and consider their concerns wit...

Chapter 538 Rest of October

After Zaboru assigned tasks to ZAGE USA, he left and went back to Japan. Once he arrived, he quickly rehearsed the 10 songs of the Guitar Hero album prepared for the game, pouring energy into each session alongside the Zankoku band. He fine-tuned his vocals, adjusted arrangements with the band, and made sure every track hit the right emotional notes, determined to deliver an unforgettable performance for players and fans alike. 

As for Fallout the team required more time to ...

Chapter 537: ZAGE USA New Task

Monday, 22 October 1994 — Morning

After arriving in the USA from London, Zaboru took a brief rest but was already back to work by Sunday. That day, he also began preparing the ZAGE Event Building for the 1994 ZAGE Game of the Year (GOTY) event in December. This would be the first time the GOTY event was held outside Japan, and preparations were starting now. He walked through the large venue, checking the lighting setups, sound systems, and stage arrangements, occasionally jott...

Chapter 536 The Renkonan’s Europe Visit

Friday, 12 October — Night

Lately, Zaboru was rarely at home, and now he was preparing to leave for Europe — part holiday, part business scouting for potential partners. He planned to invite his mother, sister, and girlfriend to join him for a full week in Europe, hoping the trip would offer both relaxation and inspiration. He felt a mix of excitement and responsibility, eager to make the most of both family time and business opportunities abroad.

At home, Sanika and Ay...

Chapter 535: Insane Collaboration

Wednesday, 10 October 1994

After the interview with Shinji Mikami last night, Zaboru quickly informed his HR team and secretary that he had a new recruit, whom he had personally interviewed. It didn’t take long before Shinji Mikami arrived at the ZAGE offices, finalized his contract, and officially joined ZAGE.

Excited to start immediately, Mikami was assigned to the Quality Control division under Yugo’s leadership, taking the role of vice head of the team. The te

Chapter 534: Shinji Mikami Conversation

Still at the ramen shop, Zaboru approached Shinji Mikami. “Oh, hello! What’s wrong with your head?” Zaboru asked, smiling gently as he glanced at the bandage on Shinji Mikami’s head, his eyes briefly flickering with concern. Shinji Mikami gave an awkward shrug, brushing it off. “It’s… nothing. Just a rough day.” He paused, then nervously added, “Anyway, Zaboru-san, I’m a big fan of yours. I myself am a video game developer.” Zaboru chuckled softly, folding his arm...

Chapter 533: ZU Gen 1 Player Reactions

Sunday, 7 October 1994

In one of Tokyo’s electronics stores, many customers were queueing — but not because they wanted to buy something. Instead, they were there demanding full refunds for the newest console they had just bought: the ZUSUGA Generation 1, also known as ZU Gen 1. The store owner was having a massive headache. It had been just a day since release, yet plenty of customers were already asking for refunds. Most of the consoles and games were still in perfect condi...

Chapter 532: ZUSUGA Gen 1 Disappointment

Saturday, October 6, 1994

Zaboru was sitting at his desk, eyeing the new yellow and black console in front of him with a mix of curiosity and skepticism. This console was none other than the ZUSUGA Gen 1 — another system entering the video game market from a company called ZUSUGA, a name Zaboru hadn’t even heard of before because it didn't exist in Zaboru's previous life.

The ads for this console had already been airing since last week. The trailer was flashy and provoc...

Chapter 531: Rest of September

After the visit from Bill Gates, ZAGE and Zaboru were on a roll as always.

First of all, the ZAGE USA team — after creating Diablo — was tasked by Zaboru to create another PC game that would be released in October, and that game was none other than Fallout. Zaboru gave them around two months, and since the team would reuse many assets from Diablo, they could focus more on refining gameplay, atmosphere, and storytelling. This project would take the m...

Chapter 530: Bill Gates’s Curiosity

Zaboru and Bill Gates began talking, and Zaboru asked with a small smile, “You promoted my game for free, Bill? Is that the favor you used to get me into your Windows 94 showcase?” Bill chuckled and replied, “Well, not really — I just casually promoted it, no biggie.” Zaboru laughed softly. “Well, thanks then. I appreciate it.”

Bill Gates smiled and said, “Say, Zaboru, in terms of gaming, where do you think PC gaming stands between game consoles, arcades, and hand...

Chapter 529: Showcase Reactions

Sunday, 10 September 1994

Just a day after the Microsoft Windows 94 showcase, it took the gaming community by storm. Gamers who normally didn’t care about Windows or tech news were surprised that Zaboru appeared there — and not just appeared, but casually promoted a new game, and the game looked seriously impressive! Many fans rewatched the replay of the showcase, especially the Diablo segment, which thrilled them and sparked excitement at loca...