In August, a lot happens—but most of it is tied to the next wave of assignments Zaboru prepares for his developers once the August releases are finished. The month isn't only about celebrating the wins; it's about momentum. Zaboru treats each successful launch like a door opening into the next schedule, and he doesn't waste that energy. The teams have barely had time to breathe before new folders, new plans, and new deadlines begin stacking on their desks.
The first task goes to Team Enigma. They're ready to receive a new assignment right after wrapping NBA Live 99, and Zaboru considers this one a strong fit: the sequel to ZAGE's skateboarding hit, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. This will be the second installment—Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2—and Zaboru already knows exactly where the upgrades need to land.
He wants the overall gameplay to feel tighter and deeper without losing the easy flow that made the first game addictive. More tricks. More skill chains. More risk-reward options that reward players who dare to push their combos higher. He also wants more customization—better board options, more style choices, more ways for players to make their skater feel personal instead of just selecting a preset. Story Mode gets expanded too, with more variety in objectives so it doesn't feel like you're repeating the same challenge with a different background.
But the important part is this: the core engine and gameplay foundation are already there. Enigma doesn't need to reinvent the wheel. They just need to polish it, expand it, and make it feel like a true evolution. Because of that, Zaboru doesn't give them endless time. He sets a firm schedule and aims for a January 2000 release—about five months.
For Team Enigma, it's demanding, but reasonable. And for Zaboru, it's perfect: a sequel that can be built fast, hit hard, and keep ZAGE's momentum rolling straight into the new year.
Next comes the Japanese team, Team IZAN. With Winning Eleven 99 finally delivered, Zaboru wastes no time preparing their next assignment: Dino Crisis.
It's a perfect match. Team IZAN has already built a reputation for action-horror work, and having Shinji Mikami inside the team makes the choice feel almost inevitable. Zaboru knows Mikami's instincts—how he thinks about tension, pacing, camera pressure, and the kind of fear that comes from being chased rather than just being startled. That's why, even though Zaboru still hands them the usual thick folders—artwork references, core gameplay pillars, story beats, and character drafts—he deliberately gives Mikami more room than usual. Not freedom to drift, but freedom to sharpen.
The goal isn't to simply "make Dino Crisis." The goal is to make it feel like the next step forward for ZAGE horror: tighter combat flow, smarter enemy pressure, and a survival loop that feels desperate without being unfair. Zaboru wants the fear to come from decisions—ammo management, route choices, timing, and the constant awareness that the next hallway could become a trap. He also wants the game to lean harder into its identity: not zombies, not ghosts, but living predators. Fast. Heavy. Unpredictable.
In Zaboru's previous life, Dino Crisis was one of the best PS1 games ever made, and he remembers exactly why it hit so hard—its urgency, its atmosphere, its relentless pace. He knows that if Team IZAN captures that feeling and upgrades it with ZAGE's resources, the result will be a massive hit.
So he sets the schedule with confidence: a July release next year. That gives Team IZAN about eleven months. Demanding, yes—but reasonable for a team this strong, especially with the foundation already mapped out and Mikami given the space to push the gameplay higher.
Zaboru doesn't just expect success.
He expects this one to make people nervous to turn off the lights.
Next comes Team KODO, and honestly—they delivered. They completed their first three major tasks: Gundam Battle Assault, One Piece Grand Battle, and Kamen Rider Ryuki. For a new team, the quality and speed are impressive, and it proves Zaboru's instinct was right when he built KODO as a dedicated "IP conversion" strike team.
Team KODO's main goal is clear: create games based on ZAGE-owned IP that exists outside the usual video game space—anime, manga, tokusatsu shows, and anything else ZAGE controls in entertainment. Sentai, Kamen Rider, Ultraman… those series already have huge audiences, and KODO's job is to translate that hype into playable experiences without losing what makes each franchise special.
But it's not only that. If the timing and talent fit, Zaboru also wants KODO to take on projects unrelated to those shows—original ideas, strange experiments, or even genre surprises—so the team doesn't get trapped as "the adaptation team" forever. Still, for now, their focus is straightforward: strengthen ZAGE's tokusatsu lineup and prove they can handle big names consistently.
That's why Zaboru's next assignments for KODO are also built around ZAGE tokusatsu.
And the timing is perfect, because in 1999 Rekka Studio is currently showcasing three major shows that are dominating conversation. For Kamen Rider, it's Kamen Rider Ryuki—already treated as the second season in this world's Rider flow—and the fanbase is loud, passionate, and hungry for anything related to it. Ultraman, meanwhile, is Ultraman Cosmos, a series that steals the spotlight because it feels different: not just fighting monsters, but saving them too, adding a softer, almost philosophical edge to the action. And for Sentai, the current airing is Choriki Sentai Oh Ranger, a show people call "really cool" in that simple, honest way—strong suits, strong theme, and the kind of team energy that makes kids copy the poses the next morning.
As for the games Zaboru assigns to Team KODO, the first one is Ultraman Fighting Evolution—a fighting game built around Ultraman. In this world, Ultraman is owned by ZAGE and managed by Rekka Studio, and with Ultraman Cosmos currently airing this year, the timing is perfect. Fans are already emotionally invested, the toys are moving, the opening theme is everywhere, and KODO can ride that wave straight into arcades and living rooms.
In Zaboru's previous life, the closest equivalent would be Ultraman Fighting Evolution 3. But there's one unavoidable difference: the visuals have to be scaled down. ZEPS 3 simply can't match PS2-level fidelity, and Fighting Evolution 3 was built on that kind of power. So instead of chasing raw graphics, Zaboru instructs KODO to prioritize what actually makes Ultraman fun: clear silhouettes, flashy effects that read instantly, and impact that feels heavy. Beam attacks need to look satisfying even if the model detail is simpler. Kaiju hits need weight. Transformations need style. And the arenas need atmosphere—enough to make Cosmos's world feel real, even within ZEPS 3 limits.
To keep expectations realistic, Zaboru frames it as a "polished evolution" rather than a technical showcase. He wants smooth animation, responsive controls, signature moves for each Ultra, and a roster that celebrates the era—especially Cosmos—without bloating the schedule.
For this project, Zaboru gives Team KODO eleven months of development time, targeting a July 2000 release. It's a demanding timeline, but reasonable for KODO—because the concept is clear, the franchise momentum is hot, and the fighting-game structure gives them a strong foundation to build fast.
The next game will be "Choriki Sentai Oh Ranger!"—a full Oh Ranger action game. Zaboru wants it to take inspiration from the Power Rangers beat 'em up games on PS1 from his previous life, especially that adventure-style brawler feeling where you clear stages, fight waves, and end with a boss encounter. The closest reference in his mind is Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, but this time the entire identity will be Oh Ranger: the suits, the gadgets, the transformation flair, and the team energy that the current Sentai audience is obsessed with.
However, Zaboru doesn't want it to be a simple copy. First, he wants the game to support up to four players, not just two, because Sentai is about teamwork—and four people on one screen will turn it into a real party experience in living rooms and arcades alike. Second, he wants the overall gameplay modified and upgraded: more varied stage hazards, more enemy types that force different approaches, and character moves that feel distinct instead of everyone sharing the same punch-kick loop. He also wants flashy team attacks—clean, readable "formation" finishers that trigger when players coordinate—so it feels like a Sentai episode turning into gameplay.
Because the core is already clear and the engine foundation can be reused, Zaboru gives Team KODO a full year for this one. The target is to complete development in August 2000, with enough time to polish co-op balance, make the bosses memorable, and ensure the game feels like Oh Ranger—not just a generic brawler wearing Sentai clothes.
The next game is a pretty unique one—almost a "joke game" on paper, but the kind of joke that becomes a cult favorite fast. It's a racing game starring Kamen Riders. Yes, a full motorcycle racer.
The idea is inspired by a real, underrated PS1 title from Zaboru's previous life: Kamen Rider Bike Racer. It was special precisely because it wasn't another fighting game. It took the Rider fantasy—speed, helmets, dramatic poses—and turned it into pure racing chaos. Zaboru loved that concept, and now he wants to expand it properly.
It will still be Kamen Rider racing, but bigger and more complete: a wider track selection, more varied race modes, and a roster that spans the entire era. Riders from Kamen Rider Ichigo all the way to Ryuki will be playable, each with their own bike feel, handling quirks, and signature "rider burst" moment that gives them a short, stylish advantage during races.
And to make the roster even more interesting, Zaboru also wants to include a rare wildcard: Kyotaro Shinomori's original creation, the failed Kamen Rider K. Even though Rider K never took off back in 1993, seeing him return here as a playable character feels like a hidden bonus for hardcore fans—something people will brag about unlocking.
Kamen Rider K was born from Kyotaro's love for Kamen Rider back in 1994. That year, Zaboru collaborated with Kyotaro to make Kamen Rider Black, and it exploded in popularity. The success lit a fire inside Kyotaro—he wanted to prove he could still create his own Rider from the ground up. When Zaboru suggested continuing the Black line directly, Kyotaro refused. Pride mattered to him, and he didn't want to live forever under the shadow of Zaboru's direction because he is father of Kamen Rider after all.
So Kamen Rider K was born.
But the problem was simple and painful: Kyotaro tried too hard to copy the feeling of Kamen Rider Black instead of building something truly different while also add his own outdated plots. The audience noticed. The comparisons were ruthless. Ratings fell, enthusiasm cooled, and Kamen Rider K failed to become the next big era. After that, Kyotaro almost gave up completely—like the failure had convinced him he wasn't meant to lead a Rider project alone and his visions already outdated.
Then, in 1995, he finally swallowed his pride and returned to Zaboru as Zaboru make the Kamen Rider Black legacy with Kamen Rider Black RX… and that one became an insane hit in this world.
Still, Zaboru appreciates Kamen Rider K. Not because it succeeded, but because it was honest—Kyotaro's passion as creator burned though it. And now, bringing Rider K back as a playable character feels like giving that forgotten dream a second life.
Back to the game itself, Zaboru plans to follow the Kamen Rider Bike Racer formula, but he wants to upgrade it in every direction. More modes. More tracks. Cleaner handling. Better sense of speed. Riders should feel distinct, not just reskins—each one with a signature burst, a unique cornering style, and a special advantage that matches their identity. He also wants the races to feel like tokusatsu action: dramatic shortcuts, stage hazards, and cinematic finish moments that make winning feel like a hero scene not just racing like the OG game.
And because the concept has grown beyond a simple "bike racer," Zaboru decides to change the title. Now it will be Kamen Rider "Grand Prix"—a name that sounds bigger, sharper, and more memorable. He gives Team KODO ten months for development, aiming to have it finished by June 2000.
And next task are for Team NEXUS Japan. Their transition period is finally over, Tekken 2 is already done, and the engine they built for Tekken 2 is now solid—stable tools, stable pipelines, stable performance. That matters a lot, because the first time you build an engine you waste time fighting the engine itself. Now they don't have to. Now they can actually produce.
That's why Zaboru expects them to create more games in this phase, and he assigns them three tasks at once—not because he wants to torture them, but because he knows their foundation is ready. Team NEXUS isn't a team that needs warm-up anymore. They're a team that can sprint.
The first game is Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.
In Zaboru's previous life, Armageddon was tied to the PS2 era and leaned heavily into 3D fighting. But Zaboru doesn't want to follow that direction. He knows Mortal Kombat's real strength is in 2D—clear spacing, brutal mind games, crisp hit reactions, and the kind of fast, readable violence that turns every round into a tense duel. If MK becomes fully 3D, it risks losing what makes it Mortal Kombat.
So Zaboru sets the vision: it stays 2D, but with 3D characters. The camera remains side-on, the movement stays clean, but the models and animations get that extra depth—better lighting, more expressive impact, more cinematic fatalities without turning the whole game into awkward free-roam combat.
He also wants to expand the roster aggressively. Not just a few additions—many new characters, including fresh faces designed specifically for this world's timeline, plus new variations that can make classic fighters feel different without breaking their identity. More unique weapons. More signature stances. More brutal finishers that feel shocking, but still stylish.
And because the engine is already strong and the fighting-game structure is familiar to NEXUS after Tekken 2, Zaboru gives them around one year for development. The target release is August 2000—enough time to build the roster, polish the animations, and make sure every hit feels sharp and every victory feels ruthless.
Next game is Soul Calibur 2, and this one will be a true 3D fighter. Soul Calibur 1 was an extreme success in both the arcade scene and on ZEPS 3, so a sequel isn't just expected—it's demanded. And Soul Calibur 2 will elevate everything: a bigger roster, more modes, more weapon styles, and more reasons for players to keep coming back even after they "learn" their main.
Zaboru wants the sequel to feel faster and cleaner without losing that signature Soul Calibur flow—wide movement, sharp spacing, and weapons that make every hit feel like a real threat.
Most importantly, the graphical fidelity must jump again. Not just slightly better lighting or smoother animations—Zaboru wants it to look obviously ahead of the current Tekken, with cleaner models, stronger stage detail, and effects that make clashes feel almost cinematic. If Tekken 2 was the proof that NEXUS can build a fighting engine, Soul Calibur 2 is where they show that engine can shine.
Because of how ambitious the upgrade is, Zaboru gives Team NEXUS 13 months for development, targeting a September 2000 release.
Next isn't a fighting game at all—it's a rhythm game. In a simple way, it's similar to ZAGE's Guitar Hero concept, but instead of a guitar controller, it uses a Taiko drum. Yes, the game is "Taiko no Tatsujin," and for this world it's basically the introduction of Taiko rhythm games to the mainstream.
Zaboru doesn't treat it like a small side project either. He knows rhythm games live and die on two things: how satisfying the hits feel and how strong the song list is. That's why he already prepares a huge folder of tracks in advance—songs that are catchy, recognizable, and energetic enough to make people want to keep playing even after they fail. He also wants multiple difficulty layers so beginners can have fun while hardcore players chase perfect runs.
The concept is easy to understand, but the polish needs to be perfect. The drum input has to feel responsive, the timing windows need to be fair, and the UI needs to be bright and readable so people can jump in instantly in arcades or at home.
Zaboru gives Team NEXUS twelve months for it, aiming for an August 2000 release.
And with that, those are the tasks Zaboru assigned to his teams. But August isn't finished yet—outside of schedules and development plans, more events are already moving beneath the surface.
To be continue
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