Hideo Kojima began to speak, clearing his throat before addressing the room. "Okay everyone, now I would like to say something. I fully understand the importance of this proposed expansion. It's absolutely clear that ZAGE needs more development teams at this stage—our capabilities are growing fast, and let's be honest, we have a boss who seems to possess endless wells of creativity and ambition." Kojima chuckled at his own comment, prompting a wave of laughter from many of the employees in the room.
He continued, more seriously now, "We also understand how essential it is for new teams to receive the proper guidance. And that guidance usually comes from senior employees—seasoned staff who have already adapted to the ZAGE culture and workflows. Naturally, that means these veterans would need to be transferred out of their current teams and assigned to the new ones to help lead and support the growth process."
Kojima let out a soft sigh, his tone shifting slightly. "But to be perfectly honest, that process can be exhausting. We recently saw what happened when Team Nexus started operations. A considerable number of people from Team NOVA were drawn to the opportunity and transferred over, largely due to their excitement about working on arcade-related development. That shift significantly reduced our manpower in NOVA, and while it wasn't a bad decision in terms of creativity, it left our internal balance fragile."
He adjusted his glasses and leaned forward. "Now, if we were to lose even more members from Team NOVA to fill positions in two entirely new teams, it would strain our resources even further. We'd be forced to recruit and train brand new staff for Team NOVA to maintain productivity—and that's extremely inefficient in my opinion. It creates a chain reaction of disruption that affects ongoing projects."
"So here's my proposal," he said firmly. "I suggest that these four new teams—two in Japan and two in the USA—be built entirely from newly recruited personnel. This approach allows them to develop their own dynamics from scratch and integrate together as a cohesive unit from day one. Of course, the current teams would still provide initial guidance, mentorship, and support to help them adapt. We won't abandon them—but we also won't dismantle our existing structure to build something new."
Kojima looked directly at Zaboru. "What do you think, Boss? I believe this method preserves our internal momentum while still supporting growth."
Zaboru leaned back slightly in his chair, deep in thought. "That's a very good and valid concern," he murmured internally. "People who have already settled into specific teams often build strong emotional and professional connections. They adapt to the particular rhythms, communication styles, and creative flows of their current teams. It's only natural that over time, they become deeply attached to their environment, and more importantly, they become invaluable assets. They don't just understand their work—they understand how their team works, how decisions are made, and how to handle challenges together."
His eyes moved across the room, landing on the faces of the other ZAGE development team leads. From their nods and body language, it was clear they shared his sentiments. The alignment among the senior staff was strong.
Zaboru then turned his focus to another part of the room, directing his gaze toward the Chief Technology Officers of both regions. With a calm but firm tone, he asked, "So, how's your opinion on this? Dad, Gaben—I'd like to hear your thoughts."
Zanichi said, "Honestly, that depends heavily on the specific requirements and goals behind the formation of these four teams. We really need to ask ourselves—are these teams being built for rapid deployment and immediate output, or are they part of a long-term strategic expansion plan designed to grow ZAGE's capabilities in a sustainable way?" He paused for a moment to let the question sink in before continuing.
"If it's the first case—if speed is of the essence—then unfortunately, we might not have many options. In that situation, it would become almost essential to temporarily transfer experienced people from our existing teams. We'd need proven team leaders and senior developers to help get the new teams operational quickly and efficiently. There's simply no substitute for that kind of hands-on expertise when time is limited."
"However," he said, shifting tone slightly, "if these four teams are intended to be part of ZAGE's long-term future—if we can afford to let them grow steadily and mature over time—then I firmly believe we should go the route of building them from scratch with entirely new hires. This approach would give the new teams the breathing room they need to find their identity, build synergy, and fully integrate into the ZAGE ecosystem at their own pace. It would also prevent disruption to the current balance of our existing teams, which are already operating under heavy workloads. In the long run, this method may produce stronger, more self-sufficient teams that are organically shaped by ZAGE's values and processes."
Zaboru said, "Well, I planned this with a long-term vision in mind, not for immediate results, Dad."
Zanichi nodded thoughtfully and responded, "In that case, I think it makes a lot more sense for the new teams to be composed entirely of new hires. That way, we can shape them from the ground up without pulling resources from our current operations. Would you agree with that, Gaben?"
Gaben nodded in agreement, then leaned slightly forward as he offered his suggestion. "Here's an idea we might want to consider. What if, instead of placing the new hires directly into their future teams right away, we have them join our existing teams for their first month or two? That way, they can immerse themselves in how a ZAGE team actually works. They'll learn the day-to-day rhythm, how our projects are structured, the coding standards, documentation habits, how we communicate cross-functionally, and even how we handle our daily syncs or feedback loops."
He continued, "More importantly, this would give them time to build relationships and a sense of belonging inside the wider ZAGE environment. Even if they later move to a brand-new team, they'll already have personal connections and familiarity with ZAGE's company culture. I believe that sort of foundational experience would be a huge benefit in the long run."
Gaben scratched his beard thoughtfully before adding, "Of course, I do realize this approach comes with a cost. There would be additional effort required from the existing teams to mentor and guide these new hires—help them adjust and integrate, explain our tooling, give feedback, maybe even review their code more closely during the onboarding phase. But honestly, I don't think any team in the U.S. would reject the idea. I believe most of them would be happy to help if it means building stronger foundations for our future teams."
He looked across the table with curiosity. "That said, I do wonder what the Japanese teams would think of this approach. Would they find it disruptive, or would they be willing to support it too?"
Shigeru Miyamoto, lead of Team NIWA, spoke up after a brief pause, his tone calm but direct. "Well, for Team NIWA, it's going to be quite difficult to support that kind of rotation system right now. We're currently entering one of our most intense development phases. As you all know, we're tasked with creating launch titles for ZAGE's next-generation handheld console, the ZGBA. It's a huge responsibility, and our schedule is already tight. The same can be said for the other Japanese teams—we're all under a similar crunch, and truth be told, even we are still learning the intricacies of developing for this new hardware."
He continued, "If in the near future, we're assigned new hires who are only expected to stay for a short period—say, one or two months—before they're transferred to a brand-new team, it's going to create a serious disruption to our workflow. Training someone properly, even for just a few weeks, requires significant focus and time from our senior staff. Then, just as they're starting to become familiar with our systems and tools, we'd lose them. That kind of short-term investment wouldn't yield enough return and would honestly hinder our progress rather than help it."
He looked around the room, his expression serious but understanding. "We're not against supporting the company's growth, of course. We just believe it has to be done in a way that doesn't weaken the infrastructure we're already relying on. Our team is already dealing with a complex development timeline, and the ZGBA launch is going to be one of ZAGE's most important milestones. We need full stability to deliver."
Zanichi nodded in agreement. "Gabe, your suggestion is great in principle, and I can absolutely see it working well in the right context. But for now, I don't think it would be wise to implement that strategy within the Japanese teams. Just as Shigeru mentioned, our situation here is quite unique. All of our teams in Japan are currently focused on developing launch titles for the upcoming ZGBA handheld, and we're still in the process of learning how to best develop for this new platform. It's unfamiliar territory, and everyone is under heavy pressure to deliver quality content on a tight timeline."
He continued, "Introducing short-term new hires into that environment—only to have them transfer out after a month or two—would place an additional burden on teams that are already stretched thin. The learning curve for the ZGBA is steep, even for our veterans, so onboarding someone new in the middle of that would slow us down rather than help. So I believe this approach of letting new hires join existing teams before transferring will work much better for the U.S. teams, where there's currently more operational flexibility and less intense hardware-specific pressure."
Gaben nodded, clearly understanding the concerns raised by the Japanese teams. "I see, that makes perfect sense. It's a demanding period, especially with the ZGBA development in full swing. That's understandable." He then shifted his attention toward the leaders of the U.S.-based teams. "Now, regarding the U.S. side—does this onboarding-then-transfer approach raise any concerns for you two, John?"
John Carmack, the leader of Team Tempest, responded with a calm nod. "Honestly, it's not a problem at all for Team Tempest. I actually enjoy mentoring new developers. There's something refreshing about helping them find their footing and watching them grow into capable contributors. We've got the bandwidth to support that kind of integration, especially with the current phase of our projects."
John Romero, leading Team Enigma, chimed in as well. He gave a nod and an easy smile. "Same here—no problem at all on our end. We've handled onboarding cycles before, and we're in a good spot to do it again. If anything, it's a chance to spot future leads early and bring in fresh perspectives. We'll make it work."
Zaboru smiled as the meeting continued, the discussion around new teams, hiring strategies, and implementation plans growing more detailed and collaborative. After careful deliberation among all departments and team leaders, the meeting eventually reached a clear and well-supported conclusion: all four new development teams—two in Japan and two in the U.S.—would be staffed entirely by new hires. This decision was based on long-term strategy, team stability, and the unique pressures faced by different regional divisions.
For the U.S. teams, the initial wave of new hires—including future team leaders—would be embedded into existing teams for their first one to two months. This would give them valuable exposure to ZAGE's internal workflow, development pipelines, and company culture before they transition to forming their own independent units. John Carmack and John Romero both expressed full support for this integration strategy, citing past success with onboarding and team mentorship.
However, this approach would not be applied to the Japanese teams. Due to the intense ongoing development of launch titles for the upcoming ZGBA handheld—work that the Japanese teams were still becoming fully familiar with—introducing temporary new hires into their environment would only disrupt productivity and stretch their already limited capacity. Instead, the Japanese teams would allow the new hires to form fresh teams from the ground up. These recruits would be directly guided and overseen by Zanichi and Zaboru themselves, ensuring a strong foundation from day one.
With alignment achieved, Zaboru confirmed that the hiring process could begin immediately. Team names and identities would be finalized and announced shortly after recruitment began. With that major topic settled, Zaboru turned his attention to the next item on the agenda.
"The next topic is ZAGE's future consoles and the evolution of online gaming." The moment Zaboru mentioned it, the energy in the room noticeably shifted. Anticipation buzzed in the air as developers, engineers, and creative leads straightened in their seats, their interest clearly piqued. For many in the room—especially the game developers—this was one of the most exciting and forward-looking areas of discussion.
AN :
Japan Team = Offices ZAGE TOWER
NOVA = Notable Leads = Hideo Kojima , Yugo Kanai IZAN = Shinji Makami and 2 others Shinji'sNIWA = Shigeru Miyamoto , Satoru Iwata , Eiji Aonuma
US TEAM = Offices ZAGE Campus
TEMPEST = John Carmack ENIGMA = John Romero , Sid Meirer
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