After the interview with Sakaki and getting a glimpse of his new ability, the Game Scanning Eye, Zaboru returned to work, diving deep into preparations for ZAGE's upcoming December release. The encounter with Sakaki left him energized. Not only had he discovered an eager new employee, but he'd also confirmed the emerging pattern of gaining new abilities every time he initiated a major move for ZAGE. He saw it as a sign—some kind of universal nudge pushing him to keep evolving.
"This December, I want to launch a new wave of arcade titles while also releasing another PC game following Warcraft," Zaboru muttered to himself as he paced across his office, a whiteboard full of half-formed ideas looming behind him. The UFO Catcher project was at the top of the list. It had been quietly in development for months, and things were finally falling into place. Nanco and HanDai, the trusted third-party collaborators, were hard at work fine-tuning the internals. According to the latest update from Nando Michio, Nanco's CEO, the system was nearly complete and ready for mass production by December 18.
Given the abundance of dolls, action figures, and novelty toys prepped as prizes, Zaboru didn't want to limit the UFO Catcher to just arcades. "This machine has broader appeal," he thought. "I'm planning to place units in supermarkets, shopping malls, or even open-air parks. Let the public stumble upon them anywhere, anytime." He smiled. Of course, he'd leave the logistics and negotiation work to Nanco and HanDai—they had lot of experience, and he trusted their instinct when it came to dealing with retailers and landowners.
Shifting focus, Zaboru turned his attention to the PC division. "For the next game after Warcraft, I think I'll go with Solitaire." He tapped a pen against his lip. "Last I checked, Microsoft hasn't released it yet for PCs—not in this timeline, anyway." The thought triggered a sly grin. Solitaire had always been one of the most-played games in his past life. Simple, elegant, addictively frustrating. He remembered the urban legend that it had been coded by an intern who never saw a dime from it. "Well, this time, I'll make it myself. And we'll make it shine. We'll offer multiple variations too—Klondike, Spider, FreeCell. Something for everyone."
Pulling out his notepad, Zaboru began jotting down a broad production timeline. "Since December is already overloaded, we'll keep things lean. One title for ZEPS, one for ZGB. Quality over quantity." He began sketching out possible names and mechanics, doodling boxes for UI elements as his thoughts spilled freely onto the page. "Okay... now, what game for the ZGB?"
An idea popped instantly. He could almost hear the nostalgic jingle. "Like the old Nintendo saying: when in peril, call the Italian plumber," he chuckled. Without hesitation, he scribbled down Super Mario Land. "You can't go wrong with Mario—whether in this world or the last one. The name alone sells. I won't change too much of the gameplay, just polish it a little. Smooth out the physics. Maybe improve the boss fights. We can repurpose existing assets, keep development light and fast. This one's a no-brainer."
Next came the ZEPS title. Zaboru furrowed his brow. "Should we move forward with Kojima's game? Zone EX: Interceptor Protocol?" He rolled the thought around in his head for a moment, then shook it off. "No. That can wait. Better to give Kojima room to breathe. The guy's a genius, but genius needs time."
He chuckled to himself. Kojima had taken the green light and ran wild with it. He was building something grand, perhaps even over-ambitious. Zaboru had already allocated more staff to help manage the scope, with Zanichi overseeing daily operations. That project was progressing well, but it wasn't ready for December.
"What else, then? What classic can I revive or rework that would be unexpected but effective?" Closing his eyes, Zaboru activated his Deep Dive Memory ability, sifting through a mental archive of classic NES games. The visuals came flooding back—pixelated sprites, crunchy chiptune music, impossible jumps , fun gameplay.
"Ah, yes. Let's do that." He snapped open his eyes and scribbled down Bionic Commando. A smirk curled his lips. "No jump button. Instead, players swing around using a bionic arm. That's the hook. It's going to frustrate a lot of them at first. But once they get it—oh, they're going to love it."
He imagined how players would try to treat it like a normal platformer, only to be forced to adapt. "It's a challenge. But it's different—and different is what we need." The pacing, the verticality, the clever use of level design. It was all perfect for a revival. And in this timeline, no one else had touched it.
Zaboru glanced at the growing list of notes and schedules. "That's enough for December," he said with a satisfied sigh. "We don't need to flood the market. Our third-party developers are dropping plenty of games too. Players won't feel like they're missing anything."
With a final scribble of confirmation on his notepad, Zaboru leaned back in his chair, eyes flicking across the whiteboard filled with game titles and release dates. Super Mario Land and Bionic Commando. Two strong entries to close out the year.
To be continued
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