.hack//Z.E.R.O. was a very surprising announcement for RPG fans, and a new Famitsu interview with CyberConnect2 president Hiroshi Matsuyama has revealed some more interesting details about the upcoming action RPG. According to translations of the interview by Final Weapon staff writer and translator Ryuji, CyberConnect2 has been preparing the .hack//Z.E.R.O. project “under the water’s surface” for about the past 10 years or so, and the studio has been involved in all aspects of the game under the permission of Bandai Namco.
Matsuyama notes that the development of .hack//Z.E.R.O. is very unusual for the industry, since CyberConnect2 isn’t the IP holder but has full direction over the game. In the past, a producer from Bandai Namco would set the overall direction of .hack with CyberConnect2, with the IP holder having the final call.
What’s more, CyberConnect2 is moving forward with the project with a new team comprising of veterans who worked on previous .hack games and younger staff who grew up playing the games. The development of the Fuga: Melodies of Steel series and the “Revenge trilogy” served as the groundwork for .hack//Z.E.R.O.’s development system. The Revenge trilogy consisted of Fuga, Tokyo Ogre Gate and Cecile.
“We’re moving forward with a new team that mixes veterans who have worked on previous .hack titles with younger staff who grew up playing games. Projects such as Fuga and the ‘Revenge trilogy’ served as a sort of groundwork for establishing the development system for .hack//Z.E.R.O.”
The story of .hack//Z.E.R.O. is not connected to previous .hack titles, so newcomers can jump right into this game without prior knowledge. Matsuyama didn’t reveal finer details about the premise of the story, but he did mention that the game will emphasis “real drama,” or in other words, the story that takes place in real world. Previous installments had e-mail systems and bulletin boards to give a sense of reality, but CyberConnect2 plans to deepen “humanity’s drama” and portray it thoroughly.
To avoid any confusion from diehard .hack fans, Matsuyama stated that .hack//Z.E.R.O. is not related to the .hack//ZERO novel by author Yokote Michiko and artist Ryojun Kawashima.
The Famitsu interview also teases that there will be more details in the March 5, 2026 edition of Weekly Famitsu magazine, which releases on February 19 in Japan.
