Thursday 4 March 1996 ZAGE offices USA.
After yesterday's meeting with Ricky Morton, Zaboru was back to his usual work routine. His assistant came in to inform him that representatives from Zemitsu and ComputeX were here, asking to speak with him about Game of the Year matters. Zaboru, intrigued, agreed to meet with them.
Zaboru knew the owner of ZEMITSU—after all, it was a Japanese video game review company. A few years ago, its founder, Mitsu Tadano, had visited Zaboru to ask for permission to launch a video game review magazine, which he named ZEMITSU. Today, ZEMITSU is the name of the company, while Famitsu is the name of the magazine it publishes.
Zaboru also knew about ComputeX. The company was similar to ZEMITSU, but based in the USA, and focused on reviewing video games through its own magazine.
Unlike ZAGE POWER Magazine, which covers interesting facts about ZAGE games and is created by ZAGE itself, Famitsu and ComputeX review most games released on the market—whether they're on ZAGE platforms or not. Zaboru knows this well and regularly reads their magazines. So far, he finds their ratings fair and unbiased, and he genuinely enjoys their reviews, which he considers quite accurate.
Then Zaboru agreed to meet with the two of them—he was genuinely curious about what they had to say. These days, it seemed like more and more people were trying to reach him. Was it because ZAGE was growing faster than anyone expected? Or maybe because people finally realized how much influence he had in the video game industry? Whatever the case, Zaboru couldn't help but chuckle. If something piqued his interest, he'd take the meeting. But if it came from investors or corporate types trying to talk about buyouts, he'd shut it down immediately. He had no time for that nonsense, and absolutely no intention of selling off any part of ZAGE. As long as Zaboru Renkonan was alive, ZAGE would never go public.
In the business world, Zaboru had developed a reputation as... well, unpredictable. Some thought he was difficult. Others thought he was just eccentric. The truth was somewhere in between. He could be impossible to schedule a meeting with—refusing invitations for weeks, months even. But then, out of nowhere, he'd accept a random request and have a full meeting the next day. It all depended on his mood, his instincts, and whether he thought the conversation would be worth his time and interest him. That was just how Zaboru operated and it's really an anomaly.
Zaboru was now in the ZAGE office's meeting room, seated with two guests: Mitsu Tadano, the founder of ZEMITSU, and Cole Moreson, the owner of ComputeX.
Mitsu smiled and shook Zaboru's hand. "Long time no see, Zaboru-san! Hehehe… that is, if you still remember me."
Zaboru chuckled. "I remember you just fine, Mitsu Tadano-san. Don't worry."
Mitsu grinned widely—his idol actually remembered him. That meant a lot.
Then Cole Moreson shook Zaboru's hand and introduced himself. "It's an honor, Mr. Renkonan. My name is Cole Moreson—feel free to call me Cole."
Zaboru nodded, shook his hand, and replied, "Okay, Cole. Then feel free to call me Zaboru."
Cole nodded back. Even though Zaboru was younger, the weight of his presence was no joke. His aura demanded respect without a single word. Cole couldn't bring himself to treat him casually—not just because of Zaboru's success, but because of who he was. The man was a billionaire, a legend, and to many, the god of video games. Cole understood exactly where he stood in that room.
Cole knew that unlike any other billionaire, Zaboru was something else entirely. He wasn't just a genius at creating video games—he was insanely good at playing them too. In fact, over the past few years of ZAGE tournament history, no champion had ever managed to completely beat Zaboru. The only exception was Endo - Hayabusa, who had taken a single round off him in last year's MARVEL VS ZAGE tournament.
And that wasn't all. Cole was also a massive fan of Z&Z, the band Zaboru formed with Zankoku Band which makes Cole are Zaboru fanboy!.
"So, what brings two video game magazine owners to me?" Zaboru asked with a smile.
Mitsu and Cole exchanged a quick glance. After a brief pause, Mitsu was the first to speak.
"It's regarding the ZAGE Game of the Year Award, Zaboru-san," Mitsu said.
Zaboru was intrigued and gave a slight nod.
"I think the ZAGE Game of the Year Awards are great—especially the performance and the presentation, both are top-notch. But here's the thing: the awards separate ZAGE games from other games. Because of that, I don't think it truly feels like a Game of the Year award. It's split, so it lacks that unified recognition."
Zaboru nodded and replied, "Well, that's for the sake of fairness. Honestly, ZAGE releases far more games than most other companies in a single year—not to mention, these are ZAGE-hosted events. So if I made it just an 'Overall' Game of the Year award, it wouldn't be fair. Especially if ZAGE titles kept winning every year, despite if the games quality are deserved it right?"
Then Cole answered, "Yes, that's completely correct, and we understand, Zaboru. But that's exactly why we're here. We want to propose a true Game of the Year award—one that will be hosted by ComputeX and ZEMITSU. We're planning to call it the 'FamiCom Award'—'Fami' from Famitsu, and 'Com' from ComputeX."
Zaboru was slightly surprised. The name 'FamiCom' wasn't new to him—though in his previous world, it had a very different meaning. There, FamiCom referred to the Japanese name for the NES. Now, in this world, it stood for Famitsu and ComputeX. The coincidence wasn't lost on him.
"Interesting… so you want to create an official Game of the Year award, huh?" Zaboru said, raising an eyebrow.
Both Mitsu and Cole nodded.
"Honestly, it's something I've thought about for a while—having someone else host a proper Game of the Year award besides ZAGE. So let's call it a green light from me."
He smiled. "Now, that brings us to the next part—what exactly do you want from ZAGE?"
Mitsu chuckled a bit. "Well… it would be great if ZAGE could provide some investment for the event, and also help promote it—maybe even publicly give us your blessing through the media?"
Zaboru chuckled. "Investment? Huh? So does this investment mean it's guaranteed that ZAGE games are going to win every year?"
Cole froze, unsure how to respond. He glanced nervously at Mitsu, caught completely off guard by Zaboru's bluntness. His mind raced—should he laugh it off, dodge the question, or say something diplomatic?
Mitsu, knowing Zaboru well enough to handle this kind of moment, leaned forward calmly and replied, "Obviously, it depends on the games ZAGE puts out. What we want to build here is a credible, respected award that stands on fairness, not favoritism. So no—this investment doesn't mean ZAGE games will automatically win. If a ZAGE game deserves the award, it will win. But if another game earns it, we'll recognize that too. That's the whole point."
Cole's eyes widened. 'Damn, Mitsu! You could've softened that!' he thought, but he stayed quiet. Part of him admired the honesty—Mitsu wasn't afraid to speak plainly, even to someone like Zaboru.
Zaboru didn't look offended. In fact, he looked amused. The corner of his mouth lifted into a grin, clearly enjoying the tension in the room. This was the kind of honesty he respected—and expected.
Zaboru grinned and nodded. "Hahaha! That's exactly the answer I wanted to hear. What's the point of a Game of the Year award if I can just pay to win? That would make the whole thing a joke. Yes, I'll invest in this—but only if the award stays extremely fair. Got it? If your reviewers think ZAGE games don't deserve to win, then so be it. I can take the loss. But let me make one thing clear—I'll be playing every major game released this year myself. I'll know if a game deserves that title or not."
Cole looked surprised, while Mitsu simply grinned—he knew Zaboru well enough to expect that kind of response. Zaboru genuinely appreciated great games, even if they weren't from ZAGE. He wasn't the kind of person to throw money around to force outcomes or buy influence. That just wasn't his way.
Not long after, the three of them continued their discussion, ironing out the details of the investment. They agreed to meet again in the near future once the FamiCom Game of the Year plan was more fully developed and ready to move forward.
After some time, the meeting ended, and Zaboru leaned back in his chair. "Well... FamiCom GOTY, huh? Not bad at all," he muttered with a chuckle.
He stared at the ceiling for a moment, then smiled to himself. "Maybe I can repurpose the ZAGE GOTY events into something new—like a ZAGE Yearly Celebration. We can still sell exclusive merchandise, bring in fans, and maybe even have a live concert with the Zankoku band. No awards, no pressure—just a celebration of games and music. That might be perfect."
With a grin still on his face, Zaboru turned back to his desk and resumed his work.
To be continue
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