.hack comprises "Project .hack" and ".hack Conglomerate". It is a Japanese multimedia franchise primarily developed by CyberConnect2 and published by Bandai. The franchise is set on an Earth with an alternate history. In this timeline, a new version of the Internet arises following a major global computer network disaster in 2005. Central to the premise is a mystery about the wildly popular in-universe video game, The World. As most of the story takes place within The World, characters typically play and interact as their avatars.
