.hack

.hack is an ongoing Japanese multimedia series set in the early 21st century. Project .hack launched in 2002 as a Playstation 2 game called .hack//INFECTION and the accompanying anime series .hack//SIGN. .hack Conglomerate encompasses a series of three PlayStation 2 games called .hack//G.U., as well as an anime series called .hack//Roots. In August of 2008, Bandai announced acquisition of a feature-length .hack//G.U. Trilogy anime film. Anime News Network: Bandai Entertainment... (August 8, 2008)

In .hack, most of the world is connected to the Internet. Users of a popular online role-playing game called The World are mysteriously falling into comas while playing. The .hack series reveals different pieces of the mystery of The World; when put together, they explain what is actually occurring within the game.

Project .hack takes place during the original version of The World, while .hack Conglomerate takes place in The World R:2.