Wednesday 9 August 1997 ZAGE Campus USA.
After returning from Microsoft HQ, Zaboru arrived back at the ZAGE Campus, energized by the success of the Diablo 2 demo. Now, he was gathered with his trusted ZAGE team and the higher-ups from Team Tempest, the group responsible for the bulk of the game's development. The meeting had been called to outline the next phase for the team. In particular, Zaboru had requested the presence of the Team Tempest Lead Developer and the Head of Quality Control, both of whom had played critical roles in the project's completion. Also joining the meeting was Gabe Newell, the CTO of ZAGE, who had been deeply involved in technical oversight.
Inside the sleek conference room, several key figures from Team Tempest were already seated, flipping through documents and chatting quietly while waiting for Zaboru. As he stepped in, everyone quieted down. Zaboru clapped his hands once to begin the meeting.
"First of all," Zaboru began with a confident smile, "I'm proud to officially announce that Diablo 2 is complete and has been delivered to Microsoft for final evaluation. This is a massive milestone for us. As many of you know, this game has been far from easy to develop. The systems we built, the mechanics we refined, the new features we implemented—it's all come together thanks to your hard work."
There was a wave of applause around the room, a mix of relief and pride on every face.
Zaboru continued, "But our journey with Diablo 2 isn't over just yet. While the base game is now complete, we've also planned several future updates and expansions. One of the most anticipated additions—the Diablo 2 Trade Market—is still in development. It's not ready for release yet, but once it reaches our standards, we will roll it out to the public. And when we do, I believe it will significantly elevate the way players experience the game."
The team clapped again, this time more excitedly, sensing that while one chapter was closing, another one was just beginning.
"Next, for Team Tempest, I have another major project lined up," Zaboru began, his tone shifting with anticipation. "As you may have already noticed, I've consistently assigned PC game development to Team Tempest . That's because I have complete trust in your abilities as developers—especially when it comes to the PC platform, where you've shown tremendous expertise. This next project will demand every bit of that experience, and it's something I believe only this team can truly bring to life."
He then pulled out a stack of large folders from his briefcase and passed them to each team member at the table. Each folder was thick, bound in a dark matte finish, and stamped with a silver title on the front. As the developers received their folders and glanced down at the cover, their eyes widened.
Printed across the top in bold lettering: "Elder Scroll 4: Morrowind."
Zaboru couldn't help but grin. "Yes, ladies and gentlemen—we are creating the next installment in the Elder Scrolls franchise. Elder Scroll 4: Morrowind."
The room fell into silence for a few seconds before the team members quickly opened their folders, flipping through the pages with growing excitement and curiosity. Inside were concept designs, high-level game systems, narrative outlines, environment art, and early technical notes. The vision was bold—far more ambitious than any previous Elder Scrolls title. The artwork was detailed, the worldbuilding expansive, and the mechanics proposed hinted at an experience that would redefine expectations for open-world RPGs.
A few participants exchanged stunned glances, still processing the sheer scale of what lay ahead. The weight of the folder mirrored the weight of the challenge—and the opportunity—that had just been handed to them.
"I plan to elevate the Elder Scrolls experience to an entirely new level," Zaboru declared, his tone steady and passionate. "Morrowind will serve as our testing ground—not only for innovation, but for pushing the limits of modern hardware. This game will require mid-high to high-end PCs to run properly, and that's intentional. We're not just making a game—we're building a benchmark. Our goal is to deliver the best graphics, the most fluid performance, and the richest open-world experience we've ever attempted. Of course, none of that will matter if the game is riddled with bugs or performance issues, so optimization will be just as critical as ambition."
He paused to let that sink in, then continued. "Now, about the game itself—Elder Scrolls IV: Morrowind will be set in the region of Morrowind, a place referenced numerous times in our previous Elder Scrolls titles. But this will be the first time players get to truly explore it in full 3D. It's a mysterious, culturally rich land with volcanic terrain, ancient houses, and forgotten ruins—it's practically begging to be brought to life."
Zaboru gestured to the folders. "We're overhauling numerous core mechanics. One of the most important features is the ability to switch between first-person and third-person perspectives on the fly. That feature is already in development, handled by our colleagues at the ZAGE team in Japan. We'll use their framework as a base and iterate further to make it seamless and immersive."
As the participants flipped through their folders, the room filled with a mix of awe and focused silence. The draft documentation was thick, filled with flowcharts, lore breakdowns, gameplay systems, art direction samples, and prototype maps. The storyline itself was layered and ambitious, filled with factions, moral ambiguity, ancient prophecies, and the kind of world-spanning drama that defined the Elder Scrolls series. Each person in the room could see that this wasn't just another sequel—it was a bold statement of what ZAGE could accomplish when firing on all cylinders.
Zaboru smiled and addressed the room with a serious but enthusiastic tone. "This Elder Scrolls IV: Morrowind project is no small undertaking. It's going to require an immense amount of time, energy, and dedication from all of us. We're aiming for something far beyond what we've done before. Right now, I've planned for a release around March, which gives us approximately eight months for development. That's a tight schedule, but one I believe we can manage. However, if we need more time, I'm absolutely willing to extend the timeline to ensure the quality meets our standards."
He glanced around the table, locking eyes with several team members. "Let me be clear—this will be a difficult challenge. We are attempting to raise the bar for PC gaming across the board. From systems design to graphical fidelity to player immersion, everything must reflect a new era of expectations. This isn't just about releasing a sequel—it's about setting a new industry benchmark."
Zaboru smiled again, but this time to himself, lost briefly in thought. He remembered that in his previous world, Morrowind was released in 2002 and was considered ahead of its time. The scale, the ambition, and the world-building had defined what RPGs could become. Now, in this world—even though it was still 1997—the technology had advanced more quickly. With the hardware and tools already resembling the early-to-mid 2000s, it was more than feasible to begin developing Morrowind at that level of ambition.
"This will be one of those games that defines a generation," he said to himself. "Just like it did before. But this time, we'll make it even better."
After the core presentation concluded, a Q&A session was opened up for the team to ask questions directly to Zaboru. The room buzzed with energy as developers and designers eagerly raised their hands.
Q1: "What kind of hardware requirements are we targeting for Morrowind?"
Zaboru responded, "We're designing the game to run optimally on mid-to-high-end PCs. That means we'll be implementing scalable graphics settings, but the base experience is meant to push modern specs. Think in terms of systems with at least 512MB of RAM, a high-end GPU, and multi-core processors."
Q2: "Will there be multiplayer or co-op functionality?"
"For now, Morrowind is planned as a purely single-player experience," Zaboru said. "We want to keep the story focused and immersive. However, we're leaving the door open for future expansions or mods that could introduce multiplayer elements."
Q3: "Can you elaborate on the faction system in the game?"
"Absolutely," Zaboru replied. "There will be multiple factions players can interact with—some you can join, others you can influence or betray. Each faction will offer unique quests, reputation systems, and story branches that impact the main game."
Q4: "How involved will voice acting be?"
"We're going for a mix. Key characters and major questlines will be fully voiced, but to manage production time, some NPCs will rely on text-based dialogue. We're also experimenting with procedural voice synthesis for more immersive world-building."
Q5: "Will mod support be included at launch?"
"Yes," Zaboru nodded. "Mod support is a cornerstone of the Elder Scrolls experience. We'll be launching with full mod tools that give creators access to world-building, scripting, and asset customization."
The questions continued for nearly an hour, covering everything from combat mechanics to environmental storytelling. It was clear that Team Tempest was both excited and inspired, fully understanding the scope—and potential—of what they were being asked to build.
After the Q&A session wrapped up, the meeting officially concluded. The participants slowly filed out of the conference room, each of them still poring over the thick folders they had been given. The ideas and ambitious scope laid out by Zaboru were already spinning in their minds as they returned to their desks and development areas across the campus.
Meanwhile, Zaboru made his way back to his office at the ZAGE Campus. He leaned back in his chair with a satisfied grin and muttered to himself, "Well, time for Morrowind to come to this world." He chuckled softly, his eyes drifting toward the window.
He couldn't help but reflect on the version of Morrowind from his previous world—how ahead of its time it had been, how immersive and groundbreaking. That game had been a turning point for RPGs. And now, with the resources and team he had here, in a world where technology had advanced faster, he had a rare opportunity to recreate that same magic, but even better.
Of course, this version of Morrowind wouldn't be a simple copy. Zaboru had already envisioned several enhancements—mechanical, narrative, and graphical—that would push this game even further than its predecessor. If executed correctly, it wouldn't just match the legend from his past life; it would surpass it.
To be continue