UPDATE: 2023/03/12 15:36 EST BY MATTHEW SCHOMER
No new project is set in stone.
Since the first publishing of this article, the original translator has issued a clarification. Due to "overlapping speech," Hiroshi Matsuyama was lated quoted on stage (via translation) as saying "I wish I could say it was, though! An announcement at this timing would’ve been nice! I think your assistant on the other side is probably in a frenzy right now. The development of the .hack series will depend on everyone’s support, so I hope you can continue to support the series in the future!”
A new project in the .hack (pronounced "dot hack") franchise is in the works at Bandai Namco. The announcement came during the RPG franchise's 20th anniversary livestream on Sunday, which Bandai Namco broadcast via its official YouTube account.
Although the majority of the hour-long celebration consisted of musical entertainment, there were also a number of interview segments with people who have been connected with the series over its two-decade run. During one on these segments, Hiroshi Matsuyama, who has several developer credits with .hack, responded to a question about the franchise's future, saying "About the .hack series, a new project is currently in development!" (Thanks to NoisyPixel for the translation).
Unfortunately, that brief statement was all that was provided regarding the new project, and it's unclear whether it will be an upcoming video game, an anime series, or something else entirely. Bandai Namco (then just Bandai) released five interconnected .hack roleplaying games for the PlayStation 2 between June 2002 and November 2005. Of these, only the first four — .hack//Infection, .hack//Mutation, .hack//Outbreak, and .hack//Quarantine — later received western releases, while the MMORPG .hack//frägment never left Japan. Several other games have followed, an action RPG trilogy, .hack//G.U., which debuted in 2006, and a fighting game, .hack Versus, released in 2012.
That being said, .hack also has a presence in a number of other media, including anime, manga, novels, and even a trading card game. The first anime, .hack//sign, debut its initial run in 2002, just like the original game series, and it gained popularity in the west via the English dub's inclusion in Cartoon Network's Toonami programming block.
Set in the far-off future year of 2010, the series revolves around a popular and mysterious MMORPG called The World. Not unlike the more recent Sword Art Online, much of the action takes place in the game-within-a-game setting.
For his part, Matsuyama has a long history with .hack, so it seems like his word is good. He is the CEO of CyberConnect2, the studio that developed the previous .hack games. However, that doesn't automatically indicate that the new project will be a game, as he has also directed two .hack films, has provided his vocal talents to character work, and has credits with high-profile anime including Naruto and Dragon Ball.