.hack//Z.E.R.O. Announced, CyberConnect2 Resurrects JRPG Saga

CyberConnect2 has announced .hack//Z.E.R.O. After 16 years since the last installment, with .hack//LINK for PSP (excluding the spin-off fighting game .hack//VERSUS in 2012 and the remaster .hack//G. U. Last Recode in 2017), the JRPG saga will return to its roots "for home consoles" and will be developed and published entirely in-house (with permission from Bandai Namco, which holds the rights to the IP). The game does not yet have a release date or target platforms.

In an interview with Famitsu, CyberConnect2 CEO, Hiroshi Matsuyama, stated that the name .hack//Z.E.R.O. symbolizes a new beginning for the franchise and has no connection to the visual novel of the same name by Yokote Michiko. The story will be set 10 years in the future and will revolve around the in-game MMORPG called "The World", with a particular emphasis on real-world dramas (always in-game). The latter will no longer be limited to emails and browser pages, thanks to a more substantial budget and no constraints from the publisher.

It will still be a JRPG, which will incorporate action and adventure elements, and the development team will include several series veterans. While awaiting more information, here is the announcement teaser.