.hack//Z.E.R.O. announced

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CyberConnect2 is creating a brand new action RPG called .hack//Z.E.R.O., marking a return to the .hack series after a decade. The company is handling the entire project themselves – planning, developing, and publishing – with the blessing of Bandai Namco Entertainment, who own the rights to the .hack franchise. Details about which consoles it will be released on and when are still to come.

Here are the first details, via the game’s official website:

About

The .hack series is created by CyberConnect2 and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. However, with .hack//Z.E.R.O., Bandai Namco is letting CyberConnect2 handle the entire project – from initial planning and development all the way to release. This will be the first .hack title fully published by CyberConnect2 themselves.

Taro Hakase, a celebrated violinist, composed the music, launching the development of this exciting new game. .hack//Z.E.R.O. offers a fresh RPG experience, continuing the series’ tradition of blurring the lines between fantasy game worlds and real life, all while delivering the signature style of CyberConnect2. Both longtime fans and newcomers will find something to love in this latest .hack installment. Stay tuned for more!

“This world is at ‘Dusk,’ it matches with us so well.”

—Imirt Croga Iontach Tus Pianmhar Ciunas Eochair Lionn dubh Uilioch Olc Beithioch

.hack Series

I first got into the .hack series way back when, and it totally blew my mind. It’s basically about this massive online game called ‘The World,’ and the players who get caught up in some seriously strange stuff happening within it. The story jumps between what’s happening to the characters in the game and their lives in the real world, which is really cool. The first game, .hack//Infection, came out in 2002, and they made three full seasons. What’s even more awesome is that it didn’t stop there – they turned it into an anime, novels, manga, and a bunch of other stuff, all telling different parts of the same story. It was one of the first times I saw a franchise build a whole universe across so many different types of media!

Staff

  • Executive Producer: Hiroshi Matsuyama
  • Character Design: Seiichiro Hosokawa
  • Creative Producer / Art Division General Manager: Akihiro Anai
  • Creative Director: Hiroto Niizato
  • Art Division General Manager: Takahito Washisaka
  • Program Division General Manager: Yasuhiko Tsuneoka
  • Game Design Division General Manager: Tomoyuki Kato
  • Sound Division General Manager: Norikatsu Fukuda
  • Theme Music: Taro Hakase
  • Sound: Chikayo Fukuda
  • Art Logo Design: Makoto Miyoshi
  • Creative Producer Manager: Hironori Yamaoka
  • Director Manager: Yohei Ishibashi
  • Producer: Taichiro Miyazaki, Yuki Nishikawa

CyberConnect2 CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama recently told Famitsu that the game .hack//Z.E.R.O. is meant to signal a fresh start for the .hack franchise, and isn’t related to the .hack//ZERO novels written by Yokote Michiko.

The upcoming story takes place about ten years in the future and revisits the online game “The World.” However, this time, it will explore the characters’ lives outside the game in more detail. Previous .hack games showed limited glimpses of the real world, mostly through emails and websites, due to technical and financial limitations. But .hack//Z.E.R.O. won’t have those same restrictions.

Matsuyama explained that the series consistently examines the idea of contrasting worlds, and the black-and-white teaser image highlights this. It represents oppositions like the difference between how someone appears to the world and what they feel inside, and the blurry line between what’s real and what happens in games.

Though it’s an RPG, the game will blend action and adventure gameplay. The development team includes both experienced staff who have worked on the series before, and newer team members. The recently released teaser trailer was created by Kamikaze Douga and doesn’t show actual gameplay.

The latest issue of Weekly Famitsu (No. 1936), hitting shelves on February 19th, will dedicate 30 pages to celebrating CyberConnect2’s 30th anniversary. This special feature will include details on CECILE, the second game in their “Trilogy of Vengeance” series.

Watch the .hack//Z.E.R.O. teaser trailer below.

Teaser Trailer

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2026-02-16 15:17