At a press conference in Today Bandai today announced new details regarding its newest Media Mix project .hack//G.U. Bandai is cooperating with its subsidiaries Bandai Visuals and Bandai Networks as well as publisher Kadokawa Shoten, TV Tokyo, development studio CyberConnect2, radio channel Bunka Housou and music label Victor Entertainment on the project.

Just like the four installments of the original .hack project, the three episodes of .hack//G.U. are developed by Fukuoka-based development studio CyberConnect2. As previously reported yesterday, Volume 1 Saitan will be available in May, Volume 2 Kimi Omofu Koe will follow in September, while Volume 3 Aruku you na Hayasa de will be released in December.

For the games' CG sequences, the development team at CyberConnect2 has developed a special technique called Super Facial. It is utilized to display almost anime-like facial expressions. System-wise, the action elements in battle have been enhanced and death blows can now be executed easier.

Together with the first episode, Bandai will ship a so-called Terminal Disc. This disc will tell the story of how the original World broke down and ended up being re-created from the perspective of the one programmer who wrote it. Players won't be able to access the entire content of said disc from the very beginning however. To view the entire story, keys included in all three games are required.

In addition to the three games, TV Tokyo will begin to air the animation .hack//Roots in April, while Bunka Housou will launch a radio program tentatively titled GU.Radio. Kadokawa Shoten will publish a special magazine (.hack//G.U. The World) and Bandai Networks will work on content for cellphones.

Kazunori Itou and Miu Kawasaki will again act as screenplay supervisors, while the script is written by Tatsuya Hamasaki. Designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Neon Genesis Evangelion) is also working on the new series. The character designer of .hack//SIGN, Satoshi Oosawa has also returned to draw the characters of .hack//Roots. The new series' opening theme Silly-Go-Round will be performed by Ficition Junction Yuuka (that is, composer Yuki Kajiura), while the ending theme Boukoku Kakusei Catharsis will be performed by Ali Project.

• GameWatch