CyberConnect2 has officially announced .hack//Z.E.R.O., a new action RPG set in the beloved .hack universe. The game has been in the works for 10 years and is described as a project the studio has planned, developed, and will publish entirely on its own, a first for the series.

The .hack series has always been a collaboration between CyberConnect2 as developer and Bandai Namco Entertainment as publisher. This time around, Bandai Namco has given CyberConnect2 full permission to handle everything from planning to release. The game will be self-published by CyberConnect2, marking a significant shift in how the franchise operates. No platforms or release date have been announced yet.

.hack//Z.E.R.O. will continue that same tradition of bouncing between the virtual fantasy world and the real world, but with a bigger emphasis on real-world drama than past entries. CyberConnect2 CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama noted in an interview with Famitsu that previous games were limited in how much they could show of the real world due to budget and publisher constraints. With full creative control this time, those limits are gone.

The story is set roughly 10 years into the future of the series’ timeline. Matsuyama explained that .hack//Z.E.R.O. is meant to reflect the idea of “restarting .hack from zero.” He also confirmed it has no connection to the .hack//ZERO light novel series written by Yokote Michiko, despite the similar name.

The monochrome teaser visual was described as intentional, designed to reflect the series’ theme of duality — things like “public persona vs. inner feelings” and the contrast between real life and the game world.