A few hours after ZAGE's trailer dropped that night, Bill Gates could only sigh while watching the livestream replay from his office at Microsoft headquarters. Tomorrow would officially be the launch day of Xbox, one of the biggest moments for Microsoft's gaming division so far, yet somehow the internet was still heavily discussing ZAGE.
"As expected..." Bill Gates muttered while looking at the screen. "Zaboru really has that much charm, huh?"
Bill replayed the moment where Zaboru leaned toward the camera and casually said:
"Are you sure about that?"
Even Bill could not help laughing slightly.
Honestly, the phrase itself was simple.
But when Zaboru said it?
It somehow became ridiculously memorable.
Bill adjusted his glasses before leaning back in his chair. "Not gonna lie... he's really good at controlling people's attention."
That was the part Bill respected the most about Zaboru.
The man understood marketing naturally.
He understood timing.
He understood presentation.
And more importantly?
He understood how to turn his own personality into entertainment.
Most CEOs stood behind companies.
Zaboru stood beside ZAGE itself.
That difference was enormous.
Bill then glanced again at the five revealed games from the trailer.
"Still..." Bill chuckled quietly. "I honestly thought ZAGE was going to go completely insane and release something like twelve games this month."
The fact that ZAGE only released five games somehow felt small for them now.
Which was honestly absurd.
"Well, I guess five games is considered 'little' for ZAGE these days, huh?" Bill shook his head with amusement. "Anyway... let's just hope this doesn't affect tomorrow's Xbox release too much."
Even though he joked about it, Bill still knew the situation was serious.
Apple had already entered the competition.
ZAGE had just detonated another massive trailer event.
And tomorrow, Xbox would finally face the public directly.
The real battle would begin after release.
With that thought, Bill Gates quietly returned to work.
Saturday 13 March 2001.
Zaboru was inside his house in the United States when the thought suddenly became too tempting to ignore. Today was the official Xbox release day, and while he could easily ask someone to purchase the console for him, or even have Microsoft's people somehow send one privately if he truly wanted, that felt boring. Instead, Zaboru wanted to experience the launch like an ordinary gamer.
He sat on the sofa for a moment before chuckling to himself. "It's been a while since I queued for something like this," he thought. "And since I actually have a little free time today... let's roll with it."
With that decision made, Zaboru called Ryan and asked him to accompany him. Ryan agreed almost immediately, partly because he was curious about Xbox's launch atmosphere too, and partly because he already knew that whenever Zaboru decided to do something unnecessary, it usually became entertaining. Not long after, Ryan arrived at Zaboru's house, only to find that Zaboru had already put on a disguise.
Ryan stared at him for a few seconds before chuckling. "Boss, for real? You can just buy the store, you know? If you want an early Xbox, I'm pretty sure there are easier ways than standing in line with normal customers."
Zaboru smiled shamelessly. "Hey, that's a waste of money, bro. I'm quite poor, you know."
Ryan slowly looked at him, then looked at the expensive house behind him, then back at Zaboru again. "Poor. Yeah, right."
Zaboru only laughed and entered Ryan's car, pretending not to hear the sarcasm. A few moments later, the two of them left the house and drove toward one of the biggest electronics stores in Los Angeles.
Inside the car, Ryan glanced toward Zaboru while keeping one hand on the steering wheel. "So, how do you think this will go? We're heading to one of the biggest electronics stores in L.A. Do you think they'll have enough Xbox stock? Will it sell insanely fast?"
Zaboru chuckled and leaned back in his seat while looking out the window. "To be honest, I'm not completely sure myself. If Microsoft were the only one launching a new console, then yeah, Xbox would probably sell like hot cakes today. The hype is there, the graphics look good, and the launch lineup is not bad at all."
He paused for a moment before smiling faintly. "But the problem is, they are not alone. Apple's iPlay will release this Monday, and people are already curious about it because Apple has its own loyal fans. Then there's ZAGE's March trailer too, with five games that all look quite strong. That kind of timing makes people hesitate."
Ryan chuckled. "Damn, you're right. People suddenly have too many choices."
"Exactly," Zaboru said. "And now there's YouTube and forums too. Players don't need to buy blindly anymore. They can wait for reviews, watch gameplay footage, compare opinions, and see whether the console is actually worth the money."
He tapped his finger lightly against his knee. "Three hundred dollars is not cheap, especially when that doesn't include the games. If the games are around fifty to fifty-five dollars each, then buying a console with even two or three launch titles becomes a serious spending decision. A lot of people will probably wait first, especially because ZAGE games are also coming this month."
Ryan nodded as he continued driving. "So basically, Xbox might still sell well, but the launch probably won't explode as hard as Microsoft hopes."
Zaboru grinned. "That's my guess. Still, we'll see soon."
Not long after, they arrived at one of the biggest electronics stores in Los Angeles. From the outside, the store already looked busy. Several large Xbox banners had been placed near the entrance, posters of HORI and other launch games covered the windows, and a small crowd had formed along the sidewalk while waiting for the doors to open.
However, it was not as insane as Zaboru and Ryan had expected.
There were definitely people lining up, but the crowd did not stretch endlessly down the street. Some customers looked excited, some were chatting about which launch games they planned to buy, and a few were clearly just curious passersby attracted by the cameras and advertisements. It felt like a successful launch atmosphere, but not the kind of overwhelming frenzy Microsoft probably dreamed of.
Ryan glanced at the line, then smiled knowingly. "Looks like you were right on the bullseye, Boss."
Zaboru grinned. "I guess so? But this is still pretty good."
The store was already quite packed, just not insanely crowded. The line moved along the sidewalk in a neat but manageable way, with customers holding wallets, game lists, and small cups of coffee while waiting for the store to open. Some people looked genuinely excited, while others kept glancing at their watches as if still deciding whether they should spend three hundred dollars today or wait for more reviews.
Zaboru and Ryan quietly joined the queue, keeping their heads low enough to avoid attention. The store would open in around thirty minutes, so for now, they could only wait like ordinary customers.
Meanwhile, several reporters from an American television station were doing a live broadcast nearby. One female reporter stood in front of the store with the Xbox banners behind her, smiling professionally at the camera even though her expression carried a slight awkwardness.
"Ladies and gentlemen, as you can see behind me, these are the people queuing for Xbox, the newest game console from Microsoft," she said. "The atmosphere here is definitely energetic, and there are many excited customers waiting for the launch. However..." She paused for a tiny second, clearly choosing her words carefully. "It is perhaps not as crowded as many expected it to be."
The cameraman slowly panned toward the line, showing that the crowd was real but far from a chaotic launch frenzy.
The reporter quickly smiled again, trying to keep the broadcast positive. "Still, the interest is clearly here, and Microsoft's new console is attracting attention. So let's ask some of the people in line what they think."
She walked toward the nearby crowd and, as if guided by some cruel cosmic joke, stopped in front of a man wearing glasses, a fake blond beard, and blond hair.
It was none other than Zaboru in disguise.
When the reporter approached him, Zaboru sighed internally. 'What are the chances, really...?'
Still, he quickly prepared himself to answer like a normal customer. He could not run away now without looking suspicious, and Ryan was already standing nearby with the kind of face that said he was seconds away from laughing.
"Hello, sir," the reporter said with a professional smile. "I'm Anna from Fox News. I want to ask, what are you doing here today? Are you waiting for Xbox? And what's your name, sir?"
Zaboru adjusted his fake glasses slightly before answering with a fake accent. "Hei, I'm Gordon."
Ryan immediately turned his face away.
He was definitely holding back laughter.
Anna smiled and continued, "So, Gordon, are you excited about Xbox?"
"Well, yeah," Zaboru replied, still maintaining the strange fake accent. "But honestly, I was kind of thinking whether I should get this one now or wait for iPlay later. Still, I decided to gamble on this first, so let's hope it doesn't disappoint."
Anna nodded while the camera stayed focused on him. "That seems to be a common concern today. Many customers are comparing Xbox with iPlay before making a decision." She then asked, "Do you think Xbox will surpass ZEPS 3 as the newest console?"
Zaboru chuckled, trying very hard not to sound too much like himself. "If your question is only about being newer, then obviously Xbox is newer, right? But if you ask whether it will become the most fun console or the most worth-it console, that is still up for debate. At least wait until Xbox actually releases and people play the games first."
Anna looked genuinely impressed by the answer. "That's actually a very balanced opinion."
Ryan almost physically folded himself trying not to laugh.
Balanced opinion, she said.
If only she knew she was currently interviewing the owner of ZAGE while asking him to compare Xbox and ZEPS 3 live on television.
Anna continued with another question. "So, Gordon, if you could only choose one thing that matters most in a console, what would it be? Graphics? Power? Online features?"
Zaboru immediately answered, "Games."
The response came so fast that even Anna blinked.
"Games?"
"Yeah," Zaboru replied casually. "Hardware is important, sure. Features are important too. But at the end of the day, people buy consoles to play games. If the games are fun enough, people will forgive a lot of things."
Ryan quietly looked out toward the street because he was afraid eye contact would make him laugh.
Anna nodded thoughtfully. "Honestly, that makes sense."
Then she asked one final question.
"So, Gordon... do you think Xbox can survive against companies like ZAGE? they like Empire does they?"
"Empire?" For a brief moment, Zaboru almost laughed.
The irony of this situation was becoming absurd.
Still, he kept the fake accent going.
"Well, competition is good, yeah? If Xbox succeeds, then ZAGE must work harder too. If iPlay succeeds, everyone improves. In the end, players win."
Anna smiled brightly after hearing that answer. "That's actually a really positive perspective."
Meanwhile, Ryan was now mentally dying beside him.
Because the person giving the mature 'healthy competition' speech was also the same man who casually stared into a camera yesterday and emotionally threatened millions of wallets with:
'Are you sure about that?'
If only she knew she was interviewing the owner of ZAGE while asking him to comment on Xbox versus ZEPS 3.
After that, Anna asked a few lighter questions about launch games and whether "Gordon" planned to play online often before finally ending the interview professionally.
"Thank you very much for your time, sir," Anna said politely.
Zaboru nodded while maintaining the fake accent. "No problem. Hope your news go well."
The moment the camera moved away toward another customer, Zaboru immediately exhaled deeply.
Ryan finally lost control.
He bent slightly while laughing so hard that he almost looked physically injured.
"Oh my God..." Ryan wheezed. "Boss... your fake accent is terrible."
Zaboru adjusted his fake beard with complete seriousness. "What are you talking about? That was perfect."
"That sounded like three different countries fighting each other."
Zaboru looked offended. "You just don't understand international acting."
Ryan laughed even harder.
Then Zaboru sighed and rubbed his forehead. "But seriously... why me though? Out of all the people here, she somehow picked me."
Ryan grinned mischievously. "Maybe she has a keen eye?"
"That is not reassuring at all."
For a brief second, Zaboru actually wondered what would happen if Anna somehow discovered his real identity later. The mental image of Fox News accidentally interviewing ZAGE's owner in disguise while asking him whether Xbox could survive against ZAGE itself was honestly ridiculous.
Thankfully, before Ryan could continue bullying him, the electronic store doors finally opened.
The crowd immediately became more energetic.
People straightened their posture, conversations grew louder, and several customers quickly moved forward while employees began organizing the line properly. Bright Xbox promotional screens lit up inside the store, showing gameplay footage of HORI, Agent Jordan, and other launch titles repeatedly.
Zaboru looked toward the entrance with visible excitement.
And just like that...
The gamer inside him fully awakened again.
"Alright," Zaboru said while grinning. "Let's buy some Xbox games."
To be continue
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