A new project involving the classic Bandai Namco franchise Dot Hack (stylized as .hack) could be in the works judging by a countdown on the dothack.com website.
Reddit user u/Apprehensive_Bet1980 posted in the game’s subreddit pointing out the countdown timer, which ends on March 31, 2024 at 8 p.m. EST. According to the user, they were checking out the website after being reminded of it because of the URL promotional ads written in the original PS2 game’s case. The site features a countdown marking down the days, hours, minutes and even seconds in front of a background full of fading hexagons, while the page icon resembles the classic series logo of a white hexagon with “DOT” written on it. A quick search on the Wayback Machine shows that this domain was indeed the official website for the series from 2002 up to 2016, but the site has been down until very recently.
However, many players are skeptical about this website, mainly pointing out that neither series publisher Bandai Namco nor developer CyberConnect2 has officially released a statement about it or any new releases. Moreover, there is no sign of the current official dot hack site teasing any new developments.
The most recent release in this series was .hack//G.U. Last Recode in 2017. This was a remastered collection of the Rebirth, Reminisce, and Redemption entries originally released for PlayStation 2. Moreover, a new bonus chapter was included under the name Reconnection expanding the original story.
20 Years of the .hack Franchise
In 2022, Bandai Namco’s Dot Hack franchise celebrated its 20th anniversary with a series of special releases, including a book, commemorative artwork, music CDs and even a physical exhibition located in Tokyo. All of these materials showcased details covering the wide variety of games, anime and manga that have been part of the .hack and .hack Conglomerate projects. The most recent anniversary event was a live broadcast held on March 12, 2023, in which the group LieN performed various themes from the series.
The Dot Hack franchise centers around a game known as The World, which is beginning to trap its players in a comatose state as a group of hackers tries to figure out the truth behind the game and the strange disease. More than 20 anime series, manga, light novels and video games have been released, spanning several generations of characters with their own distinctive arcs and stories.
The remastered .hack//G.U. Last Recode collection can be played on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PC.
Source: .hack website, Reddit
