Throughout the rest of June, many things began to unfold. As usual, Zaboru focused on assigning new tasks to the teams that had already completed their previous workload for the month. This time, the teams in question were Team Omni and Team Kodo, both of whom had shown consistent performance and reliability.
At the moment, Team Omni in England was already handling a total of five major projects. Football Manager and Theme Hospital were both scheduled for release at the end of June, while Nightmare Creatures was planned for an October release. In addition to those, NBA 2K and WE 2000 were set for September later that year. Despite this already heavy workload, Zaboru still decided to assign them two additional tasks. It wasn't recklessness, but rather confidence in their capability and structure.
The first task for Team OMNI was a port of Guitar Hero to ZEPS 3. Guitar Hero had already become one of ZAGE's most well-known arcade titles, and this console version would act as a sequel titled Guitar Hero 2. The ZEPS 3 version would include all the original songs from the arcade release, but it wouldn't stop there. Zaboru planned to add a range of new tracks, some of which he might even produce alongside Zaraki. In addition, he intended to secure multiple licensed songs to expand the overall appeal and variety of the game.
Unlike the arcade version, Guitar Hero 2 on ZEPS 3 would feature a proper story mode, built around a touring experience where players could progress through different stages and venues. On top of that, the console version would include significantly more features, content, and customization options compared to its arcade counterpart. Since the core system was already established and this project focused mainly on porting and expanding content, Zaboru estimated that Team OMNI could complete it within eight months, targeting a release in February 2001.
The next game Zaboru assigned to them was MediEvil, an action-adventure title that had been quite memorable in his previous life. The game followed a skeletal knight, Sir Daniel Fortesque, who returned from the dead and set out on a journey filled with dark humor, gothic atmosphere, and unique enemy designs. What made MediEvil stand out was its distinct tone that balanced eerie themes with lighthearted moments.
Zaboru wanted Team Omni to recreate and refine this concept, improving the gameplay feel, level design, and overall polish while preserving its identity. He believed that with ZEPS 3's capabilities, the game could feel smoother, more immersive, and visually richer compared to its original version. Because this project required more than just a simple port and involved rebuilding many aspects of the experience, Zaboru gave the team a full year to complete it, targeting a release around May 2001.
Next, the team that had completed their development cycle was Team KODO in Japan. At the moment, Team KODO was handling a total of three projects. The first was Kamen Rider Grand Prix, scheduled for release at the end of June, followed by Choriki Sentai Oh Ranger planned for August, and Ultraman Fighting Evolution in July, which was also progressing steadily. For a relatively new team, their output had been consistent, and Zaboru was satisfied with their growth so far.
Because Team KODO was still developing its internal structure and experience, Zaboru was careful not to overwhelm them with too many assignments like the older, more established teams. Instead of pushing them to handle five or more projects at once, he decided to give them only one additional task, allowing them to maintain quality while gradually building their capability.
The next task Zaboru assigned to them was Beyblade! Let it Rip!, a game based on the highly popular ZAGE TV anime "Beyblade!". This project would adapt the core concept of beyblade battles into a more interactive and engaging gameplay experience, inspired by the game of the same name from Zaboru's previous life. He wanted the game to capture the intensity of spinning battles, customization of parts, and the competitive feeling that made the series appealing to a wide audience.
Because of the scope and the need for polish, he gave them a development timeline of ten months, targeting a release around April 2001.
Aside from that, this month also marked a strong rise in Zaboru's presence on Steam through his alternate accounts. His first account, Zaborn, which he used as a solo developer identity, released Tsukihime in May, and the game had already begun selling very well. The strong reception was expected, considering it was a Zaboru project, but even then, the consistently high ratings and positive player feedback helped it gain even more traction across the platform. Word of mouth spread quickly, and the game steadily built a loyal fanbase that appreciated both its story and execution.
At the same time, his other account, where he operated incognito under the developer name "Isekai," also began drawing significant attention. Under this identity, he released Cave Story and Another World, and both titles quickly gained popularity. Players were impressed not only by the gameplay and design but also by the level of polish and creativity present in both games. As more people discovered them, discussions started appearing across forums and communities.
What fascinated players the most was the mystery behind the "Isekai" developer. It was publicly stated that the team consisted of only three people—"PlayStation," "Nintendo," and "Sega." This alone sparked endless speculation and curiosity. Many players discussed how it was even possible for such a small team to create games of such high quality, especially titles like Another World and Cave Story, which felt far more refined than typical indie releases. The contrast between the claimed team size and the actual output only fueled more attention, turning "Isekai" into a growing topic within the gaming community.
Next, during this month, ZAGE began taking steps to expand YouTube toward external companies. Zaboru decided that other companies would be allowed to place their advertisements on ZAGE YouTube, opening it as a new platform for promotion and monetization. For now, the system would not include a complex algorithm like the one from YouTube in Zaboru's previous life, but even without that, the platform was already growing rapidly. Because of that growth, many companies quickly became interested in placing ads on ZAGE YouTube, seeing it as a fresh and promising opportunity to reach a wider audience.
Zaboru chose to let the marketing team handle the business side of this expansion, including setting pricing structures, negotiating deals, and organizing ad placements. He understood that proper management was important to avoid overwhelming users while still maximizing revenue. As a result, multiple companies began approaching ZAGE with strong interest, each wanting to secure early positioning on the platform before it became even more competitive. This move marked an important step in turning YouTube into a major business pillar within ZAGE, rather than just a content-sharing platform.
As for the advertising system itself, Zaboru designed it with three main formats to balance visibility and user experience. The first would be banner ads displayed below the video player, subtle but always present. The second would be thumbnail ads shown on the home screen, allowing companies to promote content directly where users browse. The third would be short video ads with a maximum duration of 30 seconds, all of which would remain skippable to avoid frustrating viewers. More importantly, Zaboru made sure these ads would not appear too frequently. Instead of interrupting every video, they would only appear after every three to four videos, maintaining a smoother and less intrusive viewing experience.
With this structure, YouTube would begin generating its own independent revenue stream, separate from ZAGE's other sectors, giving the platform a level of financial autonomy that could support long-term growth. Zaboru intended to allocate a portion of this income directly toward streamers and content creators, not just as a reward, but as a way to build a sustainable ecosystem around them. At the moment, many streamers were creating content purely for enjoyment, treating it as a side activity rather than something they could rely on. However, based on his previous life experience Zaboru clearly saw the untapped potential in this space and understood that with the right support, it could evolve into something far more impactful.
By introducing consistent and structured monetization, he aimed to gradually transform streaming into a legitimate profession, one that offered stability, recognition, and long-term viability. This wasn't just about money, but about changing perception—turning content creation from a casual hobby into a respected career path. Over time, he expected this shift to attract more talented individuals, increase the quality of content across the platform, and create a competitive yet healthy environment where creators could grow alongside YouTube itself.
Looking ahead, Zaboru also planned to introduce a new feature later that year. Subscribers would be able to send gifts to their favorite creators, creating a direct and meaningful way to support them beyond simple views and subscriptions. These gifts would come in different forms and values, allowing fans to contribute based on their own capacity while still feeling involved in the creator's growth. For creators, this would open an additional and more flexible source of income, especially for those who were building smaller but highly dedicated communities.
This system would not only strengthen the connection between creators and their audiences, but also encourage higher engagement across the platform. Viewers would feel more invested, knowing their support had a visible impact, while creators would be motivated to interact more closely with their fans. Over time, this dynamic could foster stronger communities and increase overall activity on the platform, further solidifying YouTube's position within ZAGE's growing ecosystem.
Of course, ZAGE would take a small platform fee to maintain and support the system. The fee was intentionally minimal to keep the system fair and attractive. For example, if a subscriber sent a gift worth 100 yen, ZAGE would only take 1 yen as a platform fee. This approach ensured that the majority of the support went directly to the creators, while still allowing ZAGE to sustain the infrastructure behind the feature.
However, for this plan to move forward, ZAGE first needed to solve a key problem: converting Steam Wallet balances into real money in a secure and scalable way. This was not a simple task, as it involved payment processing, fraud prevention, regional compliance, and proper accounting across multiple territories. ZAGE's finance team, along with several other internal sectors, had already begun working on the solution and had made solid progress so far. Still, there were important details that needed to be finalized before launch. Because of that, Zaboru decided it would be better to delay the update slightly rather than rush an incomplete system, ensuring that when it is released, it would be stable, reliable, and ready for long-term use.
In addition, recruitment for ZAGE's offices in China was completed this month. Zaboru planned to visit them in July, and as usual, he would personally guide the new team for two months before assigning them full responsibilities and new tasks. Unlike the Korea office, this China branch would be built on a larger scale, with a significantly higher number of employees from the start. Zaboru wanted this team to be capable of handling bigger projects and operating as one of ZAGE's major production hubs in the future, not just a supporting branch.
To support that vision, the recruitment process focused not only on quantity but also on structure, ensuring the team had a balanced mix of developers, designers, and technical specialists. Zaboru also prepared a clear identity for the team, believing that a strong name could shape its culture and direction from the beginning. The ZAGE development division in China would be called "Myth," a name that reflected ambition, scale, and the idea of creating something that could stand alongside legends.
Next, the Pixar movie Toy Story 2 is aired, and it's really popular, which kind of breaks records everywhere, as the franchise is really popular right now. Aside from this, Zaboru also gives the Disney animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas for the next task, and Zaboru wants this to be ready in October 2002.
That's what June did for ZAGE and now in early July, the titles released in June were already making waves again, with Football Manager standing out as a game that was really complex..
To be continue
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