Fans of the .hack series of JRPGs, colloquially known as “Dot Hack,” have been asking for a new game for many, many years, and they’re finally getting their wish.
Today, CyberConnect2 announced the development of a brand-new game in the franchise, an action RPG titled .hack//Z.E.R.O.
At the moment, information is scarce besides the fact that the project has started, and the music is by violinist and composer Taro Hakase.
Interestingly, for many years, CyberConnect2 boss Hiroshi Matsuyama told fans that if they wanted a new Dot Hack game, they should ask Bandai Namco. Yet, things are different, as Bandai Namco gave the developer permission to create and publish this new game independently to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the franchise, as mentioned on the official teaser site.
Platforms and release windows are unknown, but we hear that .hack//Z.E.R.O. is “a completely new RPG that inherits the worldview of “the duality of the intertwining of game (virtual) and reality (real)” while evolving to suit the modern era.”
It’s designed to be enjoyed by fans of the series as well as first-timers to the universe of the virtual MMORPG “The World.” If you’re wondering, the Dot Hack series pioneered this concept, even if it was later popularized by anime like Sword Art Online.
The announcement was accompanied by a teaser trailer, which certainly feels familiar, as a fan of the series.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Dot Hack series, it debuted all the way back in 2002 for PS2 with .hack//Infection. It then received several games published by Bandai Namco, culminated with the remaster .hack//G.U. Last Recode in 2017.
The series has been dormant since, even if the latest original game was released in 2012, and the latest JRPG even earlier, since .hack//Versus was a fighting game. We can certainly say that fans of the series, which has a niche but cult following, have been waiting for a long, long time.
CyberConnect2, headquartered in Fukuoka, Japan, is known mostly for its many games created for other publishers, including the recent Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot and the Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm series. Yet, it has been expanding its self-publishing arms with series like Fuga: Melodies of Steel.
