CyberConnect2 Announces .hackZ.E.R.O. Reboot

CyberConnect2, the Japanese game developer behind the long-running .hack series, announced over the weekend that it is developing .hackZ.E.R.O., the first original entry in the franchise in more than a decade. The project, revealed as part of the studio's 30th anniversary celebrations, marks a full reboot of the iconic role-playing game series and will be handled entirely in-house, from planning through publication.

The announcement came via CyberConnect2's official website and a teaser trailer, confirming that Bandai Namco Entertainment, the longtime rights holder and previous publisher for the series, has granted the studio complete permission to manage the project. This self-publishing approach allows CyberConnect2 to infuse the game with what it describes as "100 percent pure CyberConnect2 spirit." The studio, which has developed 12 .hack titles since the franchise's inception, previously collaborated closely with Bandai Namco on releases like the 2017 remaster .hack//G.U. Last Recode.

.hackZ.E.R.O. is set 10 years in the future and builds on the series' core duality between a fictional MMORPG called The World and the real-world lives of its players. Unlike earlier entries...