Thursday 6 May 2001 Microsoft Offices
Now inside the Microsoft offices, a rare joint meeting was taking place between Microsoft and Apple, and Apple had even brought several developers from ZUSUGA as well. The reason for the meeting was simple, yet heavy enough to put rival companies in the same room: they wanted to discuss ZAGE's absurd speed in making video games.
The atmosphere inside the meeting room felt tense from the start. Under normal circumstances, it would already be strange enough to see Microsoft and Apple sitting together for a serious discussion, but the fact that ZUSUGA was also present made it even more unusual. It was the kind of gathering that could only happen when a problem became too large for pride alone to ignore. And right now, for both Microsoft and Apple, that problem was ZAGE.
Bill Gates stood at the front alongside several of the higher-ups from Microsoft's engineering and X-Box division. After taking a brief look around the room, he began to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to this meeting. And yes, I know it is a little unusual for Microsoft to invite Apple into our own offices like this. But the reason is simple. We are here to talk about something bigger than our rivalry right now. We are here to talk about the video game industry... and about ZAGE."
Steve Jobs observed him carefully, already prepared for where this discussion was heading.
Bill Gates continued, "First of all, we all know that both Microsoft and Apple released our consoles in the same month, right? X-Box for Microsoft and iPlay for Apple. And well... we also know how that turned out, right?" Bill smiled in a very polite way, but the jab behind it was obvious enough to make several people in the room glance toward Steve Jobs. "At least X-Box is still fighting in the market. iPlay, meanwhile, seems to be fighting its own connection screen most of the time."
Steve Jobs immediately frowned, while Bill continued before the tension could rise too much. "Still, for now, we are not here to talk about that. Tempting as it is, I'll be generous and leave Apple's suffering alone for a few minutes. What we are here to talk about is video game release speed, so for the sake of this discussion, we should forget that we are competitors and focus only on the games released by ZAGE."
As Bill Gates spoke, the screen behind him displayed ZAGE's latest game releases for the year. So far, ZAGE had already released a total of thirteen games, and the list was shown clearly in front of everyone.
Three in January, two in February, five in March, and three in April.
January = Audition Online, Spyro, Twilight Syndrome
February = Metal Slug X, Megaman X2
March = Ran Online, Age of Empire 2, Valkyrie Profile, Vagrant Story, Trails in the Sky Chapter 2
April = Megaman X3, MediEvil, Beyblade: Let It Rip!
Bill Gates looked at the list of games on the screen and let out a slow sigh before speaking again. "You've all already noticed it... thirteen games in the span of just four months. And honestly? We all know this is not even the best ZAGE can do. If anything, they've actually slowed down a little compared to what they might be capable of. But that only makes the real question even more obvious.
"How? How is ZAGE able to do this?"
Bill folded his arms as he looked across the room. "Before Microsoft entered video games seriously, I already knew ZAGE's release pace was insane. But back then, I looked at it from the outside, thought, 'Okay, they're fast,' and then moved on. Now it's different. Now X-Box is here. Now we are actually involved in game development, whether through our own internal teams or through third-party studios using our X-Box development kits. And once you're inside the process, you realize something very quickly: making games at that speed is extremely hard. Honestly, for most companies, it feels almost impossible.
"So I want to open this discussion properly. What exactly allows ZAGE to do this? Sure, they have talent, and yes, they have plenty of employees. But 'plenty' is not the same as 'the most.' Microsoft and Apple both have more people overall. So clearly, this is not just about raw headcount. Something else is happening inside ZAGE, and I want us to understand it.
"Because from where I'm standing, this is no longer just a question of output. It is a question of structure, culture, process, and discipline. Somewhere inside ZAGE, there is a system that allows them to turn ideas into finished games at a pace that should be breaking most studios apart. Yet instead of collapsing, they keep shipping more. That means whatever they are doing, they are doing it in a way that the rest of this industry still does not fully understand.
"And that is exactly why I refuse to treat this like luck. This is not luck. This is not a temporary streak. This is not just one genius producer carrying the company on his back. There is a method behind it, and I want us to find it."
Bill then glanced toward the Apple side of the room. "That is why I invited Apple here. What I'm proposing is simple: an alliance. An alliance to break apart the secret of how ZAGE is able to move this fast and..." He smiled slightly. "...if possible, maybe bother them a little once we know enough.
"Not because I suddenly enjoy cooperating with Apple, and certainly not because I've gone soft. But because if ZAGE keeps operating at this pace while the rest of us stay divided, then all we are doing is competing with each other for second place. And frankly, I don't find second place very inspiring."
A few people in the room exchanged looks, while Bill continued calmly, "Unfortunately, Sonaya refused to join this arrangement. So for now, it's just us."
Then Bill turned his head toward Steve Jobs and asked, "And I think you understand this as well, Steve. The fewer games ZAGE can push out at this pace, the more room both of our companies have to actually compete, right?"
Steve Jobs let out a slow sigh, but he could not deny that what Bill Gates had said was true. After a brief pause, he finally spoke. "Fine by me, Bill. Honestly, at Apple, we already have quite a lot of information about how ZAGE is able to produce so many games, and I'm pretty sure Microsoft already has some of that same information as well. So let's cross-check it properly." He then gestured toward the man seated beside him. "Zanki Zagashira is here as ZUSUGA's representative and CEO, and he knows a lot about ZAGE."
Bill Gates gave a small nod. He clearly already knew Zanki's reputation. ZUSUGA was not just another studio. It was a company with sharp eyes, and Zanki himself was known as someone who observed the industry far more carefully than most executives.
Zanki chuckled and nodded once before speaking. "Well, I do know a few things. At ZUSUGA, I actually have teams dedicated to analyzing ZAGE's know-how... and yes, if I'm being honest, a few spies as well." A few people in the room shifted slightly at how casually he said that, but Zanki did not seem embarrassed in the slightest. Instead, he folded his hands together and continued, "From everything we've gathered, I can summarize it into five major points."
Zanki then began to speak again.
"Number 5 is their offices. Tell me honestly, have any of you actually gone to ZAGE Tower in Japan or ZAGE Campus in the USA and seriously looked at how their employees work? Or did you just go there to meet Zaboru or When at Event?" He paused for a second, then smirked. "Well... probably the latter, right?"
A few people in the room shifted awkwardly, because that was not entirely wrong.
Zanki continued, "The structure of ZAGE's offices is very different from ours. Their work-life balance is absurd by our standards. In Japan, many of us grow up thinking that being late is practically a sin. But at ZAGE? If someone wants to come in at eleven in the morning, as long as they get their work done and still complete around nine hours a day and forty-five hours a week, it's considered completely fine. Their time is incredibly flexible."
The moment those words left his mouth, several employees in the room gasped.
"What?"
"Eleven?"
"That's insane..."
A few Microsoft staff exchanged looks of pure disbelief, while even some of the Apple people looked visibly stunned. To many of them, it sounded less like a workplace policy and more like some ridiculous fantasy invented by exhausted developers.
But not everyone reacted negatively.
One younger engineer quietly muttered, "That actually sounds... really good."
Another employee, almost without thinking, whispered, "I'd kill for that schedule."
Someone on the Apple side gave a small cough and said under his breath, "No wonder their developers don't look half-dead all the time."
That only made the room feel even stranger. On one hand, the policy sounded absurd, almost unprofessional by traditional corporate standards. On the other hand, a noticeable number of people in the room clearly thought it sounded amazing.
Zanki noticed those reactions immediately and gave a small shrug. "Exactly. To a lot of developers, it sounds like heaven. They do not have to drag themselves out of bed before sunrise just to prove loyalty through suffering. They can actually build their schedule around when they work best. And whether we like it or not, that makes ZAGE incredibly attractive to talented people."
Bill Gates frowned. He already knew that ZAGE had a flexible work schedule, but he had not realized it was this flexible. The fact that some of his own employees were looking impressed instead of horrified only made it worse.
Then Zanki continued.
Zanki sighed. "Number 4 is their team bonding... and yes, this one is really weird by our standards." He glanced around the room as if he expected people to reject the idea immediately. "Somehow, inside ZAGE, employees get along unusually well. Part of it is the environment they built. They have a mandatory gym program inside the company, and they also have gaming rooms on each floor—actual spaces meant for employees to relax, play, and interact. And according to my intel, the leaders of their core teams—IZAN, NIWA, NOVA—don't just sit in private offices. They sometimes play games with their subordinates daily. Not 'once a year team building.' Daily. Can you believe it?"
He paused for a moment to let that sink in, but the expressions around the room only grew more complicated. For many of the people there, the idea sounded absurd on a fundamental level. Managers were supposed to manage, developers were supposed to work, and anything that looked too relaxed was often treated as a threat to discipline. Yet the more Zanki described it, the more that strange ZAGE structure started sounding less like childish chaos and more like an organized environment built to keep people connected.
The reaction was immediate. Several Microsoft employees gasped, a few Apple staff looked genuinely offended, and even the ZUSUGA people exchanged quick looks. One engineer muttered that it sounded like a university club, while another whispered, half-awed, "Wait... leaders actually play with the team?" A third person, sounding like he had been personally betrayed by corporate life, said under his breath, "So they're bonding... while getting paid?"
A fourth employee, unable to stop himself, quietly said, "That's insane." But the tone in his voice made it unclear whether he meant insane in a bad way or in a secretly envious one. Nearby, another younger programmer gave a small cough and muttered, "If my department head even knew my name properly, I'd already consider that progress." That earned a few awkward glances and one restrained laugh before everyone quickly pretended not to have heard him.
Zanki noticed all of it. The disbelief. The discomfort. The dangerous little spark of interest appearing in a few tired faces. And that, more than anything, was why the room felt so unsettled. The idea sounded ridiculous, but not ridiculous enough to dismiss completely.
A couple of younger developers, however, looked strangely tempted. One quietly admitted, "If my lead played games with us, I might actually feel human," while another nodded a little too quickly before catching himself and straightening his posture.
Bill Gates did not completely dismiss the opinions of the younger developers, but he still frowned, clearly displeased by the direction this was going. "That's extremely unprofessional," he said flatly, and the way he said it made it sound like he was trying to rescue the room from a dangerous idea.
Steve Jobs, for once, did not argue. He gave a tight nod and said, "I agree. It's not very professional." Then, after a brief pause, he added in a colder tone, "But professionalism doesn't matter if the results are crushing the market."
Zanki lifted both hands slightly, as if to defend himself from the incoming criticism. "I know. I know," he said with a tired sigh. "I'm not telling you this because I like it. I'm telling you because it connects directly to the next reasons. Their bonding culture reduces friction. It keeps teams stable. It makes communication faster. And it makes talented people stay."
Bill's frown deepened, because the last part sounded a little too plausible. Steve Jobs stayed silent, listening closely now, while the room—still half-shocked, half-curious—waited for Zanki to continue with the third point.
To be continue
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