Developer talks about the world of .hack – .hack//Outbreak Complete Guide INTERVIEW (Translation)

Disclaimer: The following article is a non-profit fan translation, all .hack title series are owned by CyberConnect 2 and Bandai Namco Entertainment.

.hack//Outbreak Complete Guide (2002) -Interview- Translation

Developer talks about the world of .hack

The .hack project is being developed in various media.
Two people involved in the development of the game version, who play a central role in the project, spoke passionately about .hack (series).
The interview is packed with information about the thinking behind the work, secret stories from the game’s production, and the future of the project.

For the birth of .hack

For the benefit of new users, could you provide an overview of “.hack” once again?

Uchiyama: Originally, we talked about making games. We weren’t producing anything other than character games, but we were told that if we were going to make an RPG, why don’t we try to make an original RPG? We were told that if we were going to make an RPG, we should try to make an original RPG. So we started making an RPG with CyberConnect2, who wanted to make an original game, and that’s how “.hack” was born. At that time, the project wasn’t called “.hack” yet and was a mysterious project. We had decided on a future story with a network flavor, so we asked Kazunori Ito to join us at that time and we worked hard on the scenario. At first, we didn’t plan to include voices, but when we saw the footage, we thought it would be too difficult, so we did a re-recording. Once the voices were in, we wanted to see them in an anime, and that’s how we got the idea to make a TV animation called “.hack//SIGN”. When we were making this game, we felt that we should create an environment where users couldn’t wait for the release date and wanted to immerse themselves in this world, so we decided to try all sorts of interesting things. We created one “.hack” box for various media, with the game as the center, but also novels here, TV animations there, manga there, and so on, to expand the entry points. Then, people who enter through manga will become interested in games, and people who enter through games will become interested in anime. We don’t care where the entry point is, we just want people to enjoy the world of “.hack”.

Matsuyama: CyberConnect2 is a seven-year-old company, and we’ve been working with Bandai since our first game “Tail Concerto” and our second game “Silent Bomber,” because they were the easiest games to work on (laughs), but they weren’t successful from Bandai’s perspective. When “Silent Bomber” was finished, just eight months before the PlayStation 2 was to come out, there were internal talks of making the next game for the PlayStation 2. The first proposal we made at the time was for a 3D action game called ‘The Great Thief Forteprotze‘. But Bandai told me that the previous two games were not commercially successful, so this was my last chance to make another game. Anyway, Bandai told us that they would allow us to make an original game for the PlayStation 2 as our last chance, so we had to think of a title that would be a success for Bandai (laughs). Since we are a software house, of course, we had to talk to many different clients. We had started working with other companies before, but we said internally that we owed Bandai a favor, or rather, we would wait to work with other companies without any results. So, the titles we’ll be working on from now on should be different from the way we’ve been making them up until now. For most kids, Bandai is a toy company. If we wanted to establish a relationship with Bandai, we had to start from that point. So I was allowed to make another proposal, and when I asked Bandai to chime in, there were two or three changes, and the fourth proposal I made was for a “.hack” game. From there, we started talking about working with Kazunori Ito as a scriptwriter, making it into four volumes, having an OVA for each volume, and so on. That was only three years ago.

Why did you choose a four-volume structure?

Uchiyama: “.hack//SIGN” also said from the beginning that there would be nine volumes, and there were also OVA titles presented in a six-volume structure. I wonder why things that are commonplace in anime can’t be done in games when they are both works of entertainment. This is a new experiment because until now the game has not been able to confirm when the next volume will be released, just like anime or comic DVDs, so that you can enjoy the game in series.

About online games

Why did you choose the online gaming motif?

Matsuyama: When I wrote the proposal for Treasure Hacker, the world was just at a time when online games such as DIABLO, EVER QUEST, and Ultima Online were said to have entered their prime age, offering new games on new hardware. However, the users of these games were middle school and high school students. When we thought about it three years later, we thought that the time had not yet come, and it was still possible to sell games at the right time.

Uchiyama: I think the fun part of online games is that it’s not the computer that reacts, but if the user doesn’t use their mind or play with a specific purpose, then there’s no excitement generated. In the case of fake online games, I think they have their advantages. The fact that you can throw yourself into a story with an online flavor without worrying about anything is a good thing.

Matsuyama: On the contrary, I think this is the weak point of online games. Online games don’t have a story, right? It’s a story that you create as the protagonist of the drama. Japanese people are not as active as Americans and don’t have that kind of fun. So I thought it would be an interesting style to give the game an online flavor right from the start, and at the same time have a strong narrative from Kazunori Ito, the scriptwriter, so that you can enjoy the game in that context.

Uchiyama: We don’t reject online either. Online is, and those who are suitable for it can play like that. Those who find it a bit inconvenient or can’t easily press the reset button can play fake games (laughs). Of course, we don’t think of online games vs fake online games.

Even people who play online games have the opinion that .hack is interesting.

Matsuyama: I used to say .hack to kids who wanted to play online games, but couldn’t, for example, due to financial reasons or family circumstances (laughs). If these kids play .hack, they can get a sense of what online gaming is like, and they can also talk about it. And for those who have played a lot of online games, I want them to play in a parodic way, like, “Oh, yeah, I’ve seen this before”. Of course, we have an ulterior motive, which is to reach both audiences. The real world is also presented in the anime, so instead of a fake online world, it’s more of an all-encompassing world where you can enjoy both the real world and the online world.

Uchiyama: I think this shouldn’t be science fiction – science fiction doesn’t convey a real sense of crisis. The world is in the future, so, of course, the environment in which we play network games has evolved, but the players in the real world are a very important element in the dual structure of “.hack”. When we talk about how the characters fighting the bugs and monsters lurking on the network are, by showing their faces in the real world of “.hack”, it’s not much different from now, is it? It seems like they consider this normal. This is a future that is closer to us than the near future, and I think that the users feel that they are an extension of the same people as us. So, there was a story in South Korea about a fight that happened because people were playing too many games, and when you see news like that, the events in “.hack” can be fed back to the current real world, and you can feel that it would be dangerous if it happened in real life. That’s the beauty of “.hack”. It allows people to feel the danger of the network up close.

Matsuyama: “.hack” is hard to talk about when explaining to people about this type of game. It takes a lot of time to explain it. So if you make it a real future, you also have to explain it. People who play this game can’t sort it out in their heads. It’s a future that can be easily imagined and is quite familiar to us. I think that in a realistic time setting, Mr. Ito’s flavor comes across well, and I think that’s a good thing.

How did the title change from ‘Treasure Hackers’ to ‘.hack’?

Matsuyama: (Looking at Uchiyama-san) You said you didn’t like it (laughs).

Uchiyama: Because ‘Treasure Hacker’ is a cheap name …… (laughs).

Matsuyama: Yeah, they said no because it’s cheesy. The title also had to be something that would make people think, “What is that?” We came up with about 100 ideas.

「.」(dot) is not readable if you are not using the internet or computer?

Matsuyama: I couldn’t read it. Everyone calls it a ‘hack’.

Uchiyama: Well, we started from scratch and no one knew what to do, so we decided to create an impactful name and an impactful logo. For the first six months or so, I tried to get people to remember the logo through its design. Once the design was in their heads and they knew a little bit about the work, when they saw the logo, they would start reading “.hack”. It’s like you remember it visually. Now, this is the best. Also, a lot of dot-com companies went bankrupt, and I think ‘dot’ is a good and dangerous word (laughs).

Matsuyama: The title “.hack” is the same, as is the logo, but the positive effect of various aspects is that, when a project becomes this big, there are parts of the game that were not planned to be drawn, and strange connections are born. We try to incorporate those things into the game. Kids love that kind of thing, don’t they? When I was a kid, I liked to read things deeply. That’s why I made the game while thinking about things, such as the meaning of the hexagon and the meaning of the title “.hack” itself.

Is there a secret to this hexagon?

Matsuyama: That’s a secret.

Uchiyama: Well, I am not thinking about it.

Matsuyama: I am thinking about it! (laughs).

Where is that obvious?

Uchiyama: Well, we’ll see. I think this will become clear in the not-too-distant future.

Production process

Various changes have been made since ‘Vol. 1 (Infection)’.

Matsuyama: I made Vol.1 thinking that I could keep going like this. However, as we got closer to the completion date, Bandai naturally asked us if we could do better, and the biggest thing was the feedback from users after the game was released. This was the biggest thing. We also heard a lot of complaints from users after the game was released (laughs). (laughs) Since we released the game after a long release period, there was no way we couldn’t respond to them. We wanted to improve the good parts of Vol. 1 (Infection), and we wanted to improve the weak parts. So we worked until the last minute, and we managed to make Vol. 2 (Mutation) compatible with the game.

I thought the production period was short, but the progress was four at once.

Uchiyama: Yes, it was simultaneous.

Matsuyama: The team working on Vol.1 was completely focused on Vol.1. Meanwhile, some people were already working on adjustments for Vol.2 while still on Vol.1, and a few were even doing a bit on Vol.3. So, things were pretty chaotic on the ground. There was a long period where everyone was working in parallel. For example, if we made a change in Vol.1, we had to decide whether to implement that in Vol.2 as well. Coordinating all the feedback was difficult because there were a lot of data handoffs happening along the way. Bandai also has an American branch called Bandai America, and they requested that we work on the American version of .hack at the same time. So, besides Vol.1 (Infection), Vol.2 (Mutation), Vol.3 (Outbreak), and Vol.4 (Quarantine), we were also working on the American version of Vol.1. It was hectic (laughs).

What’s the American version like?

Matsuyama: We showed off the American version at E3 in May of this year (2002), and while I don’t mean to brag, the response was very positive. Even though we didn’t release anything or provide any information, users have already created their websites (laughs). (laughs) The idea of an RPG with a network motif is universal, isn’t it? It’s also a big reason why Americans are more familiar with it than the Japanese, especially since it was created by Sadamoto-san. People who love Japanimation, such as Ghost in the Shell and Evangelion, will love this crown. The American version is for users who love Japanimation, so we also included Japanese audio. The text is in English and the audio is in English, but you can switch to Japanese at any time. That got a great response. Around E3 time, we were just waiting for the Japanese version of Vol. 1 to go on sale in June, and we were planning to reflect the demand from Vol. 1 in Vol. 2, but Bandai America found out about this (laughs). They asked us to make the American version of Vol.1 into the Japanese version of Vol.2. In short, they asked us to make it with specifications that would satisfy their wishes.

So, the concept of attribute resistance is also in “Vol.1” for the American version?

Matsuyama: Yes, it’s there from the start. The screen action is also very dynamic. The quality of Vol.1 the American version is on par with Japan’s Vol.2, or even higher. There are also weapons and items created specifically for the American version. We’re a company that cares about our American users too (laughs).

Uchiyama: But that doesn’t mean we’re neglecting the Japanese version or anything like that. For the Japanese version, we set the release timing from the beginning, so players could enjoy its link with the anime while playing. I think the timing was ideal in that sense. Instead of forcing a lot of elements all at once, we chose to update it gradually in a series. We’re carefully reflecting user feedback and giving them a way to enjoy it as a complete media experience, rather than focusing on small specifications. Ultimately, the satisfaction or the enjoyment of the comfortable .hack world is something unique to the Japanese version.

The character’s expressions seem smooth and realistic, but it turns out a lot of research has been done, right?

Matsuyama: We are doing a tremendous amount of research. This skilled producer is very strict about such visuals (laughs). It wasn’t just us; we also had Sadamoto-san involved, working together. When Sadamoto-san’s designs were completed, we repeatedly tried to recreate them. First, Kite was finished and built using polygons, and when we posed the expressions, hair, and proportions, we were told that it wasn’t good (laughs). He said, “My character closes their eyes like this,” among various other things. I love Sadamoto-san. So, it was a lot of fun when we were creating it. Since Sadamoto-san is an animator, we felt like we were half stealing their know-how regarding that.

Kite has expressions that are unique to adolescence, doesn’t he?

Uchiyama: His heart is stirred, right?

Matsuyama: That’s right. Sadamoto-san paid a lot of attention to Kite’s proportions. He wanted to create a character with proportions more like those in the manga world, not a realistic human aged 12, 13, or 14. He isn’t a character who is a bit taller, nor is he a character with a three-head proportion. Simply put, he is a character with a lower proportion than Shinji-kun from Neon Genesis Evangelion. We wanted to achieve the best balance with this character. We also made sure to check several times. One difficult aspect was the hairstyle. In 3D, you can’t lie; what’s shown doesn’t just disappear, right? We talked about this with Sadamoto-san, for example, airplane wings: when flying, you can’t see the opposite side when viewed from the side, right? But animators draw the wings with the reasoning that even if the opposite wing isn’t visible, it’s cooler if it’s seen. In polygons, that’s too serious, so it lacks fun. We had discussions like game developers vs. animators (laughs). We couldn’t morph every cut or every scene, so we made it so that it looks like that shape from any angle, but the cut that stands out the most is here. Therefore, there’s also a cut that shines the most for Kite. From the diagonal right and diagonal left, and directly from the front. The weak angle is from the back. You probably understand (laughs). However, there, the protagonist shouldn’t speak with his back. He speaks with his eyes (laughs).

How were the characters created?

Matsuyama: The character concepts were born from discussions with Ito-san. This time, the style of the protagonist, Kite, is not the typical involved type. For example, unlike other RPGs or stories, where there’s a character who takes the lead and pulls others along, he is not that type. He is a character who progresses at the same pace while experiencing empathy. Therefore, the companions around him are designed to be characters rich in individuality, which can be described in one word. When a character like this is formed, we start thinking about what this person does. I think this is unique to hack; we first think in terms of the real world. “Isn’t he the captain of the naginata club?” “What’s that?” from there. It’s a random thought. It’s just an image. Then, in the game world? “Maybe he’s a spear user,” and that’s how each character was developed.

Piros’s model is Matsuyama-san, isn’t it?

Matsuyama: He was born from discussions with Ito-san about the positioning and roles of each character. For example, if there’s a door or a button, users will want to press it, right? If you design events in such a way, by tempting the users, they will become curious and fall into traps there, so we discussed that this way of designing is not good. “Anyone can understand that.” “No, I don’t understand,” we had that exchange, and Ito-san told me that I was the only one who didn’t get it. So, since he insisted so much, we decided to create and introduce a character like that. He’s a character who always presses the buttons that shouldn’t be pressed and gets caught in traps, and his name is Piroshi (laughs). That was the trigger. So, he’s a character that could be considered a troublemaker. I didn’t expect we would keep using the name Piroshi until the end (laughs). That was Ito-san’s idea.

Uchiyama: Piros’s presence served as a sort of breather or a way to lighten things up. In heavy stories like this, Piros usually appears in silly contexts, right? When there’s a tough situation, we could ask, “What would Piros do?” So, we used Piros as a gauge to measure the seriousness or lack thereof of the situation.

In “Vol.3,” Elk and Mistral are missing, right? Does Mistral’s absence hold any particular significance?

Matsuyama: At the end of “Vol.2,” the network crisis occurs, right? To ensure that users recognize the seriousness of that event and to convey the magnitude of the enemies the protagonist will face in “Vol.3,” we needed to create a situation where there was a hole in the chest. We had to establish a state of isolation without help, where everyone was gone and would not return. If we didn’t do this, each story would feel too light.

I heard that Matsuyama-san is the creator of Puchiguso.

Matsuyama: That’s right. While designing the game “The World,” I was thinking about what the folks at CC Company in San Diego might be considering. In other words, while discussing the concept with Ito-san, we initially decided to base it on Celtic mythology. However, since just using Celtic elements felt boring, I studied various Celtic books, including Norse mythology. Among the things I learned was about a god that sits cross-legged, and its design was very interesting. It’s a snake that bites its own feet. So I decided to create this as a god within “The World.” Although I designed it myself, it turned out looking bad, a terrible-looking snake (laughs). So I named it Hebiguso. I created a god called Hebiguso and set it up as a civilization in the background, writing a lot about it. I wanted to build a unique world with an image that was one of a kind. Eventually, I wanted to introduce it as a monster. I drew about ten illustrations of the character Hebiguso as a monster. When I entered it into the monster competition, we discussed it, but everyone said it looked indistinguishable from a lizard, so it got completely rejected (laughs). I was responsible for the background and created the town for “.hack,” but while making the town, I wanted to do something with Hebiguso. In Takayama city, there are usually images of sheep and such. I wanted something as a mascot, so I decided to forcibly include it. I designed it myself, created the model, and painted and applied the textures. In our company, the model and the animation are handled by different people. So I caught the person responsible for animation and said, “You need to add the animation now,” and I caught the programmer in charge of the town and told him, “Make this visible and have it walk from here to there” (laughs).

Uchiyama: It’s not desirable. Doing something like that can disrupt the chain of command, you know? (laughs)

Matsuyama: It’s something we shouldn’t do, but we forced it and introduced it. Naturally, this brings the character to life, so it’s good for the town. We decided to create ten types with different textures without changing the polygon count. I designed most of them myself, but to make it more interesting, we created a sheet to reflect everyone’s opinions. On that sheet, I drew the current image of Puchiguso, with a front view and a side view, and wrote down the internal development conditions, distributing that paper throughout the company. I said, “Please have it ready by tomorrow.” Since there would be ten types anyway, we wanted a variety that wouldn’t have a single mistake, so we selected from what was created. Thus, we ended up with ten exceptional ones.

Are the voices of Puchiguso and Puchiguso’s food possibly from the development team?

Matsuyama: The food voice is from us. At first, it was just that sound “biyoyoyoyon.” When the player approaches the food, it locks with a “kin” sound, right? Then it turned around to face us, and I wanted it to say “Mandragora!” when it turned. But by the time I thought of that, the voice recording was already over, and there were no voice actors available. So, I said, “Gather the singers!” (laughs). I’m the one saying it too.

By the way, Matsuyama-san, which line did you voice?

Matsuyama: …… The golden egg. “Golden Egg.”

Uchiyama: That’s the hardest one to hear.

Matsuyama: I wanted them to use it raw. But since that wasn’t interesting enough, I recorded it as “Golden Eeeegg.” After processing, it became “Godee” (laughs).

Uchiyama: It was already good enough to not need processing, but you processed it anyway.

Matsuyama: That’s right. I was the only one who did that. Sometimes there are hard-to-hear ones, and that’s me. The easy-to-hear ones are our innocent staff. Also, there are wild Puchiguso on the day server, right? The Sussy-chan behind the Puchiguso farm, that’s me too.

About the Event

In the SIGN event, only Kite can see the illusions of the anime characters, right? Is there a reason for that?

Matsuyama: Since Kite is the protagonist, he has the bracelet, right? So, one of the abilities of that bracelet is to glimpse into past visuals. He’s capturing the strong residual thoughts left in “The World.”

Uchiyama: Specifically, is the bracelet pulling the logs?

Matsuyama: Data-wise, that’s how it works. There’s a setup in which the server exists, so past logs are present.

The characters speak lines that are the same as those in the anime, but how were those lines chosen?

Matsuyama: Those are lines from “.hack//SIGN” that resonated with us. We selected lines from “.hack//SIGN” that users would hear and think, “Oh, yes, this is ‘.hack//SIGN’.” That’s enough; everyone already understands. There are quite a few lines that make people think, “Did they really said that?” We chose parts that relate to Tsukasa and Silver Knight.

It’s exciting for fans of the anime to obtain weapons from the characters, isn’t it?

Matsuyama: That’s right. However, we made the weapons a bit complex. For example, “Sora’s Twin Swords.” It has the “Dying” effect, but its occurrence frequency is extremely low. Normal attacks miss the target. However, since Kite swings his sword a lot, the “Dying” effect appears more often than expected, so in the end, it’s quite strong.

Speaking of weapons, there’s a weapon in “Vol.3” called “Yoshida-san (26)” …

Matsuyama: That’s a weapon crafted with great care.

Uchiyama: That’s a sick weapon, isn’t it? (laughs) What exactly is that?

Matsuyama: In our team, whenever we create items like weapons, armor, monsters, and the world itself, we always hold competitions. For example, if there’s a graphics leader or director who controls all aspects of the world, it inevitably becomes predictable. So, we want ideas to come from a broad range of sources. Since there are newcomers, giving them a chance to participate in the competition ignites their enthusiasm. They end up creating much more than someone in a higher position might, who might just say, “Isn’t this good enough?” and submit one piece. Sure, when you look at each piece individually, they might not be great, but that motivation is a plus for development. We also held a competition for naming and designing weapons and armor. The guiding principle for our decisions was to “avoid anything that looks too much like an RPG, and come up with something that no one has ever thought of before.” As time went on, the competition became a bit chaotic, with people saying things like, “That’s not a weapon!” (laughs). From that chaos, a miracle occurred, and “Yoshida-san (26)” was born. We don’t have anyone named Yoshida-san on our staff.

Uchiyama: I’m glad. I was worried that it might only be well-received internally, which would be a bit concerning.

Matsuyama: It was another moment where we were told it was the last chance (laughs).

TV Anime, OVA, Manga

I had the impression that the same voice actors from the anime were involved, but actually, it’s the other way around; the voice actors from the game appeared in the anime.

Matsuyama: It’s because the auditions for the game and the anime were held together. They were almost at the same time. I wonder why we did it together! (laughs)

Uchiyama: The manga had started in development earlier, but in terms of progress, the game came first. So we ended up hurriedly making the anime.

The manga comes after the game, right?

Uchiyama: It was opposed at first. For example, like “Gundam,” if there isn’t a world expansive enough to fill a dictionary, what does the old story mean? However, starting with the comic and having the legendary characters seen in the manga later feedback into the TV anime and the game is an interesting approach, I think.

People who think the flow is from anime to game will be surprised.

Uchiyama: I think that’s a pleasant surprise. When they discover it, they’ll feel like, “Wow, I didn’t see that coming!”

Matsuyama: I think this is the biggest difference compared to other media mixes. In other media mixes, you typically have a popular manga, and because it’s popular, they decide to make an anime, and once the anime is successful, they create a game. That’s been the flow so far. Games take time to create, right? So having this game come first is significant. If done in other ways, you would have only ended up with games as games, anime as anime, and manga as manga. However, because it originated from a game, you find answers from the anime within the game, and answers from the comic within the anime, with each medium also hiding answers from the game. This is a bit further down the line, but a character from “.hack//SIGN” will eventually join as a companion. After all, the appeal of the media mix lies in its interconnectedness. We’re making this a project where many can experience that.

In OVA “Vol.3,” the setting is Hida Takayama. What was the reason for choosing Hida Takayama?

Uchiyama: This is Ito’s personal preference. The first setting was in Kanazawa because Ito knows the city well. Hida Takayama is similar. The scenarios inspired by the streets of Hida Takayama likely came from Ito’s frequent visits there, and I think he enjoyed writing about it.

Matsuyama: Having diverse locations across Japan makes it more interesting. While it could be set solely in Tokyo, this is about the internet, and everyone lives in different places, right? Each person has their own life and identity. To bring out that reality, I thought it would be better for the story to shift between Kanazawa, Yokohama, Hida Takayama, and Tokyo. This approach is something we can do because of “.hack,” so we decided to go with it.

It feels like a tour of sightseeing spots.

Matsuyama: Each volume has its theme, and that’s how we’re making the OVAs. OVA “Vol.1” is the beginning of the story, but OVA “Vol.2” has a suspenseful, slightly action-oriented feel to it. And for OVA “Vol.3,” it’s more about localized mysteries.

Uchiyama: It has that Yokomizo Seishi vibe, doesn’t it?

Matsuyama: Exactly. It doesn’t have as much action as OVA “Vol.2,” but OVA “Vol.3” has a lot of information.

Uchiyama: It dives into the story related to “The Epitaph of the Twilight.”

Matsuyama: Finally, Ichiro Sato makes his appearance! That’s how it feels from our perspective. There’s a mention of “Bith of the Black”, and “Bith of the White.” This is interesting. Look forward to OVA “Vol.4” as well!

In OVA “Vol. 4,” will all the mysteries be solved?

Matsuyama: Yes, they will be solved, and the connection to the game is strong as well. There’s also the fact that we’ve drawn this much to achieve that (laughs).

Across the game and the OVA, is there any correlation in the relationships between characters?

Uchiyama: Absolutely, there is. Of course, there are also characters without those connections.

Matsuyama: We’ve designed it so that it can still be enjoyed even after Vol. 4 ends.

From now on, .hack

What has changed in Vol. 4?

Matsuyama: Well, starting with Vol. 1, Vol. 2 had a complete system overhaul, and Vol. 3 added side events and mini-games to make things more enjoyable. But with Vol. 4, we put in 100% effort to bring everything to a grand conclusion. We focused our energy on crafting it to answer everything, so there aren’t any major additions or changes to the system or mini-games. Instead, it’s filled with love (laughs).

Uchiyama: What makes Vol. 4 the most enjoyable for those who have followed along until now isn’t the mini-games, nor is it another big change to the combat they got used to in Vol. 3. Rather than trying to impress newcomers to Vol. 4 with a “wow” factor, we put our energy into creating something that would bring tears to those who have stuck with Vol. 1, Vol. 2, and Vol. 3.

Matsuyama: We created Vol. 4 as a thank-you to the fans. I think it’s designed to make you cry. Even as we were making it, it was deeply moving.

Are there any benefits from raising the affection level?

Matsuyama: Since it’s Vol. 4, we’ve saved a final special treat for everyone, available with all characters. It follows the flow of the email combo system, but if you max out the affection level by Vol. 4, you’ll receive a final email. When you read that email, it’s designed to make you feel glad you’ve been with that character from Vol. 1 through Vol. 4.

Will the story end with the game Vol. 4?

Uchiyama: The storyline involving Morganna, which began with .hack//SIGN, comes to an end here. I think the way Vol. 4 concludes is extremely important, so those who have followed the story until now won’t be left confused.

Matsuyama: The resolution happens here. It’s surprisingly good, even for something we created.

Uchiyama: It is good.

Matsuyama: Truly, it’s great. We put so much energy into creating it, giving it our all. I think we’ve made something that will make people think, “They went this far!” It’s an ending you can enjoy. The story undeniably reaches a proper conclusion, and all the answers are there. I felt truly satisfied as we made it.

Lastly, could you share the future outlook for .hack?

Uchiyama: The TV anime version of the comic is starting in January. This story is separate from the Morganna incident, but it will be the first time we’ll see Kite’s design animated. It’s slightly stylized, and he’s modeled as Shugo. BlackRose is also there, though her model previously appeared as Mimiru in .hack//SIGN. But this will be the first time Kite moves in animation.

Matsuyama: We hope you’ll look forward to it.

Finally, a message for the fans.

Uchiyama: Thank you very much for sticking with us through Vol. 3.

Matsuyama: May the stars shine above you!

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