Operation Backlog Completion 2026

New .hack Game Announced!

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Feb 162026
 

I thought we’d be talking about a Valentine’s Day game today, but that will have to wait for next time, because we have some exciting news to discuss.

A new .hack game has finally been announced!

That’s right, it’s really happening this time.

After the past few times we got our hopes up for .hack news only to be disappointed, I barely even considered it when I saw CyberConnect2 was going to announce a new game… and then I woke up to the announcement of .hack//Z.E.R.O.

.hack//Z.E.R.O. is a brand-new action RPG being fully developed and self-published by CyberConnect2 (instead of being published by Bandai Namco).

In an interview with Famitsu, translated here by Gematsu, CyberConnect2 CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama clarified that despite the similar title, this game is not connected to the light novel series .hack//ZERO.

He also said that the new game will more elements of real-world drama than previous entries did, despite still being focused on the in-game MMORPG “The World.”

This is exciting news. 2017’s .hack//G.U. remaster hinted at potentially a new game, but it’s been so long since then that I assumed remasters of the original 4 games were all we could expect, and even that felt increasingly unlikely. Now, with the revelation that .hack//Z.E.R.O. has been in the making for 10 years, it might have been a clue after all.

Either way, I’m looking forward to learning more about .hack//Z.E.R.O.! I’d still love for the original four to get remastered sometime, but a whole new game is even better.

What are your thoughts on the new .hack game?

Falcom to Announce Another 2026 Title in February

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Feb 022026
 

We know that Falcom intends to release the Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter remake this fall (with a new gameplay trailer recently released, although beware spoilers), but they also listed an unspecified new title for 2026.

Whatever it is, we’ll find out soon.

In a new interview, translated by Gematsu, Falcom president Toshihiro Kondo said their second 2026 title will have a “major announcement” in February.

We still don’t know what this new game will be, but a lot of fans expect it to be the Tokyo Xanadu sequel.

The sequel, set in Kyoto rather than Tokyo, was first teased back in 2024. Little has been said about it since then, so it feels like the time is right for a big announcement.

I know, I still haven’t finished Tokyo Xanadu despite having it on my to-beat list for a while now. If the sequel really is announced so, that might be just the motivation I need.

In the meantime, you’ll notice that it’s February and we’re not talking about romance games. Like last year, I’m taking a break from Celebrating All Things Romantic. I considered it, but I’m still in the middle of Hundred Line and need to play the game chosen by October’s contest winner, and piling on a whole host of romance games this month on top of that didn’t sound like a good idea.

Maybe next year will be the year! I still might try to do something specific for Valentine’s Day, though. We shall see.

Anyway, what do you expect from Falcom’s mystery announcement?

Utawarerumono: Shiro e no Michishirube Launches May 28 in Japan as the Final Utawarerumono Game

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Jan 282026
 

Utawarerumono: Shiro e no Michishirube is the upcoming new Utawarerumono game, which we last discussed in November.

It is a turn-based JRPG following Monochrome Mobius and is in development for PS5, Switch 2, and PC.

The release date for Japan has now been announced as May 28, but that’s not all we learned. From Anime News Network’s translation of a recent Famitsu interview, it is intended to be the final Utawarerumono game.

It sounds like it doesn’t necessarily rule out future entries in the series , but it will complete the story the scenario writer had planned.

According to Gematsu, the interview also revealed it will take about 35 hours to complete if you let all the voice lines play out. That feels… strangely short compared to the others, especially if it’s the last planned entry, but that might be an estimate only for the main story and the game will be longer overall. I suppose we’ll find out.

Localization hasn’t been announced yet, but I’d be surprised if this one doesn’t get picked up. (I’m still waiting for that detective spin-off, though.) In the meantime, I really need to catch up on the series by playing Mask of Truth and Monochrome Mobius!

Are you interested in the new Utawarerumono game? How do you feel about it potentially being the final game in the series?

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