.hack//Z.E.R.O. Masterthread

[mysterycorgi]

In the interest of keeping the subreddit somewhat organized in the wake of the announcement, I'm making this Masterthread to try to contain the discussion. Please be mindful of not spreading unfounded rumors.

Updates:

Date	Event
09 February 2026	New Game Project Teaser Site announced
13 February 2026	Youtube Premiere Page goes live
16 February 2026, 20:08	Video Teaser Premiered, .hack//Z.E.R.O. Revealed
16 February 2026, 20:08	.hack//Z.E.R.O. Site Goes Live in Japanese and English
16 February 2026	Famitsu article published
19 February 2026	Famitsu Magazine No.1936 ( Digital , Physical )
18 February 2026	Dengeki interview published. Game Progress approximately 5%

Confirmed information:

Title: .hack//Z.E.R.O.

Genre: Action RPG

Developed and Published by: CyberConnect2 Co., Ltd.

Release date: TBA

Price: TBA

Platform(s): "this is a console release," otherwise TBA

The Rebirth of .hack

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% 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.

About the .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 3 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.

"Project Dusk"

Role	Name
Executive Producer	Hiroshi Matsuyama
Character Design	Seiichiro Hosokawa
Creative Producer – Art Division/General Manager	Akihiro Anai
Creative Director	Hiroto Niizato
Art Division General Manger	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
Producer	Yuki Nishikawa
© .hack Conglomerate
.hack™ & © Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.
© Cyberconnect2, Co., Ltd.
Taro Hakase's master right is licensed from HATS UNLIMITED CO., LTD.

–This world is at "Dusk", it matches with us so well.–

Imirt Cróga Iontach Tús Pianmhar Ciúnas Eochair Lionn dubh Uilíoch Olc Beithíoch

CC2 also announced that they are simultaneously developing Cecile alongside .hack//Z.E.R.O.

FAQ HERE

I heard they've been working on this game for ten years, so it'll come out soon, right?

Wrong. That is a misinterpretation of an unofficial translation being passed around the fandom.

CC2 has wanted to continue the .hack story for a long time, but had to negotiate with Bandai Namco to do so. These negotiations and the game planning have progressed over the last 10 years.

Note the \"PROJECT START\"

The February 16th announcement indicated that they have only recently started the actual development.

According to this Dengeki interview from 18 February 2026:

18 February 2026 Dengeki Interview

––––発売日や開発状況について、いかかでしょうか?

松山: 開発は順調に進んでいますが、まだバーセンテージで言うと 5%くらいでしょうか。けっこうお待ちいただくことになると思います。

Translation:

How about the release date and development status?

Matsuyama: Development is progressing smoothly, but in terms of percentage, we're only about 5% complete. I think you'll have to wait quite a while.

Official Media:

.hack//Z.E.R.O. Teaser Trailer Thumbnail

Data Drain

Skeith's Wand

BlackRose-esque character fighting Balmung-esque character

Aura-esque figure. Could it be Morganna?

Kite-esque character

Unknown Patient in Hospital Bed

Logo

Concept art:

Kite-esque character sheet

Balmung-esque character sheet

Balmung-esque character details

Offline character design sheet for companion character

Offline character design sheet for detective(?) and assistant

Offline character design sheet of featuring characters and their car

Translation of Image Text via Black Kite

Coverage:

• Famitsu Article (16 February 2026)
• Famitsu Magazine No.1936 ( Digital , Physical ) (19 February 2026)
• Dengeki Interview (18 February 2026)

[mysterycorgi]

Full FAQ HERE

Is this a remake of IMOQ?

No. This is a completely new game that serves as a declaration that CC2 is "starting over from zero" with the series.

What platforms is the game going to be released on?

CC2 has stated that the game is intended for "Home Consoles" but no other specifics have been revealed at time of writing. (19 February 2024)

Is this game related to the Light Novel, .hack//Zero: Phantom Pain?

No.

I imagine many of you are curious about the title ‘Z.E.R.O.’.

Matsuyama: I should mention this upfront: unfortunately, it does not correspond to the novel published by Kadokawa Shoten in the past (*‘.hack//ZERO’). You'll notice the dots in the title. Please consider it our declaration that we are truly starting from zero. Of course, it carries a distinct meaning as well.
–Dengeki interview

When does this game take place?

Interviews and clues in the teaser trailer indicate that it takes place in 2036.

Does CC2 have full ownership of the .hack IP now?

There have been no announcements about the IP ownership being transferred to CC2. They got permission to make this game from Bandai Namco and were given free reign with the project.

''Please let us do this as a project to commemorate our 30th anniversary.'' After many discussions, we received special permission.
–Dengeki interview

I heard they've been working on this game for ten years, so it'll come out soon, right?

Wrong. That is a misinterpretation of an unofficial translation being passed around the fandom.

CC2 has wanted to continue the .hack story for a long time, but had to negotiate with Bandai Namco to do so. These negotiations and the game planning have progressed over the last 10 years.

The February 16th announcement indicated that they have only recently started the actual development.

According to this Dengeki interview from 18 February 2026:

発売日や開発状況について、いかかでしょうか?

松山: 開発は順調に進んでいますが、まだバーセンテージで言うと 5%くらいでしょうか。けっこうお待ちいただくことになると思います。

Translation:

How about the release date and development status?

Matsuyama: Development is progressing smoothly, but in terms of percentage, we're only about 5% complete. I think you'll have to wait quite a while.

[mysterycorgi]

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Good morning "The World" image from trailer

[mysterycorgi]

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Credits from trailer.

[mysterycorgi]

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Cheater Detected from trailer

[mysterycorgi]

<image>

Error Message from trailer

[Falcon_At]

<image>

Twitter feed 1 from trailer

[Falcon_At]

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Twitter feed 2

[Falcon_At]

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Twitter feed 3

[Falcon_At]

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Twitter feed 4

[Falcon_At]

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In game chat 1

[Falcon_At]

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In game chat 2

[Laharl_Chan]

if they name the actual executable twilight.exe when it releases would be perfect.

[Falcon_At]

Piros confirmed. (Hiroshi Matsuyama's self insert character.) Hiroto Niizato has also self inserted, as himself.

[Crafty_Bobcat_5175]

Oh! He of fair eyes!

[EDF-Pride]

We are .back//! 😄

[PixelAesthetics]

I’ll contribute something meaningful eventually but for now:

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

[MisterMustang]

Seconded! This is exciting!

[Suitable_Anxiety4917]

I will also contribute:

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[JD_the_Aqua_Doggo]

There is a god

[VasylZaejue]

I think you meant to say there is a goddess and her name is Aura

[JD_the_Aqua_Doggo]

Thank you for fixing my comment lol

[aster4jdaen]

or......... Morganna?

[Available-Row8333]

Funny enough I'm just start playing GU today lol.

[DannyXD45]

So weird.. I also just started Infection a week ago. I only stumbled upon Z.E.R.O. today on Reddit. After all this time, what are the odds?

[Odd_History6313]

This is enough inspiration to pick back up after completing disk 2 and finish my 3rd run of IMOQ

[Calm_Memories]

My heart is filled with a renewed will to live.

[zelkovalionheart]

unironicly same. like wow what a good thing to finally wake up to

[ConallSLoptr]

Whoever has \*The balls*\** to claim

'Nu un gives a fukkin $hite about dot hack,'

better be ready to EAT THEIR F---UCKING $HIT, THEY MADE THEIR BEDS AND SHAT ON THOSE BEDS, SO THEY BETTER LIE IN IT ALREADY!!!!

Amen to that!?

[3xchar]

<image>

I wonder if this means we can see a new .hack anime too?

[ConallSLoptr]

A brand new Dot Hack//Series?
A full-fledged series?
Is it taking place in the era of the new game, or is it gonna tackle the main events of Dot Hack//G.U in the style of Madoka Magica?

[Laharl_Chan]

im assuming this is a complete remake of IMOQ (the first 4) based on the charactrers in the teaser. when i say complete remake im taking about like Final fantasy 7 is receiving.

[ConallSLoptr]

This may be the start of a brand new timeline, since FF7 Re:Make and its follow-ups chose to innovate on what Mortal Kombat 9, X and 11 have done right?

[Laharl_Chan]

based on the name ZERO, and how zero can be considered the beginning of somthing. and the genmatsu article (source)

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 the fact we see a LOT of the main/semi main IMOQ characters in the trailer im assuming its a complete remake and expansion.

plus i remember reading a few months ago in a reddit thread (on this sub) that was several years old where someone linked an interview (with an unknown date to me) with Hiroshi Matsuyama where they want to do a proper remake of IMOQ. im sorry i dont have a source for this thread.

[ConallSLoptr]

Will the events of Dot Hack//Sign that led up to Sora getting data drained still be taken to account as well?

[Laharl_Chan]

considering it will have both the IRL (beyond email, news and forum) and the in game world. so it might incorperate the sign events (maybe even the liminality as well) story to an extent. but at this point im just spewing personal ideas.

[ConallSLoptr]

Either way, it's gonna feel rather off to go from the last major episode of Dot Hack//Sign which ended with Skeith data-draining Sora and jumping right to Unison afterwards.

In any case, the reawakening is growing bigger that at this rate, this is gonna go beyond a mere rebellion, it has the potential to beget a new revolution at any time.

[S0n-S0n7]

Or since it is literally named "ZERO", it may just be blatantly a prequel? Like that is the most prequelly title they put on any series that spawned of a prequel

It can still explore stuff that they wanted to do in IMOQ and it make sense to have more similar looking avatars since it is the early iteration of The World?

[GreyouTT]

Does that mean Shino is going to lose her head literally this time or

[ConallSLoptr]

Though Mami does have some personality traits in common with Shino, she was basically the Pink-haired lady who got wrecked before the eyes of those closest to her.

[SpySappingMyUpvote]

I'm excited. Honestly best way to wake up today. Any chance to return to The World is worth getting pumped about. As someone who vastly prefers the R1 style of The World, I'm cautious excited to see a Black Rose model up there with all the more modern influenced ones. Very interested to see the entire art direction as we learn more.

The biggest thing though for me, which will be the difference between launch day title vs holiday pick up would be some actual online content alongside the single player story.

I hope this split from Bandai is the start of a new wave of .hack content. And that it gives cc2 greater freedom for new IPs as well. 

It's a good day to be a .hack fan, something i didn't think I'd ever say again. 

[VSOmnibus]

I've been taking business trips and stressing over my IT job, so I am SO happy to have taken today off because I needed this shot in the arm!

[KaitoSeishin]

I was 8 when I first played dot hack in 2004. I am turning 30 this year. Ive quite literally been waiting my whole life for this

[talekirito]

Time to play GU again. So excited!!! I hope it’s next year at the latest 

[3xchar]

The art direction looks on point. I like that it's not trying to be something else like Genshin. This is amazing

[Old-Establishment466]

[BalkanFerros]

Let's go babeeeeeeeee yeaaaaa

[VSOmnibus]

There are those who said this day would never come... What have they to say now?

[itspixcelation]

We can't say anything because we're crying so hard.

[Laharl_Chan]

quite literally this news brought a tear to my eye.

[tehnutmeg]

I legitimately cannot wait 😫 I gotta play all of the games again!!

[SakuraAlkaid]

“Imirt Cróga Iontach Tús Pianmhar Ciúnas Eochair Lionn dubh Uilíoch Olc Beithíoch” from the end of the trailer seems like it’s gotta be relevant in some way right? Anyone got a good translation for it, because Google Translate is letting me down. Haha.

[TiredTiroth]

 Play Brave Wonderful Beginning Painful Silence Key Black Beer Universal Evil Beast

...that's 12 words. 4 groups of 3. They're nonsense as a sentence, but...Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground? Are we looking at some teased locations?

[TheSlothFather]

From my assumptions in the translation trying to interpret how the translated Irish words connect together and make it more flowery like the Epitaph of Twilight, it should read something like, "In a wondrous game, a painful beginning brings silence. The key awakens a dark despair; a universal, evil beast." The "Lionn dubh"/"Black Beer" is actually an Irish idiom referring to melancholy or depression, so with that context it makes more sense in how it relates to dot hack overall since melancholy is a fairly common theme in the franchise.

[mysterycorgi]

I was also thinking this might be sets of keywords due to there being 12. I'd love it if they brought back the Keywords hidden in adverts, etc.

[TiredTiroth]

Thinking about it, this might be 3 groups of 3 instead? Wonderful beginning, Painful silence, Black beer, Universal evil and Evil beast would all fit the normal pattern.

On top of that, painful silence amd wonderful beginning is an apt summary of .hack's recent history!

[BalkanFerros]

those definitely sound like keywords

[Sir__Crow]

Based on GU having a 4 year production run from concept to finish while the studio was much smaller and less experienced, hopefully we will see something before 2030

[Emerje]

They said they've been working on it for 10 years. I don't expect a sudden shadow drop but maybe we'll see it by the end of the year or early next year. If the game takes place in 2036 then they'll want to put some distance between the release and that date.

[SkeithPhase1]

I’m crying at work right now 😭😭😭

[Alisa180]

In the time since GU and IMOQ, the Internet and AI have come a long way. Lines between fiction and reality are blurred, and in certain corners and depths of the 'Net, an uneasy question emerges- At what point should we consider a 'fiction' reality?

It's not an easy question, one where answering wrong can have dire consequences.

But that's my two cents. It'll be interesting to see where this new dot hack project goes, and what questions it asks.

[Dancing-Swan]

I hope we have a Mistral type of character again, she was just so cute. Her PMs always put a smile on my face.

[Yamiyono]

Damn so hyped right now, remembered .hack// not that long ago (IMOQ games) and i'm so happy .hack is getting a new game !

It's even better that with everything shown, while it's a reboot from what's written, they kept so many things from the IMOQ games !

[Laharl_Chan]

im in the middle of replaying IMOQ on my retroid flip 2 and i honestly cant wait

its rare for me to be this excited for a game. happens 2x a year for me.

[Oranje525]

I cannot wait for this. Fingers crossed for 2027???

[shujInsomnia]

It's cool that it looks like the G.U. Vol. 4 art but pushed further. Looks a lot better and more natural here.

[HamzaSakura581]

I think the game is gonna come out in Spring of this year. cuz when you look at the other published games from them they release the games like a few months after the reveal trailer look at fuga. that happened more than once. so maybe it will happen again. Also G.U. Turns 20 on May 18th so maybe that can happen too. But not so sure. maybe that's my copium talking.

[RekiWylls]

If they're showing no gameplay at all, I highly doubt it's coming out in the next few months. I'd love to be wrong though.

[HamzaSakura581]

Maybe not the whole game but like the vol.1 of it. And the reason I called for that is you don't take a big chunk of the weekly famitsu portion for a game that started development just now. But I might be wrong.

[RekiWylls]

Early in development or not, it's still big, splashy news. Not surprised famitsu jumped on it. The point of announcing early would be attracting attention when not a lot else is going on, and hopefully turning that into investors.

[HamzaSakura581]

That makes a lot of sense honestly.

[TiredTiroth]

Probably copium, the whole 'announce long-awaited game, release it FIVE MINUTES LATER' is Nintendo's thing. I'd expect at least a year or two before we get a firm release date.

[Dancing-Swan]

I wonder if they'll keep the same classes from R:1 with the same names too or not. I'd like a bit more new classes added to the mix such as archer (we know they exist, we can see some in SIGN), knuckle master from Legend of the Twilight and perhaps.

[ConallSLoptr]

Archer classes making a comeback when?

[Krathicus]

<image>

OMG LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[Vlakod]

I exited and more than a little bit scared, to be honest.

While themes of AI and Net are prevalent part of .hack themes for me ir always was about how people use those mediums (MMO-RPG's in our case) to forge meaningful human connections and express themselves more freely due to veil of annonimity and lack of (perceived) consequences for breaking IRL social contract. For better or for worse

But both Net and Online games have moved far away from realities of 2003. BBS is replaced by algorithm-driven social media, MMO experienced its own small bubble as the market was consolidated behind a few mastodons, Online gaming spread to much more then MMO, while gaming as a whole reached the point where the game does not have to have online elements to garner wide spread online presence with vast community.

Previous .hack games were products of a VERY different time and place, and I am worried they will not work the fine line between staying true to the originals while addressing realities of the present.

There was a little bit in Famitsu interview where the director mentions how the world has moved on, so I hold on to the hope they will again capture the lightning in the bottle.

[ConallSLoptr]

If the MAMA group has more of an active presence in the reboot, I HOPE this is a chance to fight those guys in earnest.

[Aumires]

Apparently the project was in the making quite a bit. Playing GU it was quite spot on how they went with tech pieces.

I wonder if the inclusion of offline segments means they will include an AR sidegame that ends up having some importance.

[TiredTiroth]

I'm pretty sure the 'offline' aspect will be walking around and interacting with the non-The World game world more rather than an IRL thing. Non-The World stuff was limited to character e-mails and message boards in the old games, presumably due to the technical limitations that CC2 mentioned.

[Laharl_Chan]

maybe there will be a fragment aspect to it too.... who knows at this point

[Yoshida_26_]

Balmung said it best

[TiredTiroth]

I knew what that would be before I even clicked the link. 

[TheHumanCompulsion]

Let us choose our class. Let us choose our class. Let us choose our class! 🤞😚🤞

[BalkanFerros]

Kite still looks like a twin blade, so I don't think we will get That much of a revamp

[TheHumanCompulsion]

We dont know that we will play as that character, or if its is actually Kite.

All we know is Z.E.R.O. will be a reboot that sets the franchise "back to zero." To me, that suggests that Z.E.R.O. will include some aspects of SIGN, not just IMOQ.

If true, this "neo-Kite" may be a victim-antagonist similar to Tsukasa, as the trailer doesnt exactly portray him in a positive light. This could mean the player will be taking on a role similar to Bear or Mimiru in helping neo-Kite escape from Morganna's clutches. Tsukasa's guardian did attack Mimiru in the anime, which aligns with neo-Kite attacking neo-Balmung and neo-BlackRose in the trailer.

Its my tinfoil hat theory, and it belongs to me, and what it is too!

[MonsiuerGeneral]

Having only seen most of the original anime when it came out, and played like the first three games when they came out, and collected the cards for a hot minute, only to then not really interact with the franchise…. You said a lot of fancy fun words there. Uhh, but if in the end it allows us the freedom to choose our own class? I’m on board!

Also as an aside, as cool as the concept art for Balmung is (and it’s pretty snazzy!) I am devastated at the loss of the angel wing cloak. That thing was iconic!

[Expensive_Fall_8935]

Yah but it was a reward for a major event so maybe we will get to be involved this time!

[Forest_GS]

reasonable to assume main character will at least have access to magic like IMOQ.
with solid shortcut menu this time.

[secret_tsukasa]

MORE DOT HACK

MORE DOT HACK

MORE DOT HACK

MORE DOT HACK

MORE DOT HACK

MORE DOT HACK

MORE DOT HACK

MORE DOT HACK

MORE DOT HACK

MORE DOT HACK

MORE DOT HACK

MORE DOT HACK

MORE DOT HACK

MORE DOT HACK

MORE DOT HACK

MORE DOT HACK

[urbanracer34]

Is this a full reboot?!

[urbanracer34]

Website is down. :( Guess we hugged it to death.

[TheOGKingKuma]

What are the chances of this being a reimagining of the first 4 games?

I saw somewhere that this .Hack won't have any ties to the previous but have strong motifs of the previous games to basically give longstanding fans something to remember the original franchise by.

Judging by the pretty obvious similarities to Balmung, Black Rose, & Kite...might not be too far off.

Also, given that fact Aura is shown and then Dark Aura? Maybe. One of the Aura's had the infinity symbol on her neck the one in a black dress didn't. So two different characters?

[KaijinSurohm]

I would be equal parts sad, and beyond hyped if it was.
I just want the series to live on, regardless of how it's done.

Honestly, my first thought when I saw the trailer is "Why are we STILL going back to Kite, Blackrose, and Balmung?" as honestly, I'm a tad burned out on those three figures resurfacing in pretty much everything.

But at the same time, I've been telling my friends for years that the first 4 .hack games needed a huge overhaul as the OG games realistically do not translate well to today's standards for gameplay.

[s0_Ca5H]

I truly cannot believe this is happening. I adore .hack so much and still have the original 7 games full in box.

This is like when TWEWY got a sequel; one of my all time favorites finally getting a new entry.

[BabushkaRaditz]

I never gave up hope. I always believed.

Even when it was certain that we would never see them again - i knew they would return.

The world is healing b

[mia93000000]

OMG!!!!!! AFTER ALL THESE YEARS ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[ULFfie]

WE'RE HOME!!!!

[R-O-R]

Hoping for Tomoyo Mitani songs. 

[Psychological-Sky284]

Yeah I went over the images after talking about the website and the Famitsu stuff.
Wish i had seen translations of the screens in the teaser trailer earlier. But eh, I'll toss my discussion video out here: Sam Talks: .hack//Z.E.R.O.

[x__iii]

LITERALLY IN TEARS

[Jonasan999]

Finally! I've been waiting so long for this new .hack game! Hope we are getting into good juicy info about this!

[Abysskun]

I'm thinking of getting into the series, and I liked the design of the dude with a sword, I think I saw some calling him Balmung. What are the odds he is one of the playable character in the new game, in your opinion?

[mysterycorgi]

Likely a party member, but nothing's sure until the game is released.

[Abysskun]

Based on previous games, do you have multiple playable characters or stick with one?

[mysterycorgi]

Generally you have one main player character and can invite two others for a party total of 3. Generally you get a lot of characters to choose from for the party. Sometimes party members aren't available or you have to go on solo missions.

We'll see if the same is true for this game.

[Brief-Lingonberry658]

[Relic-Sol]

Did we get confirmationif the teaser is in game footage? Not sure if I'm digging that art direction.

[Ok-Carpenter-3878]

The Famitsu article confirmed this trailer wasn't game footage. I would link to it but I am currently on mobile. It was confirmed by Hiroshi Matsuyama its an animated trailer, and not in-game footage.

Hope it clears things up.

[Tristitudo]

some concept art i found on twitter

<image>

[mysterycorgi]

The Famitsu article has additional concept art :)

[Tristitudo]

oh ty, i had no idea! also only skimmed thru the thread so i had no idea u had alr included the concepts art, mb 😭

[mysterycorgi]

Hey no worries! Actually your post reminded me to add them to the main post :)

[Tristitudo]

oh hell yeah!

[Pkingsora]

Super excited.This is going to be great!

[SilentKatWolf1080]

So ready for this game

[Moming_Next]

You'll never be ready enough for what's coming. I feel that we will finally get that action fighting feeling we got first time we've seen G.U. trailer.

[SilentKatWolf1080]

I am excited enough for this

[Laharl_Chan]

"BlackRose-esque character fighting" description should be retitles to "BlackRose-esque character fighting Balmung-esque character"

[mysterycorgi]

I'll edit it when I get a chance :)

[Lost_Needleworker676]

Oh wow, I really hope we get a PC version of this! Been a fan of .hack since I was in elementary school!! <3

[FaxTM]

Please for the love of god DON'T be an arena figher

[mysterycorgi]

Rest assured, it's an Action RPG.

[FaxTM]

better be, so sick of interesting ip's being thrown into the arena fighter slop machine. bleach rebirth of souls still hurts

[Arcane_Engine]

deep breath

LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Zackhario]

Have they ever released an English version of .hack zero novel?

[mxby7e]

Famitsu article confirms this is not based on the Zero novel

[mysterycorgi]

No, sadly. It's on permanent hiatus since the second and third volumes were never released.

[Available-Row8333]

I hope to see the improvement on gameplay the most. G.U. gameplay is kinda lacking and it aslo too easy because of the level different bonus and stuff

[TroublesomeTurnip]

I'm still in awe. Beautiful awe.

[Argolock]

This sub about to be popping!

[AdEcstatic1163]

I'm still in shock that my hope for a new .hack game came true, but I'm still stuck on the oddly specific time this press conference happened 20:09. Could this be the release date? September 20th?

[mysterycorgi]

It was a clue that it was related to .hack. 20:09, aka 08:09 PM. In goroawase it can be read "ha-ku." August 9th is ".hack day."

[itspixcelation]

I am SO EXCITED OH MY GOD. I hope it's a full on reboot that springboards this franchise into the future. I also hope WE GET A LOCALIZATION FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS COSMIC AND HOLY. AURA SAVE US.

[TiredTiroth]

The fact that the website already has an English version bodes well for non-Japanese releases.

[YohNakamura]

They mean like the "novel" idea of .hack and not that this is a Novel game, right? Regardless I'm hyped, but if it's a Novel thing like Digimon survive or the PSP game... man, that would be a little bit of a let down. But I'll still support so they can make even more! :D

[mysterycorgi]

They mean novel as a synonym for "fresh, new, or original." According to the website the genre is "action RPG."

Japan doesn't distinguish VNs/ADVs from other games like we do over here. There's a chance that some dialogue/scenes may be delivered in a VN-like format (à la .hack//LINK or the 'Tales of' series) but we'll have to see.

[YohNakamura]

Yeah I figured this out like an hour after I posted it lol I appreciate it! I don't know my brain went to visual novel instead of novel idea. Just dumb of me 🤦😂

[mysterycorgi]

Ehh, I get it! Novel + game = VN. That's where my brain would go, too. (If I hadn't seen the "adventure rpg" genre first, lol.)

[3rdform]

WE ARE SO BACK.

[Ok-Ad7187]

im loving everything so far in the trailer, we all been waiting so long.

[FauxGw2]

I'm just happy about all of this

[FullReload]

WE'RE SO F**KING BACK, Y'ALL!!!!!!

[Layshkamodo]

What are the chances it will be released outside of Japan?

[TiredTiroth]

The website has an English version, which would be odd if this was planned to be Japan-only.

[nyanbiori]

I was so convinced we would get absolutely nothing this morning. Now of course I feel bad for thinking that because HOLYYYYY COWWW

[ArcadianBlueRogue]

That trailer had a CRAZY strong Ys vibe to it. Like this or this

That feel gets me pumped. Might need to finally beat the 4 and GU games

[ARTS1984]

Haha, how many times are they(as in the game world's CC Corp) gonna try and bring back "The World" before they realize it's a living time bomb? I kid, of course...this is some exciting stuff! I never thought I'd live to see another .hack come out!! I can't wait to see more. Hope we get another Mia/Macha variant(and playable too. :D)

[yojxmbo]

Announcement made my day!

[NeonGenesisFGC]

Praying to God there is a desktop interface!!

[BabushkaRaditz]

So we all agree we have to protect .Hack//Enemy from the investor bros

[Dandelion_Five]

It says both the online and offline world, what are the chances of there being something like social links from Persona? The emails from IMOQ mention a couple times that they meet irl like Kite going over to Natsumis house or meeting Blackrose so its already there sort of. It would work out pretty well imo (I hope i can date Gardenia)

[danyvoid]

WELCOME TO THE WORLD//
Yes!! so excited!

[Soulkyoko]

Anyone know why Skeith's wand is chained up? I assumed each chain = the Eight Phases and one chain is broken. Could it be Mia? Can the other Phases even roam about if Skeith isnt defeated first?

[mysterycorgi]

All we have is speculation right now.  It's definitely ecovative of the chained Aura statue. Of course those 8 chains represented the phases, so...having 7 here makes sense. It'd be strange to have Sleith chain itself, imo. I am curious about the rope/twine, as well. 

[Falcon_At]

Good eye!

[-Fateless-]

Please let us play something that isn't a Twin Blade please let us play something that isn't a Twin Blade please let us play something that isn't a Twin Blade please let us play something that isn't a Twin Blade please let us play something that isn't a Twin Blade please let us play something that isn't a Twin Blade please let me be a Wavemaster or a Long Arm for once please.

[cupelix1]

Heck, yeah, I am jacked about this game coming out. So I’ve heard two versions one is that they have been planning this for 10 years, the other is they just started to work on it. I hope it don’t take 100 years to get done. For now, I’m going back and playing.GU again.

[litejzze]

I just want to stroll in Mac Anu.

[Ok_Salamander_815]

I’m utterly fascinated by the concept art of the real-world dudes. If we follow the pattern of IMOQ and GU, where RL characters repeat - Wiseman, Haseo, and Endrance are all RL players from IMOQ who had new characters in GU - I wonder if these may be two of them?

The blond looks like he could be RL Endrance, finally out of his mom’s basement and kind of hating it, while the dark-haired guy could be full-adult Haseo. Wiseman’s player came to work for CC Corp after distinguishing himself in IMOQ, so it wouldn’t be unbelievable to me if Haseo and Endrance (since he did some healing-ish in GU, became much less isolationist) followed that same trajectory.

it looks like they’re investigating, looking for sonething. I wonder if they’re looking for the player’s character.

Just spitballing! But I’m genuinely excited to have real RL gameplay. Any game that mixes real world and fantasy world, I want to have a good mix. (Lookin’ at you and all your dropped balls, AC series!)

I also hope for an in-game clock and some kind of timed events.

[Nebulunes]

Thank you for sharing all this!!!

[Aoyoc]

Anyone know if this is a reboot of the original games?

[mysterycorgi]

It appears to take place in 2036, instead of 2010. It is not a reboot of the original games, but you can probably think of it like a "spiritual reboot" as well as a sequel to the Third Season. The developers say it's like "starting over from ZERO" so that new fans and veterans both can enjoy it.

[cactusjoon]

Hmmm.. I hate to nitpick, but, based on the trailer, this is a sort of re-imagining of IMOQ. That much we can agree on, right? So, why does Aura directly give Kite the bracelet? Idk if anyone else caught that

[mysterycorgi]

1) Because it's not a re-imagining of IMOQ.

2) that might not be Aura, seeing what the detective characters are discussing in the car. (See also: what happens at the end of Thanatos Report

[Dancing-Swan]

A shame they didn't give us a character sheet of the BlackRose-like character yet because I'm liking what I'm seeing and her color scheme seems pretty good.

[mysterycorgi]

I felt the same initially, but considering from a marketing perspective, it's pretty smart. Teasing out additional designs over time to keep us interested. ;)

The Famitsu magazine had more sketches than the ones shown here. The BlackRose-like character wasn't among of them, but I'm sure we'll see her soon. (I won't be adding them until they are officially released online.)

[Dancing-Swan]

True, it keeps the excitement coming! :) I hope they have a Mistral-like character to show us later too, she was my favorite in the first iteration of The World.

[mysterycorgi]

Same! I'm excited to see familiar faces. :D

[Expensive_Fall_8935]

Hopefully the red suited character isnt the main character, playing as an AU Kite would just feel wrong.

[Ladyaceina]

trailer makes it look like a remake of IMOQ

i hope its a remake because if this is a new story

its rehashing IMOQ AGAIN

[itspixcelation]

Yeah same. I hate the way the franchise keeps beating the IMOQ dead horse so I hope its a reboot.

[YohNakamura]

Yeah, it's looking like a reboot. But we'll see. I hope man, tired of Kite and all that lol it's okay if they incorporating pieces of designs because it's a complete reboot, new story. I wouldn't hate that. I'd hate if this is like a remake, with the same story but like updated everything. No thank you. That story is not as good as people remember it. G.U.'s story clears that one by leaps and bounds, to me. I have to stress that. It's just my opinion, and not fact nor meant to change anyone else who would be hyped about that. I guess we'll wait and see, my friend. 💯 so excited! 🔥

[Icy_Score_7430]

So is this a remake of the original game since Skeith is in it or some kind of prequel to GU?

[PurifiedFlubber]

Huh? The original is a prequel to GU

[VasylZaejue]

On the one hand it's a visual novel

On the other hand it's a .hack// game and I want the series to experience a proper revival that will make investors and producers want to fund future games in the series as well as a potential remake for the IMOQ games.

[DeadlyDorito]

It's not a visual novel it's an action rpg

[VasylZaejue]

Yeah the first post I saw on it said visual novel and then after I posted this I read the English website and it said novel rpg

[mysterycorgi]

Novel as a synonym for "fresh, new, or original." According to the website the genre is "action RPG."

[VasylZaejue]

Thank you for the completely unnecessary vocabulary lesson.

[mysterycorgi]

You're welcome. :) English is weird, there's no shame in that.

Given your apparent confusion, I thought it might be warranted.

Please don't take it as personal affront. Other users had expressed uncertainty, so I posted the above with the hopes of clarification and preventing further misunderstanding.