Still on Friday 31 July 2000 On Japan.
While Zaboru was in Milan handling Inter-related matters, back in Japan one of ZAGE's higher-ups, Shinsuke Yamaguchi, was being interviewed by ZEMITSU on one of their well-known channels called "ZEMITSU-TALK." This program functioned like a podcast, but it was also recorded and uploaded to their YouTube platform, allowing a wider audience to watch and engage with the discussion.
ZEMITSU-TALK had grown quite popular recently, especially among gamers and industry followers, as it often featured influential figures from the video game world. The format allowed for more relaxed and in-depth conversations compared to traditional interviews, which made it particularly appealing.
As usual, the hosts of the podcast were Mitsu Tadano, the owner of ZEMITSU, along with Kiara Kawamura and Nigo Guroki, both of whom were also key figures within ZEMITSU. The three of them had built a strong reputation for conducting engaging interviews, often bringing out interesting perspectives from their guests.
They frequently invited important individuals from across the gaming industry, including developers, company executives, and even e-sports players. Because of this, each episode carried a certain level of anticipation, as viewers expected not just information, but also insight into the inner workings of the industry.
Mitsu then smiled, adjusting his posture slightly as he faced the camera. "Hello everyone, in this episode we have a very special guest. It's none other than Shinsuke Yamaguchi, Head of ZAGE Marketing. Nice to meet you, Yamaguchi-san."
Shinsuke smiled and nodded politely. "Nice to meet you."
Kiara smiled as well, but unlike Mitsu, she didn't wait long before jumping into the discussion. Her eyes showed clear curiosity as she leaned slightly forward.
"Yamaguchi-san, is it true that you are one of the very first employees of ZAGE? I also heard that you were a former Sonaya team leader before joining ZAGE in 1991. That must have been a huge decision at the time."
She paused briefly before continuing, her tone becoming more inquisitive.
"How exactly did that happen? Leaving a big company like Sonaya to join ZAGE, especially when ZAGE was just starting its path back then… what made you take that step?"
Shinsuke smiled, taking a brief moment as if recalling those early days clearly. "Well, first of all, it's correct that I'm one of the very first employees of ZAGE. Back then, our office was extremely small, almost like a startup in the most literal sense. We only had around a dozen people at most, and everyone was doing multiple roles just to keep things moving."
He let out a small chuckle.
"And even our boss, Zaboru Renkonan, was just a teenager back then. Can you believe it? He was only around 17 years old when ZAGE was created. He graduated early from school, and instead of taking a normal path, he immediately jumped into building something like this."
Shinsuke shook his head slightly, still amused by the memory.
"As for why I left Sonaya because of ZAGE… actually, that's not entirely true. At that time, my wife Sayuri and I had already left Sonaya. The reason why we left is… well, that part is classified."
He smiled lightly, brushing past it.
"But anyway, we were both looking for new opportunities, something different. Then Zanichi-san contacted us and said that his son might need help. We owed a lot to Zanichi-san. He was a really good leader back at Sonaya, someone we respected deeply."
He leaned slightly forward as he continued.
"So because of that, we decided to at least meet his son. We didn't expect much at first, just a simple meeting… but that's when we met him. Zaboru."
The other three hosts fell silent, clearly absorbed in the story, their expressions showing genuine excitement and curiosity. At the same time, the live audience watching the broadcast was just as engaged, with the chat moving rapidly as viewers reacted in real time.
Shinsuke continued with a faint smile. "Honestly, my first impression of him wasn't that good. He was just a skinny boy back then… can you believe it?"
Kiara's eyes immediately lit up, and a playful grin spread across her face. "Oh! Actually, I have a photo of teenage Zaboru. Look!"
Without hesitation, she held up the photo to the camera. The image clearly showed a much younger Zaboru, noticeably thinner and far different from his current self.
Kiara leaned closer to the camera, clearly enjoying the moment. "Look how cute he is! I could just gobble him up, hehehe."
Mitsu sighed, rubbing his forehead slightly. "Kiara-san, please… we are live right now."
Nigo chuckled softly at the exchange, while the live chat exploded with reactions.
"Kiara is thirsty."
"Can't blame her, even I'm a guy and I'm attracted to Zaboru."
"I can kiss Zaboru right now! (I'm not even female)."
"Oh no, help! The comments!"
"It's not gay if it's Zaboru!"
The chaotic mix of reactions only added to the lively atmosphere of the broadcast, turning the moment into something unexpectedly entertaining for everyone watching.
"Yes, that's him alright. But what made my first impression of him not very good was how overly positive he was. He genuinely believed that he could recover the video game industry from the Atari crash, which was still a fresh issue back in 1991. At that time, it honestly sounded unrealistic."
Shinsuke let out a small breath, as if remembering that exact moment.
"But then… he proved himself. He showed me an example of his game. At that time, I played the very first Super Mario Bros, and honestly, I was instantly hooked. The design, the flow, the feeling, it was something completely different from what I expected."
He smiled slightly, his tone carrying a hint of admiration.
"And it didn't stop there. He also showed me the legendary ZEPS 1, something he built himself. It was incredibly impressive, not just the idea, but the execution. The fact that someone that young could create something like that… it was hard to believe."
Shinsuke leaned forward slightly as he continued.
"Then I saw him actually making a game from scratch. The speed, the precision, the way he worked without hesitation… it was almost flawless. And you have to remember, the hardware at that time was still very limited. Yet somehow, he made it look easy."
He gave a quiet chuckle.
"Watching him work felt like witnessing some kind of witchcraft. It didn't feel normal."
He paused briefly before finishing.
"And the game he was making at that time… it was called 'Megaman.' From that point on, Sayuri and I made our decision. We chose to help him, to become part of ZAGE. And after that… well, the rest is history."
Nigo Guroki grinned, clearly impressed. "Damn, Megaman!? He really is built different… anyway, what do you think about Zaboru as a person? And as a boss, can you explain that to us?"
Shinsuke chuckled softly before answering, taking a moment to organize his thoughts.
"Well, my work is mostly in the field, so I don't interact with him as closely as the developers do. But even then, I understand enough to say this… Zaboru is a good boss, but he's not flawless. You'll see."
He leaned slightly forward, his tone becoming more thoughtful.
"You guys often hear that he's a bad businessman, right? Like how he openly praises competitor games, or how he sets very small fees for third-party developers using our console. From a marketing perspective, honestly, those decisions can look quite questionable, even frustrating at times."
He gave a small shrug.
"But there's one thing that's absolutely certain. He truly cares about the customer."
Shinsuke's expression became more serious.
"He always thinks like a gamer. Every decision he makes, even the ones that seem irrational from a business standpoint, they come from that perspective. He prioritizes experience over profit in many cases."
He paused briefly before concluding.
"And that's exactly why ZAGE has become what it is today. It feels friendly, accessible, and trusted. That kind of image doesn't just happen by accident."
Then Mitsu spoke again, his tone shifting slightly as he introduced a more speculative angle. "Realistically, what if Zaboru was a capitalist?"
Shinsuke chuckled lightly, clearly understanding where the question was going. "Then the video game industry probably wouldn't look like it does right now. You see, ever since ZAGE's dominance with ZEPS 1, then ZGB, and later ZEPS 2, we've essentially been at the top of the video game world. There's really no one who can compete with us at that level."
He leaned back slightly, continuing more thoughtfully.
"If someone with a purely capitalist mindset were in that position, they would definitely try to maximize profits as much as possible, right? You would see things like massive price increases across hardware and software, pushing margins as high as possible simply because they can."
He raised a finger slightly, emphasizing his point.
"Or maybe they would reduce overall employee salaries, cutting costs wherever possible so that more revenue flows upward. Especially considering that ZAGE is 100% owned by him, there's nothing really stopping that kind of decision."
Shinsuke gave a small shrug.
"They might even take the company public, sell shares at extremely high prices, and turn ZAGE into a financial machine focused more on shareholders than players. From a business standpoint, all of that would make perfect sense."
"Or he could bind third-party developers tightly to his platform, charging extremely high fees from the sales of their games, leaving those developers with little to no room to push back or negotiate."
He paused briefly before concluding.
"But Zaboru is not like that. He had every opportunity to do those things, and he chose not to. That alone already tells you the kind of person he is."
Shinsuke smiled, his tone softening slightly as he continued. "He treats ZAGE like his own children. Profit isn't the first thing on his mind. You've probably heard that he's a billionaire, right? In reality, he isn't. It's ZAGE that is the billionaire entity, not him personally.
Zaboru himself only takes income from his salary, which is large, yes, but honestly not that impressive compared to what he could have taken. So then the question becomes, where does all of ZAGE's massive revenue go?
It goes back into ZAGE.
He increases employee benefits, improves the facilities across all offices, builds new branches, and invests into various sectors. And the strange part is… most of those investments actually succeed. Even I, as someone in marketing, don't fully understand how he manages to make so many of them work consistently."
Shinsuke let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head slightly.
"It's almost like he can see ahead, like he already knows which direction things will go before anyone else does. There's a level of confidence in his decisions that you don't normally see."
He paused briefly before adding.
"And when it comes to his personal life, he's surprisingly modest. The most luxurious thing he owns is probably his private jet. But even that… he didn't buy it out of desire. He bought it reluctantly, because he needed to travel overseas frequently, and it became a necessity rather than a luxury."
Nigo's eyes lit up with surprise. "Whoa… he's really like that? So working at ZAGE must feel like heaven?"
Shinsuke laughed warmly. "Hahaha, yes… it really does feel that way. Zaboru works with us, not above us. He's more of a leader than a boss. Of course, I'm in marketing, so I don't interact with him as closely as the developers do, but the developers hold him in extremely high regard."
He leaned slightly forward, recalling specific moments.
"He's the kind of person who would say things like, 'The work isn't finished, but it's Friday. It's okay, you can go home. I'll stay and finish it.' And he says that seriously."
Shinsuke smiled faintly.
"At first, the developers didn't believe him. They thought, 'There's no way… people in power always say things like that, but they don't mean it.' So they would try to stay anyway, thinking they needed to work overtime."
He let out a quiet chuckle.
"But Zaboru would actually scold them and tell them to go home. He meant it. If something could be done by him, then he would do it himself. That kind of behavior… it changes how people see their work."
His tone became more thoughtful.
"He truly understands that employees are human. At ZAGE, we never struggle to take paid leave. There's no pressure or hidden expectation. And we have many holidays, especially toward the end of the year, giving people time to rest properly."
He paused briefly, then nodded.
"As someone who has worked at top Japanese companies before, I can confidently say this… ZAGE really does feel like heaven in comparison."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"And Zaboru… he's someone truly precious to all of us."
The chat became even more lively, the messages flooding in rapidly as viewers reacted with a mix of excitement, disbelief, and envy.
"Damn, I'm so jealous!"
"I also heard that ZAGE benefits are insane!"
"Please let me work at ZAGE!"
"The recruitment standards are insane, really insane!"
"Don't you guys think this sounds too good to be true? Maybe this Shinsuke is exaggerating?"
"No, he's not lying, it's actually true."
"It's true, I've heard similar things before."
The stream chat continued to scroll endlessly, with more people joining in, some joking, some seriously hoping, and others simply amazed by what they were hearing. The atmosphere became increasingly energetic, almost chaotic, as ZAGE's image in the eyes of the audience continued to rise with every passing second.
Kiara's eyes lit up as she glanced at the rapidly scrolling chat, a playful smile forming on her face. "The chat is really lively right now… and hehehe, he really is precious indeed."
She leaned slightly forward, her tone shifting from playful to genuinely curious.
"But Yamaguchi-san, I want to ask you something a bit more serious."
There was a brief pause, as if she wanted to make sure the weight of her question landed properly.
"Is it true that Zaboru would still be Zaboru even without ZAGE… but ZAGE would not be ZAGE without Zaboru? Do you think that statement is accurate?"
Shinsuke chuckled and nodded slowly, his expression calm but certain. "That statement is very true. Without ZAGE, Zaboru would still be Zaboru. He could start from scratch again, making games by himself, building everything step by step… and I'm confident he would succeed again."
He paused briefly before continuing, his tone becoming more thoughtful.
"But ZAGE without Zaboru… that's a different story. I think it would be very difficult. Not to downplay the employees here, because we have many talented people, but Zaboru's presence is something we rely on more than we realize."
Shinsuke folded his arms lightly.
"We know that our leader is truly leading us. We trust that he understands what is best for the company, not just in terms of profit, but in terms of direction, identity, and long-term vision. That kind of confidence… it shapes how everyone works."
He exhaled softly.
"So if he were to leave, ZAGE might still exist, yes. The structure is already there. But it wouldn't be the same as it is now. Something essential would be missing."
A faint smile appeared on his face as he added.
"But at the same time, Zaboru has already given us a very strong foundation. Back then, he patented many of the game mechanics that ZAGE uses. But those patents were… unusual."
He let out a small laugh.
"The patent literally stated, 'Everyone can use these mechanics.' Which, if you think about it, completely contradicts the usual purpose of a patent. It was essentially a patent that allowed everyone to use it."
Shinsuke shook his head slightly, clearly impressed even now.
"His reasoning was simple. He didn't want anyone to monopolize game mechanics. He wanted the industry to grow freely, without restrictions like that. Honestly… I really admire that."
Shinsuke smiled as he continued, clearly wanting to elaborate further. "He also organized the development side into multiple teams, just like we know today. Each team has its own head, its own structure, and its own identity, allowing them to focus deeply on their specific strengths and genres."
He paused briefly, then added with a thoughtful tone.
"But the interesting thing is, while ZAGE does have a CTO, that role isn't really for leading the game developers directly. The CTO focuses more on the technical infrastructure, hardware, and overall systems."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"The one who truly acts as the 'super lead' across all development teams… is Zaboru himself. Not in a controlling way, but in a guiding way. He sets the direction, the philosophy, and the standard that every team follows."
Shinsuke let out a small breath, clearly impressed even as he said it.
"And because of that, even though the teams are separated, there's still a strong sense of unity across all of ZAGE's development projects."
Mitsu smiled, nodding slightly as he processed everything. "I see… I understand now just how important he really is. But moving on to the next question, Yamaguchi-san…"
He adjusted his posture slightly, his tone becoming more focused.
"I'd like to ask about something more concrete this time… the total console sales of ZAGE. Could you tell us more about that?"
Shinsuke smiled and nodded, clearly prepared for the shift in topic, his expression calm and ready as he anticipated the next line of discussion.
To be continue
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