Wednesday, 26 November 1992, Morning
After visiting Osamu Tezuka the night before, Zaboru returned to ZAGE Headquarters early, feeling focused and invigorated. The sun filtered in through the glass windows of the executive eting room as a small group of ZAGE's top brass gathered for what would be one of the most pivotal etings of the year.
Present at the table:
Shinsuke Yamaguchi: Head of MarketingSayuri Yamaguchi: Head of FinanceZanichi Renkonan: CTOYugo Kanai: Head of Ga Quality ControlYuna Kanai: Head of Ga DevelopntKurugiya "Kudou" Dousuke: Head of Legal AffairsIchidai Kenzaki: Head of Human ResourcesRika Kishimori: Head of Administrative Affairs
Zaboru entered the room in his usual crisp jacket and offered everyone a calm smile. Once seated at the head of the long mahogany table, he tapped his pen against a small folder and began.
"Everyone, thank you for coming early today. This won't be a product brainstorm or performance review. This eting is about growth. Specifically, how we expand ZAGE beyond Japan and the U.S., into the rest of the world."
The room fell quiet, interest imdiately piqued.
"We already have a strong partnership with Erald Wings in the U.S.," Zaboru continued, "and our titles are performing well across both console and handheld markets. But if we want to establish ourselves as a true global player, we need boots on the ground in other key regions. Europe. Southeast Asia. South Korea. Latin Arica."
Sayuri leaned forward. "Do we have any projections on what initial market penetration would look like in those regions?"
Zaboru nodded. "Yes. I asked Erald Wings to gather data for Europe and Latin Arica. The UK, France, and Germany show strong demand for Japanese gas, especially based on import patterns from the U.S. We've also noticed that European tourists or migrants to Arica often purchase ZAGE consoles and handhelds, then bring them back. That's organic demand we can cultivate. As for South Korea, it's a bit complex politically, but the PC market is booming. Many South Koreans already own personal computers and show growing interest in PC titles. That's where our arcade and PC catalog can give us an edge, especially with our shareware titles and flexible porting systems."
Shinsuke tapped his notepad. "If we localize aggressively and target regional conventions, we can capture audience loyalty early. Europe is especially fragnted when it cos to language, though. We'd need dedicated localization teams."
Yuna added, "From a dev perspective, Boss, you've already built gas in both English and Japanese. Is there a chance we could eventually develop a translation software or frawork to support other languages too? It would take resources, but in the long run, it could drastically improve our localization efficiency."
Zaboru nodded thoughtfully. "That's an ambitious idea, and it's definitely possible. But it would take considerable ti, manpower, and R&D. We might even consider partnering with a tech company—maybe Microsoft—to lay the foundation. I'll make a note and explore the feasibility."
He smiled at Yuna's suggestion, realizing that, in essence, she was proposing the earliest seed of what might one day beco a universal translation tool or prototype for the google translate.
Zaboru gestured toward his father, Zanichi. "Which is why I want a new team designed with internationalization in mind. Think of it as 'ZAGE Global Layer.' This teams will focusing on global scale like adjust he localization deal with stuff for specifics region"
Zanichi grinned. "Leave it to . I'll draft up the team outline and how to approach this possibly next week."
Yugo raised his hand slightly. "If we're going global, we should revisit our QA processes. Gas behave differently on regional hardware, and even custor tolerance differs per market. We'll need region-specific QA leads eventually."
Zaboru was surprised that Yugo offered such a smart idea but then he smiled and said "Agreed," Zaboru said. "We'll start with task forces. Test markets. U.K. and France for Europe, South Korea and Thailand for Asia, and Brazil for Latin Arica. We partner with small distributors and gauge demand. Then, if things go well, we open regional offices."
Kudou then speak "if it's possible we can look for sothing like erald wings in US they are very trustworthy if i recall"
Sayuri interjected, "And what about funding? We're stable, yes, but global expansion eats money fast."
Zaboru smiled. "I've already begun forming a long-term investnt plan to support these moves. I'm researching potential tech partnerships and low-risk capital options. We won't rush. We'll scale with control and yes Erald Wings are very trustworthy i hope we could find the equivalent of them in new Regions"
Kudou looked up from his notes. "Legal-wise, this is very doable, but each region will co with its own challenges. We'll need to start registering trademarks, negotiating licenses, and studying censorship laws. Europe is usually lenient. Asia and LATAM, however, can be unpredictable."
Zaboru nodded. "Start by creating a checklist per region. Use our U.S. legal frawork as a template."
Ichidai Kenzaki, who had remained quiet until now, finally spoke. "And talent? Do we bring people from Japan or hire locally?"
"Both," Zaboru replied. "Core leadership will be internal. But local staff will guide us through cultural and consur behavior. We're not here to impose Japanese gaming culture. We're here to create global gaming experiences."
Rika scribbled notes furiously. "I'll coordinate with HR to prepare for regional hiring plans."
"Good," Zaboru said. "Everyone has their roles. This won't be overnight. We're planting seeds. But I want our roots in every major market by 1996."
He stood up, eting each of their eyes.
"ZAGE isn't just a Japanese company anymore." Zaboru smiles and continues "Let's Take over the world" All employees smile and chuckle.
The eting ended with unanimous determination. Zaboru knew the road ahead would be complex, filled with challenges across language, law, and logistics. But as he glanced around the table, seeing the dedication in every one of his team mbers' eyes, he felt a sense of reassurance. This wasn't a dream anymore—this was strategy taking shape.
After the eting, Zaboru went back to his own workshop jotting notes in his private planner. He sketched a rough roadmap for the next four years—target markets, tilines, tech collaborations, and hiring plans. He scribbled one na in the margin: "Ryan & Jas (Erald Wings)." He knew he would need their insight and connections, especially for navigating Latin Arica and Europe.
Though the finer points of expansion were still being mapped out, one thing was certain—ZAGE wasn't content staying local. A new Chapter was beginning, and the world was next in line.
To be continued...
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