Saturday 21 December 1998.
On one of the popular TV stations in the United States, a weekly show dedicated entirely to video games was currently airing. The show was called Gaming Insight, and it had gained a strong cult following among gaming enthusiasts across the country. The host, a laid-back but passionate man in his twenties named Ronald Barkley, was not just a presenter—he was a genuine gamer himself. His deep knowledge of the industry and his relatable personality made him a favorite among viewers.
This week's episode featured a special guest: Wesley Johnson, one of the lead developers from a rising American PC game company known as Black Scissors. The studio had been making waves in the PC gaming space, especially within the strategy genre. Their flagship title at the moment was The Legion, a real-time strategy (RTS) game set in a high-fantasy universe filled with warring kingdoms, magical beasts, and ancient curses. While The Legion drew some comparison to ZAGE's legendary Warcraft franchise due to its genre, Wesley was quick to emphasize that their tone, lore, and approach to gameplay were entirely different.
In addition to The Legion, Black Scissors was also working on a second title called Target—a minimalist sniper simulation game where precision, patience, and environmental awareness were the keys to success. Though simple on the surface, the game was praised in early previews for its immersive tension and clean, addictive mechanics.
As the discussion unfolded on-screen, the hosts and audience alike were eagerly waiting to talk about one big topic—ZAGE's upcoming December PC game releases, which had already been teased in the latest issue of ZAGE POWER magazine.
At the moment, the station was covering various gaming news and industry updates, but the atmosphere was filled with anticipation. Everyone on set, including Ronald and Wesley, was eagerly awaiting the official reveal of ZAGE's highly anticipated December releases. According to the latest issue of ZAGE POWER Magazine, all of this month's upcoming titles would be exclusive to PC—a decision that caught both Ronald and Wesley by surprise. It was a bold move, considering ZAGE's usual balance between their ZEPS 3 console and PC lineup. The news stirred mixed emotions for both of them—Ronald felt intrigued as a fan, while Wesley, as a developer, couldn't help but feel a bit conflicted.
Then, right on cue, the trailer finally aired. The screen came alive with cinematic footage, showcasing three massive titles: Thief, Rollercoaster Tycoon, and Warcraft III. Each trailer had its own energy—Thief brought stealth and tension, Rollercoaster Tycoon offered creative freedom and simulation charm, while Warcraft III stunned everyone with its cinematic quality and ambitious scope. The audience in the studio murmured with excitement, and even Ronald leaned forward, wide-eyed with enthusiasm and the game expected release next week. It was clear—ZAGE was about to dominate the end-of-year discussion yet again.
Ronald leaned forward, still wide-eyed from what he had just seen. "Damn, what a great trailer! They're definitely cooking again this time. Seriously though, Wesley—how does it feel being in the same era as ZAGE? Do you really think they deserve all the success they're getting? And do you honestly believe all their games are that great?"
Wesley exhaled deeply and ran his hand through his hair before replying. "Honestly? It's tough, man. Like... I don't even really know anymore. ZAGE is operating on some other level. Especially with this new Warcraft III, man—that game has blown my mind. It's been my favorite ZAGE IP since the start, and this new entry? Just wow. And listen—this month alone, they're releasing three massive titles. Not just minor releases, I mean three huge, full-scale games. That alone should be impossible, yet somehow they're pulling it off—and they're all excellent quality."
He leaned in, eyes intense. "Think about that for a second. Three big games this month. And now think back—when was the last time they released something? October, right? That's when they dropped Resident Evil 2. A game so tight, so well-executed, it basically redefined horror gaming all over again. Before that? September—Armored Core. That game's just wow! the customization of combat! Everything is basically the wet dream of a robot fan!"
Wesley shook his head with a look of disbelief, counting on his fingers as he went. "Then August rolls around, and what do we get? Freaking Baldur's Gate, Pokémon Stadium, and Tales of Destiny. All in one month. And then—then, Ronald—don't even get me started in July. WWF SmackDown, Jackie Chan Stuntmaster, and the one that still gets talked about like a cultural event: Final Freaking Fantasy VII."
He spread his arms wide, his voice growing louder. "It's like they're not just dropping good games. They're dropping milestones. Games that people are going to talk about for years. They're not just setting the standard—they are the standard. Month after month. It's honestly kind of terrifying."
He exhaled sharply, clearly overwhelmed. "Have you really stopped to think not just about how great their games are—but how many of them they've actually released this year? The quality alone is enough to make any studio jealous. But then there's the quantity, and that's just insane. Do you know how many games ZAGE has released just this year for ZEPS 3 and PC? It's freaking 18 games, Ronald. Eighteen! Can you wrap your head around that? Eighteen full-fledged, high-quality titles—and not a single one of them feels like a rushed, half-baked, filler release. Not one. Every single one feels like it had a dedicated team, a proper budget, and a polished vision."
He leaned in, his voice rising with a mix of awe and frustration. "It's absolutely amazing, yeah, but it's also driving me nuts. How do we even compete with that? Seriously, how do you match that kind of consistency, that level of output, month after month? It's not just intimidating—it's demoralizing. And I keep wondering—how the hell does ZAGE manage to do all this? What's going on behind the curtain? Are they secretly powered by aliens or something? Are they tapping into some ancient creative energy? Or maybe they are using voodoo shit!, I don't know!"
He laughed a little, but the stress in his eyes didn't go away. "Sometimes I half-expect to find out they've got a secret underground base full of clone developers or time travel tech or something. Because from where I'm standing? It's like they're operating on a different dimension entirely."
Ronald laughed so hard he nearly dropped his microphone. "But seriously, as a video game developer—is it really that unbelievable? I mean, think about it. ZAGE is huge. Let's say they've got, what, a thousand? Maybe even two thousand employees? And with seemingly unlimited resources at their disposal... is it still that impossible to believe they could pull all this off?"
Wesley scratched his head and let out a half-laugh of disbelief. "No, man, I'm telling you—it's impossible. You're a gamer, Ronald, and ZAGE's been putting out stuff like this since their early days, so maybe you've just gotten used to it. But once you step behind the scenes and become a game developer, you start to see how the sausage is made—and it ain't easy. Making a video game from scratch isn't like snapping your fingers. You need serious planning just to get started—concept meetings, establishing the core loop, deciding on the genre, writing out the story, developing the characters and worldbuilding. That alone can take weeks, even months."
He continued, growing more animated. "Then you move to the design phase—laying out gameplay systems, creating level structure, user interface flow, art direction. And don't even get me started on programming and development. You deal with bugs, constant testing, iteration after iteration. QA can take forever, and that's before you factor in platform compatibility and optimization."
Wesley paused, his expression growing more serious. "If your team's really good and your pipeline is efficient, maybe—maybe—you can make one full-fledged game in about ten months. But that assumes no major roadblocks, which almost never happens. Now, if you've got multiple dev teams running in parallel, sure, you can scale that up, but even then it takes an enormous amount of manpower and coordination to pull off."
He raised his eyebrows and added, "And let's be real here—ZAGE is big, yeah, but not that big. For a global powerhouse, they're still relatively lean. If I'm not mistaken, their total number of employees is somewhere around 1,300? That's not nothing, but it's also not Microsoft levels of 10 thousand employee. And yet they're somehow releasing games at a pace like this? High quality, high volume, month after month? That's what's driving me nuts. I seriously want to peek behind the curtain and figure out how the hell they do it."
Wesley sighed, shaking his head slowly. "Not to mention their games, bro. Their actual games. Like, if ZAGE had released 18 titles this year and most of them were just meh or borderline trash, with only a couple being halfway decent, I honestly wouldn't even be that bothered. That would've meant they were just chasing numbers—quantity over quality. It's what you'd expect when a company tries to flood the market."
He leaned forward, voice rising with frustration and awe. "But look at their lineup, man. Look at it. Every single one of those games feels polished, distinct, and straight-up high-tier. And here's the thing that still blows my mind—if you gave a random gamer Armored Core and Final Fantasy VII to play back-to-back, without telling them who made it, they'd never guess it was the same company. Never. Those games are so different—in tone, gameplay, design philosophy—one's gritty mech combat and customization, the other's a sprawling JRPG epic. And then you hit them with this fact: 'Oh, by the way, both games were made by ZAGE... and they came out just one month apart—in the same year.' I guarantee their jaw would hit the floor. They'd probably think you were high on crack bro."
He exhaled with disbelief. "It just doesn't make sense. It's like ZAGE is five different world-class studios rolled into one. They don't just dabble in different genres—they master them. RTS, JRPG, stealth, mech, horror, sim, action—you name it. And somehow, all these games not only maintain a consistent standard of quality but often push the genre forward."
He stared off for a second before muttering, "It's not even fair, man."
Ronald laughed, letting the absurdity of it all wash over him. "I guess there's always that one person who really makes the difference, huh? And I guess in this case, it's gotta be Zaboru Renkonan, right? The guy's on another level."
Wesley sighed, folding his arms and leaning back slightly. "I want to believe that too. I really do. It's such a clean narrative—one visionary at the center of the storm. But seriously... how can one man affect the entire industry this much? It's almost too much to believe. And yet, every month, every reveal, every genre-bending launch—it always comes back to him. It's crazy."
He paused, then added with a bittersweet smile, "Still... I won't lie. Being in the same timeline as ZAGE—it's kind of amazing. Bittersweet, yeah, but amazing. It's like watching history unfold in real time. Thank God they're not trying to dominate or buy out every studio on the planet. At least us other devs can still breathe... kind of. Haha."
Ronald chuckled and nodded, and the show shifted into another segment, still deep in discussion about ZAGE's latest projects, unaware that everything they were joking about might not be far from the truth.
Because little did they know—behind the curtain, behind every iconic launch and revolutionary design—Zaboru Renkonan was the one pulling the strings. A singular force reshaping the future of gaming.
And later that night, as fans flooded the forums with reactions to the show, an old rumor quietly resurfaced: that Zaboru might not be entirely human. Some said he was an alien. Others joked he was a time traveler from the year 3000 sent to accelerate game design. A few whispered about artificial intelligence or supernatural insight and this rumours are spread with insane rate .
To be continue
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