Another world Game Developers in Japan`s 1991

Friday, 1 September 1994

After officially buying Pixar yesterday, Zaboru continued helping his team complete *Diablo* and *Virtual Cop* at the USA branch of ZAGE. Alongside the busy work, he received an intriguing invitation — a live talk show with Oprah Winfrey. At the time, Oprah's show was hugely popular across the USA, and Zaboru found himself both curious and a little nervous about what questions she might ask. Known for her thoughtful interviews, Oprah made him feel it was worth stepping out of his usual privacy. Agreeing to appear live — even without his signature helmet — was a big step, but Zaboru figured that sooner or later, fame would find him anyway. Soon after, the Oprah show began airing teasers promoting the upcoming interview with "Zaboru Renkonan," sending ZAGE fans across the country into a wave of excitement.

Zaboru was now at the Oprah Winfrey studio, ready for the talk show. Onstage, Oprah opened the Friday Live! episode, smiling warmly at the audience. "Welcome to Oprah — Friday Live! Today, we have a special guest. He's the youngest billionaire right now. At just age 20, he's already built an empire! Please welcome the talented and humble ZAGE founder, Zaboru Renkonan!"

Zaboru came onto the stage, smiling, waving, and bowing his head in Japanese fashion. The packed audience clapped enthusiastically, thrilled by his appearance. He greeted Oprah, and she gestured for him to sit.

"Hello, Zaboru! Oh, I can call you Zaboru, right?" Oprah asked, her tone warm and inviting. Zaboru nodded with a polite smile, "Yeah, you can call me Zaboru, Ms. Winfrey," he said with a respectful nod. Oprah laughed softly, her eyes twinkling, "Ooh, such a modest young man! You can call me Oprah, Zaboru." He smiled warmly and gave another small nod, relaxing slightly in his seat.

Oprah leaned forward, her eyes twinkling with curiosity, "So, Zaboru — you're only in your early twenties? And you've already built a successful company, ZAGE! You're acquiring companies left and right, and you've become the youngest billionaire alive. How do you even do that?"

Zaboru chuckled, "To be honest, ZAGE's success is partly luck and the amazing people around me. As for myself, I just focus on the craft. I genuinely love creating video games." Oprah clapped her hands, smiling, "Impressive! So, for you, what is a video game?" Zaboru let out a soft laugh, "For me, video games are everything ." Oprah leaned in with interest, "Can you elaborate on that?"

He nodded thoughtfully, "First of all, I love video games with all my heart. On my business card, I'm a company owner. In my head, I'm a game developer. But in my heart, I'm a gamer. So when I create and sell games, I'm always thinking about how the game will please me as a gamer — because if I can love the experience, I believe others will too and as for video game itself for me is — they're art, challenge, expression, and joy all rolled into one"

Oprah's eyes widened, and she smiled warmly, "That's really beautiful, Zaboru. So, you genuinely think about pleasing yourself as a gamer when creating games. Tell me, what do you think about other companies making games — for example, Sonaya your rivals in the industry?"

Zaboru nodded thoughtfully, "When others create video games, I'm genuinely delighted as a gamer. I always hope they strive, innovate, and keep improving, because that means I get to enjoy exciting new games myself. As for Sonaya, they're honestly really talented at making games. I'm actually a fan of their consoles and titles too — they push the industry forward in their own way, and that's something I deeply respect."

Oprah's eyes widened, "You're a fan of them!? Whoa, that's bold — even if they're your rivals?"

Zaboru chuckled, "Hahaha, yes. Not to brag, but ZAGE is strong in the video game industry, and Sonaya wants a piece of it. Because of that, they're working hard to reach us as developers. Overall, I truly enjoy their games. Having a strong competitor elevates your own abilities — it pushes you to innovate, stay sharp, and never get complacent. At least, that's what I believe."

Oprah nodded, "Wow, that's really open-minded. It seems you want your rivals to keep up with ZAGE. You really care about the video game industry as a whole, huh?"

Zaboru nodded with a warm smile, "Yup. I really care about the video game industry and hope it always thrives. It's not just about competition — it's about pushing creativity, inspiring each other, and making sure players around the world get the best experiences possible."

Oprah leaned in with a playful smile, "I see — spoken like a true savior of video games! Anyway, when did you first fall in love with video games?"

That question was tricky — Zaboru had loved games since his past life when he first played Super Mario Bros. But in this world, Super Mario was his creation, so he couldn't say that. Thankfully, his younger self here had also loved arcade games. He smiled softly, reflecting for a second before answering, "Since I was a kid. I played in arcades, and it fascinated me — the sounds, the challenge, the joy of figuring things out. Since then, I've always wanted to create games and learn everything about development, and that passion never left me."

Oprah nodded, then asked, "What inspires your game ideas? Where do they come from?"

Zaboru chuckled, "Honestly, it's many random things in life. Like, Super Mario's inspiration came when I saw a plumber wearing a red hat, and I thought, 'Hmm, maybe creating a plumber that jumps would be cool?' Sometimes the inspiration just pops into my head on its own — from conversations, dreams, or even just walking around and observing the world. Hahaha."

Oprah laughed, "That's an oversimplification, huh? Hahaha!" Zaboru laughed too, his eyes crinkling with amusement, and the audience joined in with warm, genuine laughter, filling the studio with an easy, joyful atmosphere.

Oprah then asked, "Outside of video games, you also created a great song! Like your song 'Home' — I really love it!" She playfully sang a line, "I've been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you..." Zaboru smiled warmly, "Yeah, that song is for my girlfriend back in Japan. Funny enough after hearing this song, she often accompanies me when I travel to the USA." Oprah's eyes lit up with delight, "Whoa! You're so romantic! so you create this song for her " She laughed softly and continued, "Not just songs — you also created a comic book, right? Deadpool, which is published by Marvel, and Marvel is owned by your company now, right? How are you doing all that?" 

Zaboru then chuckled and shrugged with a playful grin, "With maximum effort, I guess?" The audience who caught the Deadpool reference, burst into laughter, while Oprah tilted her head, slightly puzzled. "What? What am I missing?" she asked with a curious smile. Zaboru leaned in slightly and explained with a laugh, "It's a catchphrase from the Deadpool comics, hahaha." Oprah laughed along, shaking her head, "Ah, got it now!"

"Anyway, Zaboru with all these achievements in your grasp, what's been the hardest moment on this journey for you?" Oprah asked.

Zaboru sighed, "For me, after expanding the company outside Japan, the hardest part was leaving my family. There are days I really miss them, and I can't help but ask myself — is this worth it? Spending so much time chasing my dream? But my family — they're truly the best. They always remind me that I need to follow my dreams and assure me they'll be fine. That support keeps me going, and so, here I am."

Oprah nodded warmly, her expression softening, "I see — so family really matters to you. That's beautiful. Anyway, next question — when you see a kid playing your game and laughing, what goes through your mind?"

Zaboru smiled, "That's the real reward. If my game can give players happiness, that's all I ask for."

Oprah laughed softly, her eyes twinkling with amusement, "Haha, that's what I thought you'd say. And what do you think about yourself as a gamer — are you good or bad?"

Zaboru chuckled, "Well… probably I'm slightly good at video games?"

Oprah chuckled, "Heh, but we've heard you beat the champions at your own game competitions easily! And you even made a talk show appearance about it."

Zaboru laughed awkwardly, "Well, if you put it like that… yeah, I kind of feel bad about stealing the spotlight from the tournament champions."

Oprah asked, "But the champions were delighted you were better, right? Isn't that what they wanted?"

Zaboru smiled, "Well, I can't speak for the champions' perspective, but I myself saw it as stealing the spotlight. If they think otherwise, then it's fine, really." Oprah chuckled, her eyes twinkling, "I see — in the end, you don't really care about that stuff, huh?" Zaboru laughed warmly, "Hahaha, maybe?"

Oprah grinned, "Next, I have certain pictures I want you to look at." With a playful sparkle in her eye, she showed an image of Zaboru sitting in a KFC restaurant, dressed casually and happily surrounded by two big buckets of chicken, eating by himself. The audience burst into laughter, clearly charmed by the unexpected and relatable sight, and Zaboru smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with a laugh.

"Oh my, look at that! Did you eat that much? You have a reputation as a big eater, you know." Zaboru smiled and nodded with a sheepish laugh, "Yeah, I eat a lot. That picture's real — I was absolutely famished that day, hahaha." His relaxed tone and easygoing grin made the audience laugh even more, charmed by how down-to-earth he was despite his fame.

Oprah added, "You seem down-to-earth, Zaboru. Even after becoming a billionaire, you don't own fancy cars, and there's even a rumor you don't like fancy restaurants and that you still bike to work in Japan?" They showed a picture of Zaboru riding his silver bike, and the audience clapped as Zaboru chuckled, "Yeah, from home to the ZAGE Tokyo offices, it's not far. I often ride my bike, and that bike has been with me since middle school. Its name is 'Gin No Kurassha' — it means Silver Wrecker, hahaha! And yes, it's true, I'm really not a fan of fancy restaurants — they're too fancy for my taste. I've always had simple tastes, after all, haha."

Oprah made an exaggerated face, "You even named your bike!?" The audience laughed, and Zaboru laughed too.

The interview continued for a while, featuring a fun segment where Oprah tried out ZAGE's new game, Contra 2. She laughed and struggled through the early stages, playfully calling it "impossible," while the audience cheered her on. Zaboru then took the controller with a smile, effortlessly breezing through the levels, earning applause and amused gasps from the crowd. The playful energy filled the room, lightening the atmosphere before Oprah leaned forward with a smile and asked the final question.

"Okay, final question, Zaboru. At the end of the day, what matters most to you — beyond the money and success?"

Zaboru smiled thoughtfully, "There are two things that matter the most beyond money and success. Number two is the growth of the video game industry — I sincerely hope it continues to thrive and grow beyond anything I can imagine. Number one is my family and my girlfriend. Without their love, encouragement, and support, I couldn't have become who I am today, and I always hope I can cherish and spend as much meaningful time with them as possible."

Oprah clapped her hands and said, "That's it, folks — Zaboru Renkonan!" The audience clapped and cheered, filling the studio with warm applause and laughter as Zaboru stood, offering a grateful bow and wave to the crowd, his smile genuine and humble.

Then the interview Zaboru with Oprah is done

To be continue 

AN : LoL i always want to create this chapter but i always forgot lol.

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