CyberConnect2 has mainly been known for creating licensed anime games such as Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles, the Naruto Ultimate Ninja series, and several Dragon Ball games, including Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. However, the studio has been branching out to create new original IP, as well as dipping its toes into self-publishing.

CyberConnect2 recently wrapped up the Fuga: Melodies of Steel trilogy, in which the games were fully self-published. With the lessons the studio has learned, the team is now developing a new entry in the .hack series, .hack//Z.E.R.O. This is the very first game in the series that’s being self-published by CyberConnect2 with the blessing of Bandai Namco Entertainment.

During Anime Expo 2026, we got a chance to sit down with CyberConnect2 VP Taichirō Miyazaki to discuss the challenges of self-publishing, its upcoming slate of games, and what the future holds for franchises like .hack and Fuga: Melodies of Steel.

You’ve had an extensive relationship with Bandai Namco over the years. How did you convince them to let you publish .hack//Z.E.R.O.?

Taichirō Miyazaki: While we do own some of the rights to the .hack franchise, the majority of the rights lie with Bandai Namco Entertainment. However, we as developers have worked with Bandai Namco for many titles over many years, and during that period, the .hack series didn’t move forward much. However, as we approached our 30th anniversary, we wanted to take on new challenges. One of those challenges was self-publishing, and that took the form of Fuga: Melodies of Steel. After the challenge of self-publishing, what came naturally to us was to do something with .hack.

Obviously, it’s a series that is very near and dear to our hearts. So when it came time to discuss what we wanted to do with .hack to Bandai Namco Entertainment, they were very supportive and gave us a pat on the back as we went along with it. Of course, because rights were involved, there was a lot of technical talk and contracts were signed, but in the end, we were able to get their permission.

What are some of the different challenges you’ve experienced with self-publishing, rather than having someone like Bandai or Sega?

MIYAZAKI: Over the course of self-publishing, we felt gratitude towards our publishers for all the work they’ve done with us in the past that we were not fully aware of. Right now, we’re mostly working with Bandai Namco Entertainment and Aniplex. But when you work with the publisher, they do things like adjust release dates for each platform and adjust prices for each region for you.

There are rules and conventions that need to be observed across every different iteration, platform, and storefront. Checking these and making sure they’re all correct, in the right place, and following the rules involves a lot of moving parts. That is something that we didn’t understand, but having experienced these moving parts for ourselves, we really have newfound respect and gratitude for the publishers that we do work with on a daily basis.

You’re done with the Fuga trilogy. CyberConnect2 has two other games in development, as part of the C5 initiative from 2018 to create a new IP. The games are Cecile and Tokyo Ogre Gate. What are the statuses for both of them?

MIYAZAKI: When it comes to Cecile and Tokyo Ogre Gate, things are underway, but things don’t usually go the way you plan them. Cecile is currently under development. When it comes to Tokyo Ogre Gate, it was actually developed to a fairly decent point. However, after reviewing what was created, it felt a bit lacking in what made CyberConnect2 “work.” So this is going to be brought back to the drawing board and then reworked at a later time into something that’s more “us.”

If you follow perfumes, it’s similar to a brand’s DNA. You can feel the essence of the brand, and what happened with Tokyo Ogre Gate was that at a certain point in development, we looked back and realized that it lacked that “CyberConnect2 DNA.”

While you work on your original IP, and .hack//Z.E.R.O., will you continue to work on new licensed games?

MIYAZAKI: Yes. In-house, we usually have anywhere from eight to eleven titles in development.

A lot of the licensed games you’ve worked on are arena fighters and brawlers. You have the Demon Slayer: Hinokami Chronicles and the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm series, as well as the Jojo Bizarre Adventure games. You’ve probably developed some sort of expertise there. Have you ever thought about developing your own arena fighter as an original IP?

MIYAZAKI: When it comes to all of the series you’ve mentioned, rather than seeing them as fighting games, our intention for them has always been to be character-focused action games. When it comes to games like JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle Royal, it started as an action game, and over the years, through patches, it stood on its own as a fighting game. However, at its core, it was developed as a pure action game. In the context of these action games, an original action game is one of the things we continue to challenge ourselves with, specifically in the form of Cecile and Tokyo Ogre Gate.

With .hack//Z.E.R.O. in production, are we ever going to see a remaster of the first four games as you did for .hack//G.U. Last Recode? You have .hack//Infection, Mutation, Outbreak, and Quarantine.

MIYAZAKI: When it comes to this particular part of the .hack franchise, this is entirely Bandai Namco’s realm, so we can’t really comment on that. We encourage our fans to reach out to Bandai Namco through their official channels and let them know how you feel. With enough fans asking for it, maybe it’ll be a reality someday.

Now that you’re done with Fuga, are there any chances we could see rereleases of other games in the Little Tail Bronx series like Tail Concerto or Solatorobo: Red the Hunter? They’re stuck on older platforms.

MIYAZAKI: While we did make these games, and we would love for more people to get the chance to play them, unfortunately, the rights belong to Bandai Namco Entertainment. Again, reach out to them via their contact us forms if you’re passionate about it.