Friday 10 May 1998 ZAGE Campus USA.
Right now, Zaboru was inside the main eting room on one of the upper floors of the ZAGE Campus. The atmosphere was serious but expectant. Seated around the long conference table were the higher-ups of Team Tempest, including veterans like John Carmack and Peter Wayne, both of whom carried years of technical expertise and creative influence within ZAGE. Their expressions showed curiosity, already sensing that this eting wouldn't be a routine briefing. At the head of the room, overseeing the technical side of ZAGE's Arican operations, was the ZAGE USA CTO himself — Gabe Newell — calmly observing the room as he waited for Zaboru to begin.
Then, without further ado, Zaboru began the eting, his voice calm but carrying authority. "Okay, Team Tempest! First of all, thank you all for your hard work," he said, looking around the room. "And congratulations on completing the developnt of Battle Realms. So far, the ga is stable, performance is solid, and there are no major issues remaining." He paused briefly, letting the words sink in before continuing. "We're planning to release it at the end of this month — around May 25, 1998."
The mont he finished speaking, the room erupted into applause. Smiles spread across faces as the developers clapped enthusiastically. As usual, the end of one project ant the beginning of sothing new, and everyone in the room understood what that implied. Beyond pride and satisfaction, a successful launch ant sothing very tangible — bonuses. When ZAGE projects went live and perford well, the developnt teams were rewarded generously by Zaboru Renkonan himself. That was why the excitent was genuine. More tasks didn't an exhaustion to them — it ant opportunity. More projects ant more trust, more responsibility, and ultimately, more money.
Zaboru knew this very well, and he didn't mind it at all. After all, most of his employees worked to earn money, to support their lives, their families, and their future — and there was nothing wrong with that. In fact, Zaboru respected it. He believed that fair compensation, trust, and opportunity were what kept talented people motivated and loyal. With that thought settled, he smoothly transitioned the eting to its next phase.
"Okay," Zaboru said, clapping his hands lightly to regain everyone's attention. "So, despite the developnt of Battle Realms being finished, Team Tempest hasn't exactly been idle." He smiled as he continued. "Your other project, Baldur's Gate, is almost complete as well, and developnt on Warcraft III is still progressing steadily without any major issues."
He paused briefly before adding, "Because of that, I'll be assigning an additional task to Team Tempest. And, like usual, I've already prepared folders containing the detailed concept and design for the project." Zaboru chuckled softly as he handed the folders to his employees, watching their expressions carefully as curiosity imdiately began to spark.
As the employees opened the folders, their expressions imdiately shifted from curiosity to genuine intrigue. Printed clearly on the cover was the title "Hitman – Agent 47," a na that alone sparked questions and quiet murmurs around the table. One by one, they began flipping through the pages, scanning concept art, design docunts, and gaplay descriptions. The more they read, the more surprised they beca. A stealth-focused assassination ga with multiple ways to approach each objective? Freedom of execution rather than scripted paths? It was a concept none of them had ever encountered before.
Zaboru smiled, clearly enjoying their reactions, and began to explain. "This ga will be called Hitman – Agent 47," he said calmly. "At its core, the gaplay revolves around assassination — eliminating a specific target." He raised a finger slightly. "But it's not just simple assassination. In every stage, for every target, we'll design the environnt itself as a tool."
He continued, his tone growing more animated. "Each location will have unique environntal advantages, routines, and opportunities. There won't be just one correct way to eliminate a target. Players can observe patterns, manipulate situations, and create outcos that look like accidents." Zaboru paused briefly, letting the idea sink in. "To do that, the player will need to think carefully, study the map, understand where the target is, and know exactly when they'll be vulnerable. Awareness, planning, and patience will be just as important as execution."
Zaboru chuckled as he looked around the room, clearly amused by how flabbergasted Team Tempest had beco, and then he continued his explanation. "In this ga, players will be able to knock out non-target NPCs," he said, tapping the folder lightly. "Once they're unconscious, the player can take their uniform and use it as a disguise. With the right disguise, you can enter or exit buildings and restricted areas directly through the front door without imdiately raising suspicion or triggering alarms."
He raised his hand slightly, emphasizing the next point. "But it won't be that simple. Disguises aren't magic. Other NPCs or guards who share the sa occupation will beco suspicious if the player stays within their line of sight for too long. If that suspicion ter fills up, alarms will be raised. So players will need to constantly be aware of positioning, timing, and behavior. Standing still, acting strangely, or lingering too long in one place will have consequences."
Zaboru then shifted the topic, his tone becoming more deliberate. "As for the main character himself, his na is Agent 47," he continued. "That number isn't random. He is a genetically engineered human, created using the DNA of five powerful criminal masterminds. He was designed from birth to be the perfect assassin — emotionally calm, detached, and capable of insane precision."
He leaned back slightly as he spoke. "He's a man without a real past, raised and shaped solely for one purpose. The story of the ga will revolve around his missions, his gradual self-awareness, and his character developnt. Ultimately, the narrative will lead him toward confronting and killing his own creator — the one who turned him into a weapon in the first place."
The other developers were clearly intrigued by the concept. Murmurs spread across the table as they exchanged glances, so nodding thoughtfully while others flipped back through the pages again, rereading certain sections. The mix of gaplay freedom and narrative depth had clearly left an impression. Seeing their reactions, Zaboru decided it was the right mont to open the floor.
"Alright," Zaboru said calmly, folding his arms. "That's the core concept. Now, does anyone want to ask sothing?"
John Carmack raised his hand almost imdiately, a faint grin forming on his face. "Boss, this is clearly a stealth ga," he said, leaning forward slightly. "But what if I want to play it like a shooter? I an… what if I want to go completely crazy and kill everyone in the area, NPCs included. Is that actually plausible?"
Zaboru chuckled, clearly having expected that question. He nodded without hesitation. "Yup, that's completely possible," he replied. "You can absolutely play it that way if you want." He then added with a slight smile, "But doing so will leave a very bad record. Agent 47 is ant to be the perfect assassin — not a perfect mass murderer. The ga will rember how you play. If you turn every mission into chaos, it will reflect that in your performance and outcos. Still," he shrugged lightly, "it's a valid way to play."
John Carmack laughed at the answer and nodded in satisfaction, clearly pleased that the system allowed such freedom.
Peter Wayne then raised his hand and asked, "Will there be plenty of weapons and guns in the ga, or is it just sniper rifles, boss?" His question imdiately drew interest from the rest of the room, as weapon variety was always a sensitive topic in ga design.
Zaboru nodded thoughtfully before answering. "For now, the weapons will be intentionally limited," he explained. "The core arsenal will consist of pistols, pistols with silencers, sniper rifles, and sniper rifles equipped with silencers." He paused briefly to emphasize his point. "All of them will be based on real-life firearms, with realistic behavior, sound, and handling. No exaggerated sci‑fi weapons, no unnecessary clutter."
Zaboru chuckled lightly. "And honestly, you all know guns better than anyone here." His gaze swept across Team Tempest. "You're the team that built ZAGE's most famous FPS, Counter Strike. If anyone understands how firearms should feel — weight, recoil, and lethality — it's you." That remark drew a few confident smiles from the developers.
Not long after, Gabe Newell leaned forward and asked his own question. "So, when is the expected release for this ga, boss? The scope isn't massive in terms of content, but the complexity and optional systems feel pretty heavy."
Zaboru nodded in agreent. "That's true. Technically, this is a demanding project," he said calmly. "Because of that, I'm planning a January 1999 release. That gives Team Tempest a full eight months to develop it properly — no rushing, no cutting corners."
Gabe considered it for a mont, then nodded. "Eight months should be doable," he said confidently, clearly satisfied with the tiline.
The questions and answers continued for a while longer until the eting finally ca to an end. After wrapping things up, Zaboru didn't linger — he quickly returned to his office, as he still had an important eting scheduled with representatives from NVIDIA and AMD.
To be continue
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