A lot of things happened between late May and the middle of June.
The first major incident happened only a couple of weeks after ZEPS 4 information was released to ZAGE's internal developers. At first, Zaboru expected some rumors to appear. That was normal. ZAGE had grown too large, and with so many branches, teams, partners, and technical staff involved, complete secrecy was almost impossible. However, what actually happened was more stupid than a normal leak.
The information did not leak because of a spy.
It did not leak because Microsoft, Apple, or Sonaya successfully bribed someone.
It leaked because ZAGE developers were too excited to shut up.
After the meeting, many heads of ZAGE developers returned to their branches with their heads full of ZEPS 4 possibilities. They could not reveal the exact specifications, of course, but they started writing vague posts on the ZAGE Forum, dropping suspicious comments, and acting like people who had seen the future but were legally forbidden from explaining it properly. Some of them wrote things like, "You guys are not ready for the next ZEPS," while others posted, "I just saw something that made my brain explode," and then refused to elaborate, which only made the community even crazier.
The funniest part was that Hideo Kojima himself became one of the worst offenders.
He did not post the specs directly, but he started talking too much about what he dreamed of doing on ZEPS 4. Because Kojima was already well known in the industry as one of ZAGE's top developers, every single vague comment he made was immediately analyzed like holy scripture by fans. When he wrote that "the next machine might allow games to become closer to living cinema," three different forum threads appeared within an hour. When he said that "controllers may no longer only be something players hold, but something players physically express through," the ZAGE Forum nearly caught fire.
Zaboru read those posts with a face that could not decide whether to laugh or cry.
On one hand, he was slightly pissed. These were supposed to be internal discussions, and some developers were clearly enjoying the attention a little too much. On the other hand, he was also amused because he understood why they were acting like that. ZEPS 4 was not a normal machine. If he were in their position, even he would probably have trouble staying quiet.
Still, he made a mental note.
During the real ZEPS 4 development phase, he would teach them a lesson.
Not a cruel lesson, of course.
Just the kind of lesson where anyone who bragged too much on the forum would suddenly receive the most annoying optimization task known to mankind.
Zaboru smiled when he imagined it. "You like talking, huh? Good. Then explain to me why your game uses too much memory."
Of course, the fans had already gone insane by then.
Some posts claimed that ZEPS 4 would release as early as next year. Others said it would be a console from the future. Some fans insisted it would destroy the X-Box and iPlay completely, even though almost nobody outside ZAGE had seen the actual machine yet. The ZAGE Forum became filled with chaotic comments.
"X-Box era is definitely over."
"ZAGE is cooking something and I want some."
"ZEPS 4 will probably run my life better than I do."
"If Kojima is this excited, then the console is either genius or illegal."
"Zanichi made the hardware, right? Then I already believe it."
"I think i'm Pregnant and i will name my kid ZEPS 4"
"Sure Thing ZEPS 4"
That last kind of comment appeared a lot. Zanichi Renkonan's reputation had already become absurd among ZAGE fans and tech enthusiasts. Everyone knew him as the terrifying hardware genius behind ZAGE's console evolution, the man who somehow made machines more stable, more powerful, and more efficient than they had any right to be. Nobody knew about his real ability, Machine Talk, of course. To the public, Zanichi was simply an insane engineer with a specialized team so dangerous that competitors probably lost sleep whenever his name appeared in an interview.
The leak about ZAGE slowing down its release schedule also spread quickly. Apparently, ZAGE would release fewer titles for the next year because many internal teams were shifting manpower toward ZEPS 4 launch and launch-window games. That news made fans excited and sad at the same time. Excited, because it meant ZAGE was preparing something huge. Sad, because it meant fewer ZAGE games in the short term.
Some fans accepted it maturely.
Some did not.
One forum user wrote, "I understand ZAGE needs time to prepare ZEPS 4, but my heart does not understand. My heart demands ZAGE games! I only play ZAGE games, damn it!"
Another replied, "Brother, sacrifice one year for the console of destiny."
A third user posted, "I will wait, but I will complain every day. This is Zaboru's fault."
The fourth user asked, "Why is it Zaboru's fault?"
Someone immediately replied, "Because he made us curious."
Another user added, "Exactly. He shows us the future, refuses to explain it properly, then expects us to act normal. That's emotional damage."
Then another replied, "Zaboru is the type of guy to say 'please wait patiently' after inventing the reason we cannot be patient."
then another reply said "Just Buy it Okay!?"
The thread somehow became worse after that.
One fan wrote, "I was a normal gamer before ZAGE. Now I can't even look at other games without thinking, 'Hmm, where is the Zaboru insanity?'"
Another posted, "My brother bought an X-Box and asked me to play. I said no because I am saving my soul for ZEPS 4."
Someone else replied, "That is not loyalty. That is a cult."
Then the original poster answered, "Yes. And?"
Zaboru laughed when he saw that one because it felt painfully honest. He wanted to be annoyed by the leaks, the rumors, and the endless complaints, but the fans were so dramatic that it was hard to stay mad. They were suffering, but they were suffering in the most entertaining way possible.
However, ZAGE fans were not the only ones paying attention. Microsoft and Apple were also aware of the rumors. They did not know the full specifications, but they knew enough to understand that ZAGE was preparing something dangerous. If ZAGE was willing to slow down its internal game releases for ZEPS 4, then that meant the next console was not a small upgrade. It meant Zaboru was gathering his best teams for a massive attack.
For Microsoft and Apple, this created both fear and opportunity.
The fear was obvious. ZEPS 4 could arrive next year with terrifying power, a strong online system, major exclusives, and ZAGE's massive fanbase behind it.
But the opportunity was also clear. If ZAGE slowed down for a year, then X-Box and iPlay had a precious window. This was their chance to gather as many players as possible, strengthen their libraries, court third-party developers, improve online features, and make their consoles harder to abandon before ZEPS 4 appeared.
Sonaya also noticed the situation. Hikaru Kurata understood very well that whenever ZAGE became quiet, it did not mean ZAGE was weak. It usually meant Zaboru was preparing something behind the curtain. And if Zaboru was preparing something, then the whole industry needed to be careful.
Meanwhile, on the game development side, the shift was already real.
In May 2001, ZAGE released three major games: Yu-Gi-Oh GX from Team NIWA, Tomb Raider 2 from Team Enigma, and Driver from Team Tempest. All three games released successfully, but after that, Zaboru did not assign Team NIWA, Team Enigma, or Team Tempest new major ZEPS 3 projects. Instead, he began preparing them for ZEPS 4 development.
Among the three releases, Yu-Gi-Oh GX stole the spotlight in a way that even Zaboru found impressive.
The game launched alongside the Yu-Gi-Oh GX anime, which began airing in late May through ZAGE subsidiary YaDo Animation. The timing was perfect. The anime introduced Duel Academy, a fresh setting that made the franchise feel younger, livelier, and more school-centered. Instead of only focusing on legendary duelists, ancient mysteries, and the intense aura of Yami Yugi's era, GX gave players and viewers the feeling that anyone could enter a world where dueling was a real path, a real dream, and even a real school life.
That concept hit the younger audience very hard.
The card game side became even crazier because GX introduced many new cards and archetypes that changed how people viewed duels. The most famous early wave was the Elemental HERO cards, which immediately became popular because of their superhero theme, Fusion mechanics, and stylish monster designs. Cards like Elemental HERO Avian, Burstinatrix, Clayman, Sparkman, Flame Wingman, Thunder Giant, and Shining Flare Wingman made players feel like they were combining heroes into flashy finishing moves.
Cyber Dragon also became one of the most talked-about cards because of its sleek machine design and easy summoning condition. Many players instantly saw it as cool, powerful, and futuristic. The Cyber Dragon line, including Cyber Twin Dragon and Cyber End Dragon, made machine decks feel dangerous and stylish. Then there were other GX-era favorites like Ancient Gear Golem, Armed Dragon, Ojama cards, Vehicroids, and the early Cyber Angel-style concepts that made the game feel broader than before.
Zaboru had expected the reaction, but even he was surprised by how quickly fans embraced it.
In his previous life, he knew that many Yu-Gi-Oh fans loved the original Yugi era intensely, sometimes so much that later eras were judged unfairly. Because of that, in this world, he had been careful. He extended the original era longer, gave Yami Yugi's story more room to breathe, expanded the card pool gradually, and made sure the first generation felt legendary before moving forward.
That decision paid off.
By the time GX appeared, fans were not angry that the franchise was changing. Instead, many of them felt like they were entering the next era naturally. Yugi's era still felt respected, while GX felt like a fresh doorway. Older fans stayed for the expanded mechanics and nostalgia, while younger fans loved the academy setting, the humor, the new characters, and the idea of becoming a student duelist.
The ZAGE Forum became filled with deck discussions almost immediately.
"Elemental HERO is so cool I don't care if my deck bricks."
"Cyber Dragon feels like cheating and I love it."
"Duel Academy makes me want to go to school. This is propaganda."
"ZAGE made card games into an anime school and somehow it works."
"Flame Wingman is peak hero design."
The physical card sales also jumped again. Stores reported students asking for GX booster packs before they even fully understood the new mechanics. Some kids started assigning themselves Duel Academy dorms in real life, arguing over whether they were Slifer Red, Ra Yellow, or Obelisk Blue. Zaboru found that extremely funny because school ranking systems somehow made even card game fans competitive in a completely new way.
Team NIWA was exhausted, but proud. Their game was not only selling well, it was strengthening the entire Yu-Gi-Oh ecosystem at exactly the right moment.
Tomb Raider 2 also performed strongly, though in a different way. Team Enigma had managed to improve Lara Croft's movement, level design, environments, and action pacing while keeping the sense of exploration that made the first game popular. Players praised the bigger locations, sharper puzzles, improved gunplay, and stronger cinematic presentation. Lara's popularity rose again, especially among adventure fans who loved the feeling of discovering ruins, avoiding traps, and surviving dangerous environments.
Some critics said Tomb Raider 2 felt more confident than the first game. It was still dangerous, still puzzle-heavy, still filled with moments where players died because they misjudged a jump by two centimeters, but it also felt smoother and more ambitious.
Driver from Team Tempest became another success. Its urban driving, police chases, mission structure, and cinematic crime atmosphere made it stand out from other racing games. It was not just about driving fast. It was about feeling like the getaway driver in a movie. Players loved the tension of narrow escapes, sharp turns, crashing through traffic, and barely surviving police pursuit.
The game also created a lot of rage.
Mostly because some missions were hard enough to make players question whether Team Tempest hated humanity.
One forum thread titled "Driver is amazing but the tutorial ruined my soul" became extremely popular.
Another user wrote, "I survived Yu-Gi-Oh duels, Tomb Raider traps, and ZAGE horror games, but Driver parking challenges almost killed me."
John Carmack reportedly laughed when he saw that, while several Team Tempest members pretended they had done nothing wrong.
By the middle of June, all three games had become clear successes. Yu-Gi-Oh GX dominated the card game and anime conversation. Tomb Raider 2 strengthened ZAGE's adventure lineup. Driver gave Team Tempest another strong identity outside pure shooters and technical showcases.
But behind the success, ZAGE was already shifting.
TEAM NIWA , TEMPEST and ENIGMA are already shifted to ZEPS 4 development.
The public only saw fewer announcements and strange leaks.
The competitors saw opportunity.
The fans saw a storm forming.
But inside ZAGE, everyone knew the truth.
The quiet period had already begun.
And that quiet was not weakness.
It was the sound before ZEPS 4.
To be continued.
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