It’s been nearly a decade since the last .hack release, and even then, it was just a remastered collection in the form of .hack//G.U. Last Recode. Many fans of the series have practically given up hope of seeing an all-new entry, but all that changed this morning. CyberConnect2, which developed all the previous games, has announced .hack//Z.E.R.O., a new original game just in time for the company’s 30th anniversary.
For those unfamiliar with the franchise, previous .hack games were published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, but for .hack//Z.E.R.O., the company has given CyberConnect2 permission to manage the entire project, from planning and development to release. This means it’ll be self-published by CyberConnect2.
Not much about the game was revealed, but CyberConnect2 promises it’ll be a novel RPG experience that blends the series’ trademark duality of fantasy (game world) and reality (real world) with modern expectations. It’ll be designed to appeal to both veteran fans and newcomers.
The easiest way to describe the original .hack games is to call them single-player MMORPGs, as they tried to capture the gameplay of EverQuest, just offline. They were essentially dungeon crawlers and starred the protagonist, Kite, who can be seen in the new teaser trailer for .hack//Z.E.R.O.
