Friday, 6 September 2001. Apple Offices, USA.
Inside one of Apple's private conference rooms, Steve Jobs sat with Zanki and several Apple iPlay engineers, producers, and marketing staff. On the long table were sales charts, press summaries, player feedback sheets, review scores, and several reports comparing The Dark Guild's performance against ZAGE's August game lineup.
The atmosphere was not exactly disastrous.
But it was not good either.
The Dark Guild had not failed. In fact, the game had received many positive reviews. Most critics praised its combat, dark fantasy atmosphere, online co-op, character variety, and progression system. Players who actually owned an iPlay generally liked it. Some even called it the first truly strong reason to own Apple's console.
The problem was that it had been released into a battlefield.
ZAGE's August lineup had been too strong. DOOM 3 dominated PC discussion. Winning Eleven 2001 took over football fans. NBA 2K01 captured basketball players. Bomberman World became a multiplayer party hit. Cyborg Kuro-chan exploded among younger players and action-platformer fans. On top of that, the Black Berry Z01 was still dominating technology media, office conversation, and youth culture.
Against all of that, The Dark Guild looked good.
But looking good was not enough.
Steve Jobs frowned as he looked at the report in front of him. "We didn't do badly," he said slowly. "But we didn't do great either. Two weeks after release, the game is stable, reviews are good, but it still feels like we are fighting for oxygen."
Zanki leaned back in his chair, fingers lightly touching his chin. His expression was calm, but his eyes were clearly irritated. "It cannot be helped, Mr. Jobs. Our game is solid. The reviews are positive. The players who bought it are satisfied. But ZAGE released five strong games in one month, and somehow many of them directly attacked the same kind of social play environment we wanted The Dark Guild to own."
Steve's eyes narrowed. "Co-op, multiplayer, community conversation…"
"Exactly," Zanki said. "The Dark Guild should have stood out as iPlay's first major online co-op experience. Instead, it became one more co-op or multiplayer topic in a month already full of ZAGE noise."
An engineer sitting nearby lowered his gaze, clearly frustrated. "The game itself is not the issue. People like it when they play it. The problem is install base. Too many players still do not own iPlay."
Steve's jaw tightened. "I know that."
The room became silent.
Zanki glanced at the engineer, then gave a faint smile that was polite but sharp enough to make the man stop talking. "The game is not weak. The machine beneath it is weak in the market. That is the difference."
Steve did not like hearing it, but he did not deny it.
He scratched his head, then looked at Zanki. "How does Zaboru keep doing this? How can he predict where we move? How can he know we would create a multiplayer game?"
Zanki sighed softly. "It may only be coincidence, Mr. Jobs. ZAGE has been pushing multiplayer and social gaming for years. It is possible that we simply ran into a direction he was already strengthening."
Steve looked unconvinced. "You don't believe that."
Zanki's smile became thinner. "No. I don't."
He tapped the sales report with one finger. "The timing is too convenient. Black Berry Z01 one week before the game release. Little Steam and BBM dominating communication. ZAGE's five-game lineup landing around the same period. DOOM 3 becoming a PC monster. Cyborg Kuro-chan becoming unexpectedly noisy among younger players. Winning Eleven and NBA 2K01 taking over sports communities. It is too clean."
Steve leaned forward. "So you think he knew?"
"I think Zaboru understands attention better than most people," Zanki replied. "Maybe he did not know the exact content of The Dark Guild. Maybe he did. But he knew enough to bury us in entertainment, technology, and social conversation at the same time."
Steve's face darkened.
Then Zanki's expression shifted.
"But there is something else that bothers me more."
Steve looked at him. "What?"
Zanki glanced toward the engineers and staff in the room. His smile remained calm, but his eyes became colder. "Why has Zaboru not reviewed The Dark Guild?"
Several people looked at him.
Steve frowned. "That again?"
"Yes," Zanki said. "That again. Because it is strange. Zaboru Renkonan reviews games constantly. He talks about games not only as a CEO, but as a player. He praises competitors when he thinks they deserve it. He has built part of his image around that exact quote. 'In my business card, I am a company owner. In my head, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer.'"
Steve remained quiet.
Zanki continued, "If this were normal Zaboru, he would have reviewed The Dark Guild by now. Especially because the game is good. He would have said something like, 'Apple finally has a great game,' then explained the combat, co-op, flaws, and strengths. His fans would have praised him for being fair. Our sales would have benefited from his honesty. iPlay would have gained credibility because even Zaboru admitted our game was good."
Steve crossed his arms. "But he said nothing."
"Exactly," Zanki said. "Nothing."
The room became heavier.
One of the marketing staff spoke carefully. "The community noticed it too. There are already threads asking why Zaboru is silent. Some fans think he is too busy with Black Berry. Some think he does not want to support iPlay. Some think he secretly hates the game. Some think he played it and disliked it but does not want to say so."
Steve groaned. "So his silence is becoming its own review."
Zanki smiled faintly. "Yes. And that is the problem."
Steve stood from his chair and looked toward the window. "Damn it."
Zanki looked around the room, then slowly stood as well. His face showed calm calculation. "Mr. Jobs, may I speak with you privately?"
Steve turned toward him.
Zanki gave a small gesture with his eyes.
Steve understood.
"Everyone else, continue preparing the next marketing push," Steve ordered. "I want revised plans on my desk by tonight."
The engineers and staff quickly left the room. Once the conference room became empty, Steve and Zanki moved to a quieter office nearby. Zanki closed the door, waited for a moment, then spoke in a lower voice.
"There is a possibility," Zanki said, "that Zaboru knows."
Steve's expression sharpened. "Knows what?"
"That we planned to target Ayumi Hamazou's reputation."
Steve's face tightened.
Zanki continued carefully, "The Yakuza Princess angle. Ayumi's connection to Hamazou Yakuza. Her family history. Her image as Zaboru's wife. The plan to stain his public image by making people question the woman beside him."
Steve's eyes narrowed. "Only you, me, and Bill Gates know about that."
"Yes."
Steve's voice became colder. "Do you think Bill leaked it?"
Zanki shook his head. "Not directly. Bill Gates is arrogant, but not careless in that way. He would not hand Zaboru a warning for free unless it served him somehow. It is more likely that Aoshidan, or rather Rashomon, discovered enough to make Zaboru cautious."
Steve looked irritated. "That man again."
"Akechi Hamazou is not someone we should underestimate," Zanki said. "I thought Zaboru's weakness was his childish honesty. I thought if we created a good game, he would not be able to resist reviewing it. I thought his gamer pride would force him to speak."
Zanki paused, then smiled with annoyance.
"But apparently, I underestimated him."
Steve studied him. "You thought he was naive."
"I did," Zanki admitted. "Not stupid. Never stupid. But naive in one specific way. I thought he would cling to his image as a fair gamer even when it helped his enemies."
Steve leaned against the desk. "And now?"
"Now I think someone stopped him."
"Akechi?"
"Possibly. Or Someone around him made him understand that silence can be a weapon."
Steve groaned and ran a hand over his face. "You told me he would review our game. You said his review would help The Dark Guild. Now his refusal to review it is creating suspicion. People are treating his silence like a warning sign. So what do we do now?"
Zanki did not answer immediately.
Instead, he smiled.
It was not a pleasant smile.
It was the smile of a man who had just found a dirty knife on the floor and realized it could still be useful.
"Relax, Mr. Jobs," Zanki said softly. "We can twist this."
Steve slowly looked at him. "Twist it how?"
Zanki walked toward the desk, picked up one of the community feedback papers, and scanned it. "Right now, the community's question is simple: Why is Zaboru silent? That question is dangerous for us if people assume his silence means The Dark Guild is not worth his attention. But that same question can become dangerous for him if we guide the answer."
Steve's eyes narrowed slightly.
Zanki continued, "We do not attack him directly at first. Direct attacks make people defensive. Zaboru is beloved. If Apple openly says he is afraid, people will laugh at us. So we start softly. Quietly. Through forum posts. Anonymous opinion pieces. Friendly critics. Influencers who pretend to be disappointed fans."
Steve listened closely now.
Zanki's smile sharpened. "We make people ask: What happened to Zaboru the gamer?"
Steve said nothing.
Zanki placed the paper down and continued, "We remind them of his quote. 'In my business card, I am a company owner. In my head, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer.' Then we ask why that gamer suddenly disappeared when his rival made a good game."
Steve slowly straightened.
Zanki's voice became smoother, more poisonous. "We do not say, 'Zaboru is afraid.' We ask, 'Is Zaboru afraid?' We do not say, 'His fairness was fake.' We ask, 'Was his fairness only useful when ZAGE was winning?' We do not accuse. We suggest. We let the community do the uglier work themselves."
Steve's expression changed slightly.
He was beginning to understand.
Zanki continued, "Some people will defend him. Of course. But defense still spreads the topic. His fans will argue with our planted voices. Neutral players will watch. Then reviewers will mention the discussion. Then gaming magazines will write small columns. 'The Strange Silence of Zaboru Renkonan.' 'Why Hasn't Zaboru Reviewed The Dark Guild?' 'Is the Gamer CEO Becoming More Corporate?'"
Steve's mouth tightened. "You want to turn silence into hypocrisy."
"Exactly," Zanki said. "If he reviews the game after that, people will say he was pressured. If he continues staying silent, people will say he is avoiding it. Either way, the question remains attached to him either way it's help our reputation too."
Steve looked at him carefully. "That is dirty."
Zanki chuckled. "It is public relations."
"It is dirty public relations."
"Most effective public relations is dirty. Clean public relations is called advertising."
Steve did not laugh, but he did not reject it either.
Zanki walked closer, his voice becoming colder. "And we can add another layer. We make The Dark Guild look like the victim. A hardworking development team created a good game. Reviewers praised it. Players enjoyed it. But the most famous gamer in the world refused to acknowledge it because it was not from his empire."
Steve tapped his fingers on the desk. "So Zaboru becomes the arrogant monopoly."
"Yes," Zanki said. "Not immediately. We plant that seed. ZAGE dominates games, phones, stores, forums, online identity, music, animation, sports, and now mobile communication. People love ZAGE now, but some people are already uncomfortable with how large it is becoming. We simply give that discomfort a face."
"Zaboru."
"Correct."
Steve stared at the wall for a moment. "And if he responds?"
Zanki smiled wider. "Then he enters our battlefield."
Steve turned toward him.
Zanki explained, "If he says he was busy, we say he had time to review small games before but not the biggest iPlay release. If he says he did not want to support a rival, we say his gamer identity was marketing. If he praises the game, we use his praise. If he criticizes it harshly, we say he is biased. If he stays silent, we continue tightening the narrative. There is no perfect answer once the frame is set."
Steve looked at Zanki for a long moment.
"You planned this already."
Zanki chuckled softly. "I prepared several possibilities. I assumed Zaboru would review the game, so our original plan was to amplify his praise. But if he stayed silent, we needed another angle. Thankfully, his silence is not empty. It is useful."
Steve sat down slowly, thinking.
The plan was shrewd. Evil, yes, but shrewd. It did not require Apple to openly attack Zaboru. It did not even require lies at the beginning. It only required questions, timing, and selective framing. The kind of poison that entered the mind quietly and made people think the suspicion was their own idea.
Steve disliked some parts of it.
But he also hated losing.
"What about Ayumi?" Steve asked.
Zanki's smile faded slightly, replaced by something colder. "That card remains unused for now."
Steve looked at him. "Why?"
"Because if we use it too early, it becomes obvious that we are desperate," Zanki said. "Also, if Zaboru truly knows, he has already prepared defenses. Akechi is likely watching closely. We do not strike where the shield is raised."
Steve nodded slowly. "Then when?"
"When ZEPS 4 approaches like our original plan," Zanki replied. "That will be the real war. ZEPS 4 is not just another console. It will be Zaboru's next symbol. If we can stain him personally before or during that launch, the damage will be much greater. Sponsors, parents, foreign partners, regulators, moral groups, journalists, politicians… all of them become more sensitive when a new platform aimed at families and children is involved."
Steve's expression darkened.
Steve nodded. "And The Dark Guild?"
"We continue pushing it as the brave underdog," Zanki said. "A good game ignored by the giant. A creative team overshadowed by ZAGE's monopoly. A title that deserves better. That will create sympathy."
Steve's eyes sharpened. "Good."
Zanki turned toward the door, but before leaving, Steve spoke again.
"Zanki."
"Yes, Mr. Jobs?"
"Stop grinning like that."
Zanki paused.
His grin widened slightly.
"My apologies."
"You don't look sorry."
"I am professionally sorry."
Steve glared at him. "Go work."
Zanki chuckled quietly and left the room.
As he walked down the Apple hallway, his expression became colder and more satisfied. He had lost the chance to use Zaboru's review, but that did not mean the situation was useless. Silence could be turned into guilt. Fairness could be turned into hypocrisy. Popularity could be turned into arrogance. A beloved public image could be scratched slowly, carefully, one rumor at a time.
Zanki thought, "You think you can win by staying silent, Zaboru? No. Silence only works when people trust the silence. I will make them question it."
His eyes narrowed.
"And when ZEPS 4 comes, your life will become different."
He kept walking, already preparing the first wave of whispers.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the USA, Bill Gates was meeting with several people from Illuminati.
To be continued.
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