Chapter 1486 1404 i-Play Disbandment Rumor?

It didn't take long for Zaboru to arrive on the 50th floor. Shun Midorikawa was already waiting for him inside one of the smaller executive meeting rooms, carrying only a thin folder and wearing his usual professional expression. Shun was a handsome man in his mid-thirties and had become the head of ZAGE Japan's Human Resources after Ichidai Kenzaki moved over to ZAGE USA. Zaboru didn't meet him personally very often outside major leadership meetings, but that wasn't because Shun was unimportant. If anything, it was the opposite. Zaboru trusted him enough that most HR matters never needed to reach the CEO's desk at all.

Shun had proven himself especially good at recruitment and employee management. He was strict when evaluating candidates, particularly now that ZAGE had grown large enough that it no longer needed to hire everyone with even moderate talent, but he also took employee welfare seriously. If someone was clearly sick or overworked, Shun wasn't the kind of HR leader who smiled and told them to "do their best." He would actually tell them to go home, then contact their team leader afterward to make sure they weren't quietly dragged back into work. That attitude pleased Zaboru enormously. He wanted ZAGE to be demanding because its projects were ambitious, not because management treated employees like disposable machinery.

That was also why Shun requesting a direct meeting made Zaboru curious.

Zaboru sat across from him and leaned back slightly. "Alright, Shun. You almost never ask to speak with me personally unless something matters. What's going on?" Shun smiled faintly. "Well, Boss, I have news. Whether it's good news or bad news depends on how you look at it. From ZAGE's business perspective, it's probably good. From your perspective..." His smile became slightly amused. "I think you're going to hate it."

Zaboru raised an eyebrow. "Now you've made me curious. What kind of news makes ZAGE's position better but somehow annoys me?"

Shun opened the folder. "There's a fairly strong rumor moving through recruitment circles that ZAGE may soon lose one of its console competitors."

Zaboru stared at him for a moment before his eyes widened. There really weren't many possibilities left. "Wait... Apple? i-Play?"

"Bingo."

Zaboru's expression immediately changed.

Shun nodded. "Nothing has been announced publicly, so officially this is still only a rumor. But it's not random forum gossip. I've heard similar information through several industry recruitment contacts, and the pattern is consistent. Apple's shareholders are extremely dissatisfied with i-Play's performance, and the ZEPS 4 launch apparently made the situation worse. The console hasn't completely failed, but the amount of money and manpower being poured into the division isn't producing the return Apple expected."

Zaboru frowned. "And they're actually thinking about shutting the whole thing down?"

"More than thinking, from what I've heard. I wouldn't call it confirmed until Apple announces something, but I'd personally treat the likelihood as very high. There are already discussions around reducing the game division, cancelling future plans and moving Apple back toward the businesses its leadership considers more important."

Zaboru leaned back and folded his arms.

He didn't know it, but inside Apple the situation had already progressed much further than rumor. Steve Jobs and Zanki Zagashira had already discussed the problem privately. Apple's shareholders were tired of i-Play losing ground, Jobs was increasingly interested in redirecting Apple's attention toward portable computers and other core products, and Zanki himself had largely lost enthusiasm for continuing the console war. His own ZUSUGA empire had Mitsubishi, Toshiba and numerous other businesses demanding attention. From his perspective, continuing to pour resources into a losing game division no longer made much sense.

None of that had reached Zaboru directly yet.

For him, Shun's information was the first serious indication that i-Play might actually disappear.

Zaboru frowned deeper. "Wait. i-Play wasn't purely Apple manpower, though. ZUSUGA supplied a huge amount of the people working there, right?"

Shun nodded. "Exactly. That's what makes the employee situation complicated. A large portion of the project was supported by ZUSUGA personnel, so if the division collapses, not everyone will simply become unemployed overnight. Some may be transferred back into ZUSUGA companies or other Apple departments depending on their contracts and specialties. But there are also Apple-side developers, producers, engineers, designers and support staff who could very realistically be cut."

"And ZUSUGA is giving up too?"

"That's what the recruitment rumors suggest. Not necessarily some dramatic public fight between Apple and ZUSUGA, but their interests don't seem aligned anymore. Apple wants to stop bleeding resources into the project, and ZUSUGA doesn't appear interested in carrying the entire thing itself. Once both sides stop believing the investment is worthwhile..." Shun shrugged. "You know what happens."

Zaboru went silent.

From a purely competitive perspective, this was fantastic news.

One less console manufacturer meant less pressure on ZEPS 4. Apple had money, global recognition, strong industrial design, enormous marketing ability and direct access to ZUSUGA's resources. Even if i-Play was losing, it was still another company capable of funding games, creating hardware and forcing ZAGE to pay attention.

Its disappearance would make ZAGE's position stronger almost automatically.

Yet Zaboru didn't look happy at all.

Instead, he sighed.

"So it really happened again."

Shun tilted his head slightly. "Again?"

Zaboru realized he'd spoken aloud and waved it away. "Nothing."

His thoughts returned to his previous life.

Apple had already tried entering gaming hardware there with the Pippin, and it had gone nowhere. When i-Play emerged in this world, Zaboru had genuinely hoped things would be different. It had better circumstances, stronger technology, ZUSUGA support and far more serious investment than the Pippin he remembered.

For a while, he thought maybe Apple could actually establish itself as a permanent console manufacturer here.

Apparently not.

Zaboru sighed. I really thought i-Play would escape the Pippin curse in this world.

Shun watched his expression for several seconds before chuckling. "Exactly what I expected."

Zaboru looked at him. "What?"

"You're disappointed."

"Obviously."

"Boss, one of your competitors may be disappearing."

"I know."

"Which objectively makes ZAGE's life easier."

"I know."

"And you're disappointed anyway."

Zaboru sighed again. "Because having more companies making games is fun, Shun. I don't want competitors to beat ZAGE, obviously, but I don't want the entire industry to become boring either. Microsoft entering with X-box was exciting. Apple entering with i-Play was exciting. More hardware means more experiments, more weird games, more mistakes, more good ideas and more pressure on everybody else to improve."

Shun smiled. "You really do think about this industry differently from normal businessmen."

"Probably why I keep doing stupid shit."

"I wasn't going to say that."

"You were thinking about it."

"A professional HR director would never admit such a thing."

Zaboru laughed.

Then his expression became serious again. "What about the employees?"

Shun expected that question. "That's actually the main reason I wanted to speak with you."

Zaboru leaned forward.

"If the shutdown happens, we're likely going to see experienced developers and technical staff suddenly entering the job market. Some of them might be absorbed back into ZUSUGA or Apple, but not everyone. I've already told my recruitment people to quietly identify anyone worth approaching."

"Good."

Shun raised one finger. "But I want to confirm something with you first. These people may be desperate."

Zaboru immediately understood where he was going.

Shun continued, "The business-minded thing to do would be simple. Wait until they're unemployed, then offer them less money because they have fewer choices."

Zaboru stared at him.

Shun smiled.

"We're not doing that, are we?"

Zaboru laughed. "You already know the answer."

"I do. I just wanted to hear it."

"If they're good enough to work at ZAGE, then pay them based on what they're worth at ZAGE. I don't care if they got fired five minutes earlier. We're not going to exploit someone just because their previous company collapsed."

Shun nodded approvingly. "Exactly what I expected."

"That doesn't mean we hire them out of pity either."

"Of course."

"They still take the tests. Interviews, technical evaluations, team compatibility, whatever your department normally requires. If they're good, bring them in. If they're not, don't."

"Proper recruitment, not charity."

"Exactly."

Shun closed part of the folder. "That's what I wanted. There might be some valuable people inside i-Play, especially engineers who gained direct console-hardware experience. Even people who failed inside one company can still be excellent employees somewhere else."

Zaboru nodded. "A failed product doesn't automatically mean everyone who worked on it sucks. Sometimes the strategy sucks. Sometimes management sucks. Sometimes timing sucks."

Shun smiled. "Sometimes your competitor releases ZEPS 4."

Zaboru grinned. "That too."

For several moments the mood lightened again before Zaboru leaned back and stared toward the ceiling.

"Still... shame."

Shun already knew where his thoughts were heading.

Zaboru continued, "Dark Guild was actually interesting. The gameplay had some really good ideas. And Pippin..."

Shun's eyebrow lifted.

Zaboru noticed.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Pippin had potential!"

"I didn't say anything."

"As a mascot character, I mean! The design could actually work. Just because the console division dies doesn't mean the games and characters need to die with it."

Shun smiled knowingly.

Zaboru narrowed his eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Boss."

"What?"

"You need to talk to Sayuri-san about that. Not me."

Zaboru looked genuinely offended. "Hey! I haven't said anything!"

"You want to buy the rights."

"I did not say that."

"Dark Guild and Pippin."

Zaboru remained silent.

Shun waited.

Zaboru sighed.

"...Am I really that easy to read now?"

"Very."

"Fuck."

Shun chuckled. "Anyone who's worked with you long enough knows what happens when you think something that required Sayuri-san approval"

Zaboru crossed his arms. "Maybe Apple doesn't even want those properties anymore."

"And maybe Sayuri-san will throw a financial report at your head."

"She wouldn't."

Shun stared at him.

"...Okay, she might but she should know i'm the boss right?"

Both laughed.

Shun stood and picked up his folder. "Anyway, that's everything I needed. We'll continue monitoring the situation. If the i-Play shutdown becomes official, HR will begin screening available talent normally. No pity hiring, no lowballing people because they're desperate, and no lowering ZAGE's standards."

Zaboru nodded. "Good. Proceed with that."

"Understood, Boss."

They spoke for several more minutes about recruitment capacity and which technical departments might actually need additional personnel before Shun finally left the meeting room.

Once the door closed, Zaboru remained seated for a while.

He sighed heavily.

"Man... I was actually excited about i-Play."

He genuinely meant it.

Apple withdrawing from gaming hardware would make ZAGE stronger, but it still felt like losing a strange possibility. He had wanted to see what Steve Jobs might do if Apple stayed in the console industry for ten years. Maybe they would create something revolutionary. Maybe they would crash spectacularly. Either result would have been interesting.

But then Zaboru's expression slowly changed.

Steve Jobs.

Zanki Zagashira.

And Bill Gates.

His sympathy immediately became much more limited.

Those men had previously been willing to use Ayumi's family background as a weapon against him. They had prepared to expose the fact that her father had been a Yakuza boss, then distort and amplify the story until the public began questioning whether ZAGE itself had underworld connections. The attack had become ugly enough that Ayumi eventually addressed her own background directly through her U-Bunny channel rather than allowing other people to control the story.

Zaboru could feel disappointed about i-Play disappearing.

That didn't mean he had to pity the people at the top who had tried to make his wife's life miserable.

"Too bad, Steve."

His disappointment slowly transformed into a grin.

"If Apple really leaves gaming, that's your choice. I mean I actually will let I-play slide."

Zaboru stood and placed his hands inside his pockets.

"But don't think that means I'll stop stealing your future ideas."

His grin became increasingly shameless.

" iPhone... MacBook... tablets..."

He laughed quietly.

"Hehehehehe..."

Apple abandoning i-Play wouldn't erase Zaboru's memories of the future.

If anything, it simply meant Steve Jobs might someday watch inventions that should have defined Apple's future appear somewhere else first.

Zaboru almost felt bad about that.

Almost.

He walked back toward his workshop.

He was disappointed that another player might leave the video-game industry.

He felt bad for talented developers who could lose years of work because executives had decided the project no longer mattered.

And if some of those people deserved a place at ZAGE, he'd happily give them a fair opportunity.

But Apple itself?

Steve Jobs?

Zanki?

After everything they'd already tried against Ayumi?

Zaboru wasn't going to shed tears for them.

Not even slightly.

He already knows sometimes being a dick to your enemies means great moves.

To be continued.