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

CyberConnect2 has announced .hack//Z.E.R.O., a new action RPG in the .hack series “for home consoles” 10 years in the making—self-planned, developed, and published with permission from intellectual property holder Bandai Namco Entertainment. Specific platforms and a release date were not announced.

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

About

The .hack series has always been developed by CyberConnect2 and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, but for .hack//Z.E.R.O., Bandai Namco Entertainment has given CyberConnect2 permission to manage the entirety of the project from planning and development to release. It will be a title that is fully self-published by CyberConnect2.

World-renowned violinist Taro Hakase has penned the music, kick-starting the project to the dexterous tune of his violin. .hack//Z.E.R.O. will be a novel RPG experience that blends the series’ trademark duality of fantasy (game world) and reality (real world) with modern expectations, infused with 100 percent pure CyberConnect2 spirit. The game will be enjoyable for both veteran fans and new players alike. Please look forward to this newest iteration of .hack.

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

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

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.hack Series

.hack is a series of action RPG games depicting a virtual game-space called “The World,” and characters who are swept up in incidences related to it. The stories unfold in both the real world and the fantasy world within the game. The first title in the series, .hack//Infection, was released in 2002 through Bandai Namco Entertainment, and three seasons were published in total. The franchise expanded to anime, novels, manga, OVAs and more, pioneering cross-media worldbuilding by telling varying stories from the same universe.

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

In an interview with Famitsu, CyberConnect2 CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama said the title .hack//Z.E.R.O. reflects the messaging of “restarting .hack from zero,” and has no connection to the .hack//ZERO light novel series by Yokote Michiko.

The story, set roughly 10 years in the future, will once again center around the in-game MMORPG “The World,” but with a greater focus on real-world drama. While previous entries in the .hack series were limited in their depictions of the real world to emails and web browsers due to budget and publisher constraints, no such constraints will exist for .hack//Z.E.R.O..

Matsuyama said the series has always explored themes of duality between worlds, and the monochrome teaser visual is meant to reflect that contrast—such as “public persona vs. inner feelings” and the “dual nature of reality and games.”

While the genre is RPG, gameplay will incorporate both action and adventure elements. The development team is comprised of both series veterans and younger staff. The teaser trailer was produced by Kamikaze Douga and does not feature any in-game footage.

In related news, the Weekly Famitsu No. 1936, due out on February 19, will feature a 30-page special on CyberConnect2’s 30th anniversary, including an overview of CECILE, the second title in the company’s “Trilogy of Vengeance” series.

Watch the .hack//Z.E.R.O. teaser trailer below. View a set of stills at the gallery.

Teaser Trailer