On the very same day Zaboru assigned new tasks to both ZAGE teams, he quickly left ZAGE Tower and headed to the ZEB—short for the ZAGE Event Building. This facility has long been the heart of ZAGE's major events in Japan, and over time it has become iconic within the gaming community. Every year—or sometimes twice a year—it hosts landmark gatherings, whether it's the ZAGE Game of the Year (GOTY) Awards or large-scale tournaments for ZAGE's most popular titles. The building holds history, excitement, and legacy, making it one of the most anticipated venues in the Japanese gaming scene.
Now that the ZAGE Game of the Year (GOTY) Awards are officially no longer being held—having been replaced by third-party events like the Famicom GOTY—Zaboru has decided to fill that gap with something even more ambitious. He's planning to launch a massive, once-a-year flagship event that will serve as ZAGE's new end-of-year celebration. This won't just be a press conference or a traditional award show—it will be a full-blown entertainment spectacle.
Zaboru's vision includes a live concert performance by Z&Z, by himself and Zankoku, and they will featuring original tracks and game-inspired music aside form their song. Alongside them, other guest artists and performers from the gaming and anime industries will be invited to share the stage. There will also be the finals of ZAGE's major esports tournaments, special limited-edition merchandise booths, and an elaborate cosplay showcase featuring both fans and professional cosplayers.
Wanting to take things further, Zaboru is personally overseeing the expansion of the ZAGE Event Building (ZEB) to accommodate the grand scale of the new annual event. To do this, he has purchased not one but two adjacent buildings next to ZEB, and the renovation and construction work has been underway since earlier this year. Once complete, the newly expanded event space will allow ZAGE to host multiple stages, exhibition halls, developer panels, and entertainment zones—all under one roof.
Zaboru had now arrived at the ZEB, stepping out of his car with an eager smile. As he walked toward the construction site, he greeted the workers with a confident nod and a wave. They paused briefly to acknowledge him before quickly returning to their tasks—clearly motivated by the presence of their boss. The pace of the project was fast, far exceeding his expectations.
Grinning to himself, Zaboru thought, Hehehe… with this, the event can be something truly grand. He chuckled softly, his mind already envisioning the completed halls brimming with fans, developers, artists, and performers.
He then joined the site foremen and architectural leads, carefully inspecting the progress floor by floor. Steel frames had already taken shape, and glass panels were beginning to enclose the future event wings. The sound of drilling, welding, and machinery filled the air, blending with the distant hum of Tokyo's city life.
The original ZEB was already a massive venue by industry standards, but with the addition of these two newly acquired neighboring buildings, it was evolving into a true convention complex. The new sections were designed to host simultaneous showcases, from tournament booth , Cosplay Events , Special Merc market and many more
He nodded with satisfaction as he reviewed a digital layout on a tablet handed to him. "This will be more than just an event—it'll be a cultural landmark," he muttered.
Because when it came to ZAGE's end-of-year celebrations, "normal" was never part of the plan. It had to be massive. It had to be unforgettable.
After inspecting the site for a while and feeling satisfied with the rapid progress, Zaboru returned to his office at the ZAGE Tower. Not long after settling in, he received an update from his development coordination team. The message was unexpected—several third-party game developers who had been using ZAGE's proprietary Unreal Engine Z3 for ZEPS 3 were already preparing to submit their games. Most of them planned to deliver their builds by early next month.
Zaboru was genuinely surprised by the news. He hadn't anticipated such swift turnaround from external developers, especially since Z3 had only been officially shared with them a few months earlier. He leaned back in his chair, impressed. "They're moving faster than I expected," he muttered, already curious to see what they had created.
Zaboru smiled to himself. It was still remarkable how quickly third-party developers were adapting to ZAGE's proprietary game engine, the Unreal Engine Z3, made specifically for ZEPS 3. After all, they had only received access to the toolset back in May of this year. Despite being relatively new to the tech, many of them were already preparing to submit playable builds of their games. That kind of pace was simillar to ZAGE own progres. ZAGE's own internal workflow had been honed to the point where most games could be developed in just four to five months, thanks in large part to the pre-planning, templates, and production philosophy laid out by Zaboru himself.
Still, it caught him off guard. These external teams weren't just catching up—they were moving with remarkable efficiency. It spoke volumes about how intuitive Z3 had become, and how much the industry trusted ZAGE's ecosystem.
As a gamer at heart, Zaboru couldn't help but feel the excitement building inside him. He grinned, imagining what kinds of new experiences were being developed—original titles that had no counterpart in his previous life. It felt like he was peering into a future no one else had ever seen. And that made it all the more thrilling.
He hoped the titles would be groundbreaking, as these would mark the very first 3D games developed by third-party studios for ZAGE's own console lineup. It was a milestone moment—not just for the developers, but for Zaboru himself. After years of building ZAGE's hardware and engine ecosystem, seeing outside creators embrace it with full creative force was deeply satisfying. Zaboru could hardly wait to see what they had crafted and again The idea of playing brand-new games—worlds that never existed in his previous life—filled him with an eager, almost childlike anticipation.
Of course, he wouldn't play any of the in-progress builds just yet. He preferred to experience them when they were complete—polished, final, and approved. Until then, he would rely on his quality assurance and development teams to vet the submissions thoroughly.
Chuckling softly, he turned back to his desk and resumed work, his mind still spinning with possibilities.
Then, the unexpected happened.
His secretary, Yumi Ichijou, entered the office with a look of urgency and curiosity. "Zaboru-san," she said, "you have a visitor request. Steve Jobs is in Japan right now... and he wants to meet with you."
Zaboru's eyes widened. For the first time that day, he was genuinely stunned.
To be continue
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