Monday Morning 10 May 1996 ZAGE USA offices.
At ZAGE USA, the morning after an unforgettable feast at the Disney household and the much-anticipated debut of The Little Mermaid trailer, Zaboru was back at work, as consistent and focused as ever. He sat at his desk early, sipping on his usual strong black coffee and reviewing the day's agenda. Today wasn't just any workday—he had a critical meeting scheduled with the top brass of the ZAGE USA.
Around the office, a sense of excitement buzzed in the air. Employees chatted with enthusiasm about the trailer, praising the animation, the music, and speculating about the story. Many of them had grown up on Disney films, and now, being a part of its next chapter under ZAGE's ownership, the experience felt surreal. The staff couldn't stop talking about how they couldn't wait to watch the full movie next month.
Zaboru glanced up from his notes, watching his team with a small, knowing smile. Their excitement reminded him why he'd gotten into this business in the first place.
The meeting officially began, attended by the leadership of ZAGE USA. As the room settled into silence, the ZAGE USA CTO, Gabe Newell, stood up confidently to speak.
"Good morning, everyone! Today's agenda is focused on something very important—our proprietary game engine, the Unreal Engine," he announced clearly.
Everyone in the room nodded in acknowledgment, ready to hear what Gabe had to say next as he prepared to dive deeper into the subject.
"As you all know, we decided to allow other game developers to use our engine—the Unreal Engine—freely. In return, they agreed to provide us with detailed data about how they used the engine during their development processes. This initiative started about a year ago, and now we're finally seeing a wealth of results pouring in from various studios around the world."
Gaben clicked the remote and a slide appeared on the screen. It featured three standout titles that had already been released. "Take a look at these," he said, gesturing to the images. "First up, we have a first-person shooter from developer called Eaglus and the game called Freedom Shots. Next, an ambitious real-time strategy game from Lock-Lock titled War of Ancients. And finally, a dark fantasy RPG from Card Cat known as Black Cauldron."
The room leaned in, studying the visuals on display. These weren't just prototypes or indie experiments. They were full-scale, polished titles—and all of them had been built from the ground up using the Unreal Engine.
Gaben grinned. "These three games were all developed using the Unreal Engine, and they've already been officially released to the public. Honestly, they're not bad at all—players have given them solid ratings in the 7 to 8 range across multiple platforms. Sure, a lot of the core gameplay elements are clearly inspired by ZAGE titles, but that's to be expected when we're setting the bar. What's impressive, though, is how each of these games brought something new to the table."
He clicked through to another slide, displaying gameplay footage. "In Freedom Shots, for example, the player has a pet eagle companion that can be commanded to swoop down and attack enemies mid-combat. It adds a strategic layer to the usual FPS formula. In War of Ancients, players can send diplomats to rival factions to propose alliances. The AI then decides whether to accept or reject the offer, adding a complex diplomatic mechanic that changes how battles play out. And in Black Cauldron, you actually gain the ability to fly for a limited time—something rare in most RPGs of this type. It completely alters exploration and combat dynamics."
He paused and scanned the room. "So while some ideas are derivative, there's innovation here too. They're not just copying—they're building and expanding. And that's exactly what we hoped would happen."
Zaboru nodded thoughtfully. He had already played all three of the showcased games, and just like Gaben had pointed out, they definitely borrowed heavily from the signature style and mechanics of ZAGE titles. However, he also noticed that each one had managed to sprinkle in a few original ideas—small but creative touches that showed promise. It wasn't pure imitation; there was genuine effort to innovate.
Gaben then grinned and said, "And that's not all—many other game developers are already in the pipeline, actively creating new titles using our Unreal Engine. The momentum is real, and it's growing fast. As for the data, the three developers who have already released their games—Eaglus, Lock-Lock, and Card Cat—have submitted their development data as agreed. And let me tell you, the value of that information is incredible. It's already helping us refine our engine and uncover patterns and optimizations we hadn't even considered before."
Gaben then brought up a detailed list of development data on the screen. "Here's the data," he said, his tone upbeat. "And honestly, there's a goldmine of reusable material here that we can incorporate into our own projects. From animation frameworks to environmental scripting, there's a lot we can take advantage of."
He glanced over at Zaboru with a wide grin. "Seriously, boss—this was a genius move. By letting other studios use the Unreal Engine for free, we've effectively created a steady stream of development insights we can harvest. It's not just about reusing assets; it's about learning from their design philosophies, optimizing workflows, and speeding up our development timelines. Even the raw concepts behind these games can be broken down and analyzed—we can spot what works, what doesn't, and how to push further."
Zaboru chuckled and nodded in approval. "That's one of the main reasons I made the engine free to use. In return, we don't just improve our games—we improve the engine itself. Every bit of data we receive helps us refine and evolve it faster than we could on our own."
Everyone in the room nodded in agreement, recognizing the scale of the long-term strategy unfolding before them.
Then the meetings continued, diving into detailed discussions about the current progress of several ongoing ZAGE game projects.
The room occasionally broke into brief, focused debates over engine limitations, budget allocations, and timelines. There was a lot to cover, and yet the atmosphere remained productive and full of creative energy. Everyone seemed aligned on the company's direction and pace.
Eventually, after updates and technical discussions, the meeting drew to a close. The room gradually emptied as higher up returned to their tasks and Zaboru also went back to his offices. Now alone in his chair, Zaboru leaned back with a light chuckle.
"Hehehe, they think it's just data—as if it's no big deal. Hoo boy, how wrong they are," Zaboru said with a sly grin, laughing to himself. "By the time they realize the true value of that data, it'll already be too late. And even if they do recognize how important it is, they won't have much choice. They'll still have to keep using the Unreal Engine. Why? Because it's free and always improving. Unless they want to go through the massive effort and cost of building their own engine from scratch—which, let's be honest, isn't exactly easy."
Zaboru chuckled and thought to himself, "Usually, the most expensive things are the ones labeled free." He let out a quiet laugh, then turned his attention back to his desk.
To be continue
Please give me your power stone and if you want to support me and get minimum 11 advance chapter and additional 1 chapter a week for 3 bucks considering subscribe to my patreon patreon.com/Zaborn_1997
Also Join my discord if you want https://discord.gg/jB8x6TUByc