Another world Game Developers in Japan`s 1991
Chapter 564 - 513 Planning For September Games and Stuff

Chapter 564: Chapter 513 Planning For September Games and Stuff

Friday, 25 September, evening at the ZAGE Japanese offices, Zaboru was celebrating the complete success of The Eight. He was handing out generous cash bonuses to all employees in Osaka and Tokyo, along with mountains of food and drinks to enjoy. The atmosphere buzzed with excitement and gratitude. He had declared today a company-wide break, offering everyone a rare, well-earned moment to breathe, recharge, and feel valued.

At the Tokyo branch, where Zaboru was currently, he organized fun tournaments for Tekken and Marvel vs. ZAGE, complete with playful prizes. In the end, the Tekken champion turned out to be none other than Zanichi, Zaboru’s own father, while the Marvel vs. ZAGE winner was Hideo Kojima himself. The atmosphere was lighthearted, filled with laughter and applause, adding an extra layer of warmth to the day’s celebrations.

By 7:30 p.m., the building was empty, lights dimmed, and only Zaboru remained, quietly sipping coffee in his office. He leaned back in his chair, stretching, eyes on the ceiling. "The Eight is launching tomorrow... now, what’s next for us?" he murmured. He began scribbling ideas into his notebook. For the Osaka branch: one ZGB game and one ZEPS 1 title. For Tokyo HQ: two ZEPS 2 projects. He smiled. "Let’s not push too hard—let’s pace it smart."

He jotted down Earthworm Jim and Super Bomberman for ZEPS 2. Earthworm Jim had been a personal favorite in his past life—underrated, ahead of its time, with clever humor, quirky animations, and challenging gameplay that blended action and comedy. He envisioned even smoother animations, richer levels, deeper combat mechanics, and bonus stages that would surprise players at every. For Super Bomberman, he wanted a sequel that added chaotic multiplayer modes, explosive new items, crazier stages, and refined controls to make every match even more addictive. He imagined colorful arenas, unexpected hazards, and new character skins to keep fans engaged. "These two will light up the ZAGE library," he mused with a grin, already picturing players battling it out late into the night.

Next, for ZEPS 1, he picked Double Dragon, specifically basing it on Double Dragon 2. He envisioned a two-player, 8-bit beat-’em-up experience that felt both nostalgic and refined, delivering affordable action with satisfying mechanics and cooperative gameplay. For the ZGB, his choice was clear: Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land. Giving players control of Wario—with his bulky, charging playstyle, greedy personality, and mischievous flair—would be a delightful shift from Mario’s nimbleness. "Hehehe, players will go nuts for this guy," Zaboru chuckled, picturing Wario smashing through levels with reckless charm, breaking walls, collecting treasures, and laughing triumphantly all the way to the finish line.

He spent the next hour sketching rough outlines, game mechanics, and artwork directions, eager to hand them over on Monday. Every title mattered. Even as the boss, he refused to coast.

Meanwhile, across town, at ZUSUGA headquarters—a flashy new player in the industry—Zukechi Zagashira, the younger biological brother of Zaboru’s father also the last born of Zagashira, was lounging comfortably, sipping wine, and surrounded by giggling female companions.

Zanichi’s birth name was Zanichi Zagashira, but after being exiled by the Zagashira family for wanting to become a mangaka in his youth, he had long since discarded the Zagashira name and adopted his wife’s family name, Renkonan which he regard as the only family he ever had.

Meanwhile, Zukechi, a wealthy businessman riding on family money, wore a self-satisfied grin as he mapped out his ambitious plans: launch a brand-new 16-bit console and release five games alongside it. Ever since the previous year, his team had been scrambling day and night, trying to develop both hardware and software in time for a grand September debut. The pressure was intense, but Zukechi, confident to a fault, showed no sign of doubt. In fact, he thrived on the chaos, often boasting at meetings and parties alike about how effortless success would be under his command, dismissing warnings from his advisors and brushing aside concerns from his developers.

"Heh, this is gonna kill," Zukechi grinned, puffing out his chest. "Sonaya, ZUGO, ZAGO... whatever they’re called—"

"It’s ZAGE, Zu-chan," one of the girls corrected with a giggle.

"Yeah, yeah, ZAGE! And that guy... Zaburo? Zubaru?" he laughed.

"It’s Zaboru, Zu-chan," another chimed.

Zukechi roared with laughter. "Right! That guy’s overrated anyway. We’ll show ’em at ZUSUGA! Five games a month? Please! I’ll just hire more people and push ’em harder. Easy!"

He genuinely believed this. In his mind, matching or surpassing ZAGE was only a matter of brute force—more employees, more overtime, more output. What he didn’t realize was that it’s never that simple. Even Sonaya’s sharpest minds, like CEO Hikaru Kurata, who commanded massive teams and resources, were barely surviving the crushing workload and sleepless nights—Even Hikaru Kurata Might become bald at some point if this continues. Trying to outpace ZAGE wasn’t just about manpower.

Clearly, he was mocking Zaboru, and it annoyed him that everyone was always talking about that guy. I mean, wasn’t he great too? He had just turned 29 this year, still young, and already very rich! People should be talking about him more often too!

"Let me show that Zaboru guy how to properly create and manage a game console company! Right, girls?" he declared with a wide grin. He then tossed a handful of cash into the air, making the girls squeal with delight as they cheered, "Yay! Zu-chan, you’re the best!" Their laughter filled the room, feeding Zukechi’s ego as he basked in their attention, convinced his moment of glory was just around the corner.

And Zukechi didn’t even remember Zanichi much at this point. When Zanichi was exiled, Zukechi had still been a child himself and had never cared about what he saw as the ’trash’ of the Zagashira family. His focus had always been solely on himself, his ambitions, and his own rise.

This wasn’t the first time Zukechi had pulled something like this—starting a business, watching it fail, and then jumping into the next venture without learning much from the last. His father, Zenzou Zagashira, had always spoiled him, bailing him out time after time and handing him more money to chase his next big idea. Even after his older siblings protested more and more about this.

But maybe only for now, Zukechi remained blissfully confident, dreaming of his upcoming launch. A new console challenger was on its way, and Japan’s gaming landscape was about to get a lot more interesting.

To be continued

AN : "I always want to create these stereotypical characters for me. They are really interesting because there are plenty of people that really like this in the real world hahaha!"

Please give me your power stone and if you want to support me and get minimum 10 advance Chapter for 3 bucks considering subscribe to my patreon /Zaborn_1997

Also Join my discord if you want .gg/jB8x6TUByc