After the trailer of Gran Turismo, a lot of things happened in ZAGE. First of all, Zaboru assigned a new task to Team TEMPEST in the USA now that Gran Turismo was finished. Usually, Team Tempest focused on PC development, but making Gran Turismo had been a different kind of challenge. Because of that, Zaboru now gave them another car game project, but this time it would be very different from the realism of Gran Turismo. The game would be called "Driver," and it would become Team Tempest's next project for ZEPS 3. This time, the direction was more cinematic and more dangerous, focusing on street chases, undercover-style missions, and the feeling of being hunted in the middle of the city.
Driver, in Zaboru's previous life, was the kind of game that felt life-changing because it was one of the first games where players could see a person step out of the car, and that alone had been a huge shift at the time. Zaboru wanted to recreate that feeling here. With ZEPS 3 having capabilities far beyond the PS1, he could push the overall gameplay much further. He already imagined a bigger city map, better traffic AI, more aggressive police chases, smoother handling, and more mission variety that could fully show the strength of ZEPS 3. In his mind, this game should become the stylish opposite of Gran Turismo, with one game representing pure driving simulation and the other representing cinematic driving action, while also serving as a prototype for something like "GTA 3."
Zaboru gave Team Tempest around one year for the project, with the target release expected in May 2001.
Aside of this, Team OMNI in London were now ready to handle both new games for ZAGE yearly sports lineup, which would be Winning Eleven 2000 and NBA 2K, and yes, Zaboru decided to rename NBA LIVE to NBA 2K because the title had become iconic in his previous life. For him, the name itself already carried strong branding power, and he believed it sounded more modern, more memorable, and more fitting for a long running sports series. It was a small change on the surface, but Zaboru knew that sometimes a strong name could help shape the future identity of an entire franchise.
Both of these games were already using the same engine and core gameplay foundation from the previous titles, WE 1999 and NBA Live 1999. WE 1999 had been made by Team IZAN in Japan, while NBA Live 1999 had been made by Team Enigma in the USA, but both teams had already transferred their knowledge, tools, and workflow to Team OMNI. Honestly, Team OMNI handled the transition extremely well, even surprising Zaboru with how fast they integrated everything. They did not just copy what came before, but quickly understood the logic behind the systems and started improving them in practical ways, TEAM OMNI dev really love sports game after all.
Because of that, both new sports games were on schedule for September 2000 this year, with additional storyline content for Master League and MyCareer, along with roster updates, animation improvements, and overall polish. Zaboru especially liked that Team OMNI understood sports games were not only about gameplay balance, but also about long term player attachment. If players could feel more immersed in their journey, whether through building a football club in Master League or rising as a star in MyCareer, then they would keep returning to the game again and again. That was exactly the kind of yearly sports formula Zaboru wanted ZAGE to build.
Team OMNI itself was created to be a highly versatile team that could handle almost anything, any genre, and all kinds of different project needs, while sports games still remained one of their core specialties. That was exactly why Team OMNI had been expanded so heavily. The London office right now already had around 250+ people working for Team OMNI alone, and that expansion had happened for a reason. Zaboru wanted one strong team in Europe that could be relied on not only for yearly sports titles, but also for other projects that needed stability, speed, and broad development ability. In many ways, that was why the name itself was OMNI, because they could handle all kinds of projects.
Meanwhile, recruitment for ZAGE's China offices was still ongoing, as the offices themselves were already finished and only the hiring process remained. As expected, operations there would begin in July.
Next, for ZAGE's future, Zaboru held a meeting with his higher ups regarding the rest of the world market, and ZAGE's market teams had actually already been scouting those areas for quite some time. Right now, in Southeast Asia, especially in countries like the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, ZEPS 3 is still considered a luxury product. As for games, many players there were using pirated versions that mostly came through China. Zaboru had already expected this, because the economic gap between those countries and Japan was still quite large, making the console and original games feel too expensive for the average buyer.
Because of that, the head of marketing of ZAGE, Shinsuke Yamaguchi, suggested that ZAGE should begin creating manufacturing and distribution networks in Southeast Asian countries. Not only would labor costs be cheaper there, but local production and distribution could also help lower the final retail price of the console in those markets. If ZAGE could make ZEPS 3 more affordable, then piracy could be reduced little by little. Zaboru agreed with that logic, because he understood that in the majority case piracy was not only caused by bad habits, but also by the simple fact that official products were too expensive for most people to buy.
The creation of manufacturing and distribution networks in Southeast Asia was a long term project, but for Zaboru, it was never only about factories and logistics. He also wanted to build real brand awareness across the Southeast Asian market, because he knew those markets had huge potential and the players there would eventually form strong communities of their own. In fact, that process had already started in small ways. Internet cafes in Southeast Asian countries were becoming extremely popular, and for many young players, those places had turned into gathering spots where games, trends, and word of mouth spread very quickly.
This was especially true for online games from ZAGE's Team Dynasty in Korea, such as "Ragnarok" and "Gunbound." Those games were already attracting attention because they were easy to access, fun to play with friends, and affordable even for players with limited spending power. Right now, the subscription cost was only around 100 yen per month through STEAM Gift Card, which made it far easier for players in those regions to join. Zaboru understood that if ZAGE could establish itself early in Southeast Asia, then the company would not only gain customers, but also gain loyalty from a generation of players who would grow up together with ZAGE's games and services.
Meanwhile, when it came to the Africa market, Zaboru was genuinely surprised. In his previous world, the African continent had often been associated with poverty, corruption, hunger, and even difficulty accessing clean water in many places. But in this world, Africa was far more stable and normal. The people lived ordinary lives, hunger was not nearly as severe, and clean water was much easier to access across the continent. Even so, the overall buying power there was still slightly lower than in the Southeast Asian market, which meant premium entertainment products remained difficult for many households to afford. Because of that, there were already cheap pirated versions of "ZEPS 1" spreading across several regions in Africa. Yes, in Africa, ZEPS 1 was still the most popular system, while ZEPS 2 and especially ZEPS 3 were still seen as extremely luxurious products.
Zaboru was honestly glad about this situation, or at least the part that showed how much better this world was compared to his previous life. Once again, it reminded him that many parts of this world had developed in healthier ways. The people were less burdened by corruption, which meant ordinary citizens could live more stable lives and become noticeably more prosperous compared to those in his previous world. The political leadership in many regions was also far better. In fact, for almost the last few decades, there had been very little major war or serious tension, and that overall peace had clearly helped countries develop more steadily.
Even so, Zaboru knew that Africa was still a long term market rather than a short term one. ZAGE also planned to build manufacturing and distribution networks for Africa in the future, but those were long term projects that would need careful planning. The continent had potential, but it required patience, localized pricing, and a slower strategy compared to more immediately profitable regions. For now, Zaboru believed the first step was understanding which countries had the strongest growth potential, then slowly building trust in the market before making any major move.
Then there was the release of Gran Turismo, and it was really something else. The game made players love it almost immediately, especially because of the new controller, the "ZAGE Wheel," which completely stole the show and sold like hot cakes. For many people, the controller made the experience feel far more special, because it gave players a stronger sense of actually driving rather than simply pressing buttons on a normal pad. The game itself showcased an impressive level of realism, with detailed handling, polished presentation, and a large number of real branded cars. That alone was enough to attract not only normal gamers, but also many people who did not usually care much about video games and were more interested in cars themselves.
Not just that, the automotive world also received a surge of curious buyers or potential buyers, because plenty of people started looking up the cars featured inside Gran Turismo. Some became interested in certain brands for the first time, while others became more serious about vehicles they had only casually known before. In many ways, Gran Turismo did not just sell a game, but also increased overall awareness and appeal for the real car companies included in it. That result delighted the automotive industry, and it made them even more glad that they had given their licenses to ZAGE in the first place.
Aside from ZAGE stuff, there was also news from Disney, as Walt Disney informed Zaboru that they were already in the process of building their "real Movie" division. Since Walt Disney understood the scale of Zaboru's ambition, this division was being made on a huge level from the start, to the point that it would be able to handle 3 to 4 movies at once. According to the current schedule, the division should be ready by late this year or early next year. Zaboru was genuinely excited by this, because it meant he could finally begin bringing some of the iconic movies from his previous life into this world, especially fantasy movies, which he felt had enormous potential if handled properly. In his mind, fantasy was one of the strongest genres for movies, because it could create long lasting franchises, unforgettable characters, and a sense of wonder that appealed to both children and adults.
Still, Zaboru knew there was one major problem, and that was casting. He needed to personally see the actors first, because he wanted roles to match the same kind of presence and image that existed in his previous life. But that was not simple in this world. Even though the time was already in the year 2000, the entertainment industry in this world had regressed by around ten years compared to his previous life, which meant many actors were not yet at the same stage he remembered. Someone who should have already been a mature and established star might still be very young here, still just starting their career, or not yet ready for a major role. Like for example, in his previous world, Robert Downey Jr. would have been around 35 in 2000, while in this world he would still be closer to 25 and only a new actor.
Because of that difference, the entire screening process could take far more time than Zaboru originally hoped. He could not simply rely on memory alone, because the right actor in his previous life might not be the right actor in this world at the same moment. He needed to think carefully about whether he should prioritize exact likeness, acting talent, future growth, or even reshape some roles to better fit this world's circumstances. Still, that process might take too much time, especially because he was already busy with many other things. That question stayed in his mind, and Zaboru was still thinking about the best way to approach it.
That was what happened in May 2000. Right now, in early June Zaboru is inside his offices brainstorming about ZEPS 4 technology and planning.
To be continue
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