Saturday, 17 July 2001.
Live at the ZEMITSU office.
Right now, one of the most popular live shows in the gaming world was about to begin. It was the trio podcast hosted by ZEMITSU, known simply as "ZEMITSU PODCAST!" The show had become extremely popular recently because it did not feel like a normal corporate interview. The hosts were sharp, chaotic, and sometimes dangerously honest. Because of that, viewers loved it.
The three hosts were already in their seats.
Mitsu Tadano, the owner of ZEMITSU, sat in the center with his usual relaxed smile. Beside him was Kiara Kawamura, who was known for her energetic personality and ability to ask questions that made guests sweat. On the other side sat Nigo Guroki, who had a calmer appearance but often delivered the most painful questions with a polite smile.
And today's guests were not ordinary people.
Sitting across from them were two core figures of Sonaya's gaming division.
The first was Junpei Hoshida, the head of Sonaya Game Division and one of the key people behind Sonaya's recent game development revival. The second was Hikaru Kurata himself, the CEO and major shareholder of Sonaya Company.
For gaming fans, this was a huge event.
Sonaya had just experienced a powerful resurgence thanks to Sun Knight 5 and Sherif Juan 5. After years of being mocked as the company endlessly chasing ZAGE's shadow, Sonaya was finally starting to form its own clear identity again. That made this interview far more interesting than a simple promotional appearance.
The live comments were already moving rapidly before the conversation even began.
"HIKARU KURATA IS HERE!"
"SONAYA CEO ON ZEMITSU PODCAST!?"
"ASK HIM ABOUT ZABORU."
"PLEASE ASK ABOUT THE NIGHTMARE INCIDENT."
"JUNPEI-SAN LOOKS NERVOUS LOL."
"SONAYA REVIVAL ERA IS REAL."
Mitsu smiled toward the camera, then turned to Hikaru and Junpei.
"Honestly, Kurata-san, I'm really surprised that you agreed to do an interview with us, especially with your busy schedule."
Hikaru Kurata smiled calmly and gave a small nod. "It's fine. I can spare some time, especially since I'm accompanying Junpei here."
Junpei laughed softly. "Please don't say it like I forced you, Hikaru-san."
Hikaru glanced at him. "You did not force me, but you did look extremely happy when the invitation arrived."
Junpei scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Well, ZEMITSU PODCAST is popular."
Kiara immediately grinned. "Okay! Then let me say this first, Kurata-san. Here, we don't hold back just because you're Sonaya's CEO or because you're famous!"
Hikaru's smile widened slightly. "That is what I expected."
Kiara leaned forward with bright eyes. "Then let's begin properly. Sonaya was already a huge company even before ZAGE started in 1991. You were not some small company struggling to survive. You already had money, talent, technology, and influence. So what made Sonaya finally decide to join ZAGE in the video-game industry?"
Hikaru rested his hands together and thought for a moment before answering.
"Honestly, even before ZAGE was created and began rising, we at Sonaya had already discussed the possibility of reviving the video-game industry. Back then, the Atari crash was severe. The damage to public trust was real. Many investors looked at video games and saw them as a failed toy market rather than a future entertainment industry."
His expression became slightly more serious.
"And I am ashamed to admit this, but many people in my team at that time believed the video-game industry was beyond saving. They thought the market had collapsed too badly. Retailers were cautious, consumers were doubtful, and publishers were afraid to take major risks. Even inside Sonaya, there were people who said entering that market would be a waste of resources."
Hikaru paused briefly.
"I personally believed video games still had huge potential. I believed interactive entertainment could become something much larger than people imagined. But belief alone was not enough. At that time, I hesitated. Sonaya hesitated. And in the end, we retreated."
The room became quieter.
Hikaru smiled bitterly.
"Then, a few years later, ZAGE and Zaboru appeared. And the rest is history. They showed the world what video games could become. They did not simply revive the industry. They rebuilt public imagination around it. They made people believe again."
Nigo nodded slowly. "So Sonaya entered because ZAGE proved the market could live again?"
Hikaru nodded. "Yes. We were late, but we could no longer ignore it. ZAGE had already shown the potential clearly. So we decided to become their competitor."
Mitsu smiled. "That sounds simple when you say it now, but the history after that was definitely not simple."
Hikaru chuckled. "No, it was not."
Nigo smiled politely and leaned slightly forward. "We all know how dominant ZAGE has been in the video-game industry. So, Kurata-san, how did it feel to chase ZAGE's shadow for so many years? With all due respect, that is what Sonaya became famous for, after all."
The comment section immediately exploded.
"NIGO WENT STRAIGHT FOR THE NECK."
"NO MERCY."
"HE ASKED IT!"
"HIKARU-SAN PLEASE SURVIVE."
Hikaru was not offended. Instead, he chuckled and nodded as if he had already expected the question.
"Well, Sonaya has never been the type to give up easily it's always like that even with our others division. During the 8-bit era, we had our system fighting against ZEPS 1 and Mugen Game Box. Then, during the 16-bit era, we released Titan Drive to compete with ZEPS 2. We were always trying to overcome ZAGE and follow their footsteps."
He sighed softly.
"And that was part of the problem."
Junpei glanced toward Hikaru but did not interrupt.
Hikaru continued, "At that time, ZAGE released an insane number of games. Many of them succeeded. Their teams moved quickly, their quality control was strong, and their first-party lineup was terrifying. We saw that and thought we needed to match their pace. So we acquired many third-party studios. We increased production. We tried to fill our platforms with as many games as possible."
He smiled bitterly.
"But the result was obvious. Unlike ZAGE, where most major releases became successful or at least respected, many of our games failed. Some were rushed. Some lacked identity. Some existed only because we felt we needed an answer to a ZAGE title. We were not always creating from our own strength. We were reacting."
Kiara nodded seriously. "So Sonaya was copying ZAGE's rhythm without having ZAGE's internal structure?"
Hikaru gave her an approving look. "Exactly. That is a good way to say it. We tried to run like ZAGE without understanding that ZAGE's legs were different from ours." Junpei groaned "Well It's unfair in first place at first we want to learn how is it possible ZAGE release that much games in short interval but then we realize… we can't do same thing as them.."
Mitsu laughed. "That sounds painful."
"It was," Hikaru replied honestly.
Nigo then said, "And then came the famous 'I'm Your Nightmare Come to Life' incident with GameStation."
The studio immediately reacted.
Even Hikaru's smile became more complicated.
Junpei lowered his head slightly, already trying not to laugh.
Hikaru sighed. "Yes. That incident."
Kiara grinned. "The legendary moment."
Hikaru looked at her. "Legendary for everyone except my blood pressure."
Everyone laughed.
Hikaru continued, "That incident was humiliating, yes. But honestly, it also became necessary. Before that moment, Sonaya was reaching a breaking point. We were exhausted from chasing ZAGE. We wanted to defeat them, but we were also becoming more and more aware that our approach was wrong. When Zaboru appeared and basically turned our own event into a stage for ZEPS 3, it felt like the final blow."
He paused.
"But after that, we changed our approach. Instead of chasing ZAGE's shadow directly, we began asking ourselves what Sonaya could actually do well. What kind of games could we make? What kind of identity could we build? How could GameStation become more than simply 'not ZEPS'?"
Junpei nodded.
"That was when we started focusing more on quality over quantity," Junpei added. "We could not match ZAGE's release volume. But we could choose our projects more carefully, polish them more seriously, and trust our creative teams better."
Hikaru nodded. "Exactly. We still respect ZAGE, and we still compete with them. But if we only chase their footsteps forever, we will never become anything more than a shadow."
Mitsu grinned. "So, is the rumor true?"
Hikaru looked at him cautiously. "Which rumor?"
Mitsu's grin widened. "That after the 'I'm Your Nightmare Come to Life' incident, when Sonaya almost gave up and you passed out because of your blood pressure, Zaboru was actually pissed and visited you at the hospital."
Hikaru closed his eyes for a moment.
The live comments became insane.
"ASKED IT!"
"THE HOSPITAL STORY!"
"IS IT REAL!?"
"HIKARU-SAN'S TRAUMA ARC."
Hikaru sighed, then smiled helplessly. "I will let Junpei answer that."
Junpei immediately laughed. "It's true."
Kiara's eyes widened. "Seriously!?"
Junpei nodded. "Yes. Zaboru came to the hospital, looked at Hikaru-san, and basically told him, 'I won't forgive you if you give up.'"
Mitsu burst out laughing. "That sounds exactly like him."
Junpei smiled. "He even said he was one of Sonaya's fans. Honestly, that guy is really strange. He humiliates you, challenges you, criticizes you, and then somehow encourages you at the same time."
Hikaru muttered, "That is one way to describe him or Lunatic."
Junpei continued, "But I think that is what makes Zaboru impressive. His passion for gaming is always at the highest level. From what I have seen, I cannot think of anyone more obsessed with video games than he is. It is like if you took Albert Einstein's brain and Leonardo da Vinci's creativity, then forced both of them to focus only on video games. That would be Zaboru."
Kiara stared at Junpei for a moment.
Then she grinned.
"Whoa, Junpei-san. You're definitely a Zaboru fan, aren't you?"
Junpei froze then grinned "Well you are right hahahaa!".
Hikaru looked at him silently.
Mitsu laughed then grinned "Then you must be want to work at ZAGE then?" .
Junpei quickly waved his hands. "No, no, I'm not saying it like that. I respect him as a creator. That is different."
Kiara tilted her head. "So you're a professional fan that want to be ZAGE Employee!?"
Junpei looked wounded. "Please don't phrase it like that."
Hikaru calmly said, "Zaboru actually want to recruit him."
Junpei turned toward him. "Hey! But i refuse!"
The studio burst into laughter.
The chat exploded again.
"JUNPEI IS EXPOSED."
"PROFESSIONAL FAN CONFIRMED."
"HIKARU-SAN BETRAYED HIM LIVE."
Kiara laughed but quickly returned to the main topic. "Still, Sonaya's recent performance has been amazing. Sherif Juan 5 is extremely successful right now. Before that, you released Sun Knight 5, and that game even snatched Game of the Year from ZAGE titles. That was huge."
Junpei's expression became more serious and proud. "Thank you. Both games were very important for us."
Kiara nodded. "And honestly, it feels like Sonaya is finally showing its new direction. Fewer games maybe, but stronger games. So will you keep going like this? Or will Sonaya release a new console soon?"
Junpei glanced toward Hikaru.
Hikaru simply smiled and allowed him to answer.
Junpei grinned slightly. "Well, I think we need to wait for ZEPS 4 first."
Mitsu immediately leaned forward. "Oh?"
Junpei laughed. "Hahaha. Honestly, the 'I'm Your Nightmare Come to Life' incident still lives rent-free in our heads. So before making any major console move, we want to properly assess how strong ZEPS 4 really is."
He paused, then smiled awkwardly.
"Because that machine is probably going to be a nightmare. A real one."
Hikaru nodded calmly. "Sonaya has learned not to underestimate ZAGE hardware. Especially when Zaboru and Zanichi are involved."
Nigo smiled. "So Sonaya is waiting for ZEPS 4 before deciding the next GameStation strategy?"
Hikaru nodded. "That is correct. We are not abandoning hardware, but we are being more careful. In the past, we tried to respond too quickly. This time, we want to observe properly before deciding how to fight."
Mitsu grinned. "So you're waiting for ZEPS 4. Then, as ZAGE's closest rival, what do you think about X-box and iPlay?"
The atmosphere in the studio shifted slightly.
This was not only a question about hardware.
It was a question about the changing console war.
ZAGE was still the king.
Sonaya was rebuilding its identity.
Microsoft had entered seriously with X-box.
Apple had entered painfully with iPlay.
The industry was becoming more crowded, more expensive, and far more dangerous.
Hikaru Kurata smiled faintly, rested his hands together, and began to answer.
To be continued.
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