SWNOVELXO Chapter 579: Chapter 527: Diablo Presentation
Monday, 4 September 1994
After the weekend, Zaboru was now on his way to Microsoft, carrying a copy of the Diablo game CD with care. The game size was considered massive for this era—around 600 MB, practically unheard of at the time. Zaboru and his ZAGE American team had poured months of intense effort into completing the game, and now Zaboru was heading to showcase it personally to Microsoft and Bill Gates, eager to see their reactions.
Zaboru arrived at Microsoft HQ in Washington after a long trip from LA. He stretched briefly, feeling the weight of the journey, before being quickly received by Bill Gates's assistant and led to a special room where Bill Gates and Microsoft's top engineers were waiting, their eager expressions hinting at the anticipation for what was about to unfold.
Zaboru came in with a smile and greeted Bill, "Bill…" Bill Gates smiled warmly, approached Zaboru, and shook his hand firmly. "Long time no see, Zaboru. So, you bring the goods?" Bill Gates chuckled, and the other engineers shared a light laugh at the playful remark. Meanwhile, Zaboru smiled outwardly but was laughing hard inside, thinking, Such a dad joke! Then, regaining his composure, Zaboru answered, "Yes, I do, Bill. In fact, let's try it out here. Do you have a PC ready?" Bill Gates nodded eagerly and pointed at a nearby machine with a slightly larger monitor, clearly prepared for the moment.
"Here, this PC is already equipped with Windows 94, and it has the greatest specs you can get on today's market." Zaboru nodded, opened his bag, and brought out a Gamebox case, presenting it to Bill with a small, proud smile. "This is our game, called Diablo, and this is how it will be sold." Bill Gates's eyes lit up as he examined the package. The neat cardboard box featured striking artwork on the front and back, with a bold black-and-red color palette and the word "Diablo" emblazoned across the front in sharp, fiery letters. The design gave off a mysterious and intense vibe, immediately capturing attention.
Bill Gates was excited. "This is your final product? Can I open it?"
Zaboru nodded. "Yeah, sure, go ahead."
Bill Gates opened it, and inside were four things: a game manual, installation instructions for Windows, the Diablo CD itself, and the sleek black-and-silver Z coins. Bill Gates was genuinely impressed by the presentation. "The quality of the product is top-notch. I'm impressed," he said with a grin, turning the coins over in his hand. Zaboru chuckled and nodded in appreciation. Bill Gates then asked, "Can I install the game myself? I want to follow the instruction book, if possible." Zaboru smiled, "Sure thing, Bill. It's not really complicated to install Diablo on Windows 94."
Bill Gates nodded, opened the Diablo CD, and placed it carefully into the CD-ROM on the PC. The UI installer popped up smoothly; first, it asked where the installation would go, then, with just a few clicks on 'next,' the installer ran automatically. Bill Gates nodded, satisfied. "Easy to set up, but let's see if it can run properly." About 15 minutes later, the game was finally ready. Bill Gates leaned forward with a spark of curiosity, quickly double-clicked the game icon, and the screen went black, followed by the glowing "ZAGE" logo. Moments later, the opening cinematic began to play, the room growing quiet as everyone watched in anticipation.
It was a full 3D render: first, it showed a desolated desert, winds howling through cracked earth, then shifted to an empty, crumbling wooden house with broken windows creaking softly. After that, it showed a crow feasting on a corpse, its beak tearing at flesh in eerie silence. Then, a knight wearing full body armor with a sword and shield approached the town gates, his heavy boots kicking up dust. Suddenly, the corpse awoke and lunged, snarling; the knight raised his shield just in time, sparks flying as steel met rotted bone. The scene shifted underground — a male sorcerer wielding a wand navigated dim tunnels, torchlight flickering on damp stone walls, when suddenly a horde of imp demons swarmed toward him; he raised his wand and unleashed a brilliant fireball, lighting up the cavern. The scene shifted again, this time to ancient ruins, where a long-haired female in leather armor carefully stalked forward with a bow in hand, her eyes sharp. Suddenly, a massive demon emerged from the shadows; she steadied her breath, aimed, and fired — the arrow struck true, detonating in a fiery burst. After this, the screen flickered and distorted, a sinister red demon's grin filling the frame. Then the screen went black, and the title "Diablo" appeared in bold, fiery letters, alongside the menu options: "Single-Player," "Co-Op Multiplayer," "Replay Cinematic," and "Options."
Bill Gates was genuinely surprised; he hadn't expected anything like this. He had always assumed games were vibrant and childish, but this was something entirely different — though, to be fair, Bill Gates had always loved the fantasy genre. He turned to Zaboru, eyes wide with curiosity. "I… I didn't expect the opening cutscene to be so dark. Is this fine?" The other engineers were also surprised, exchanging glances, but they were genuinely curious about the game itself. Zaboru chuckled softly. "Yeah, it's fine, Bill. Anyway, go ahead — try playing the game."
Bill Gates nodded, and the other head engineers were equally fascinated to see how Diablo would play out. Bill began to play — he was clearly not an experienced gamer, but he managed to keep up. He chose the Sorcerer class, eagerly clicked through some quests, ventured out to battle demons, made his way to Tristram Cathedral, and tested his fireball skills against enemies. As he progressed, Bill started to grasp the game mechanics, and a genuine smile crept onto his face as he realized how satisfying it felt to learn and master the system step by step.
After a while, he rose from his seat and invited one of his head engineers — a skinny-built man named Gabe Newell — to take over the game. Gabe was thrilled to finally get his turn; he carefully saved Bill Gates's progress and started fresh with a new character: Rogue. Just then, Bill Gates snapped his fingers as if recalling something. "Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce you. These four guys are my senior engineers on Windows 94. This is Mike Harrington. The one playing Diablo right now is Gabe Newell. And those two behind Gabe are Wallace Walker and Jamie Simmons."
Zaboru smiled at all of them and approached to introduce himself. He was smiling outwardly, but inside he was surprised, thinking, Gabe Newell? Mike Harrington? Founders of Valve? They're still at Microsoft — it's so strange to see a young, skinny Gaben, hahaha.
Zaboru chuckled a bit and then asked Bill Gates, "So, how's the game, Bill?" Bill Gates paused thoughtfully. "Honestly, at first, I thought it was a bit too dark…" Zaboru nodded with understanding. Bill Gates went on, "But the game itself is incredible. The graphics and gameplay run so smoothly, and honestly, this is the best-looking game I've ever seen. And the gameplay? It's fantastic, too." Bill Gates let out a warm chuckle. "I don't know if you've outdone yourself this time or if this level of quality is just casual for you." Zaboru smiled and nodded. "Well, I always try my best, Bill. Anyway, how about this game — do you want to showcase it for Windows 94?"
Bill Gates chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, but, well, we might need your help to showcase the gameplay." Zaboru smiled with a playful glint in his eyes. "So, I have to attend as the showcaser?" Bill Gates gave a small grin and nodded. "Will you do me a favor?" Bill Gates knew Zaboru didn't care about money in cases like this, which was why he offered a favor instead. Zaboru let out a soft laugh and nodded. "Fine, Bill. I just need to play the game, right?"
Bill Gates nodded. "The showcase itself is in New York on 9 September, which is a Saturday, and it's going to be live on all the major TV networks, even some international stations. In fact, in Japan, TV Tokyo and NHK have already expressed interest in livestreaming the event." Zaboru nodded with a confident smile. "Okay, Bill. I got it. I'll definitely be there."
After a while, Zaboru left Microsoft HQ, looking for something to eat, his mind buzzing with ideas for future projects. Meanwhile, Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington were still glued to the screen, completely absorbed in playing Diablo. Bill Gates approached them, hands in his pockets, watching the game unfold. "This game is that good, huh?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and a small grin. Gabe, who was watching Harrington play, said with genuine enthusiasm, "Yes, boss. This game is so polished and unique — as expected of ZAGE, huh…" Mike Harrington grinned, eyes glued to the monitor as his warrior hacked through another wave of demons. "How did they create something like this? I'm curious. The mechanics, the art, the atmosphere — it's on a different level." Bill Gates chuckled and mused, "Well, we could reverse-engineer the game, right?" Gabe nodded thoughtfully. "Technically, we can, but it's not worth it.
Isn't it better to ask Zaboru for another collaboration, boss? But we need to understand how his games are made, what goes into them — it's almost like magic." Bill Gates folded his arms, thinking carefully. "That could be a viable option, but working with him is slightly hard… If he doesn't want to, he just won't, regardless of how much money I offer." Gabe sighed, glancing over with a half-smile. "Well, we can at least try, right?" The room was filled with the clatter of keys and the crackle of in-game sounds as the two engineers kept playing, exchanging occasional strategy tips. Bill lingered a moment longer, watching them with amusement, then gave a small shake of his head and left the room, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Meanwhile, Gabe was already installing Diablo on his personal PC at Microsoft, his excitement barely contained — he was clearly hooked!
Gabe Newell grinned and exclaimed, "Damn, Diablo is so much fun! I didn't know a game could be this dark! Hehehe." Gabe had been a fan of video games ever since the Atari era, and now, in what he called the ZAGE era, he loved ZAGE with all his heart. Games like Doom, Warcraft, Age of Empires, and now Diablo — all created by ZAGE — were his absolute favorites. He was eager, not just to play, but to "test" Diablo thoroughly to ensure it ran perfectly on Windows 94. Gabe was already thinking ahead, excited to try out the multiplayer function with Mike later on. As he sat back, fingers itching at the keyboard, he thought with a smile, I'm not playing game! i'm working!
to be continue
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