A mysterious 128-day countdown timer has surfaced on the domain ‘dothack.com,’ setting the .hack series fandom ablaze with speculation. The timer has led fans to speculate on a significant announcement or release related to the multimedia franchise.
A 128-Day Countdown Timer Appeared on a Domain ‘dothack.com’
‘dothack.com’ Not Owned by Bandai Namco
The countdown timer was first discovered by a fan who checked out the franchise’s now-defunct website (‘dothack.com’) out of nostalgia. This find triggered a buzz of speculation after being shared on Reddit and other online forums. The exact purpose of the timer and whether it is at all related to the franchise remain unknown. Fans flocked to the website in hopes of uncovering additional clues. However, it seems that nothing interesting is worth noting.
Sal Romano from the gaming news outlet Gematsu also happened to be on one of the forums and checked the current and previous owners of the domain. The domain ‘dothack.com’ was apparently created back in 2001. However, it is not currently owned by Bandai Namco, the company behind the .hack series. The company has owned the domain since 2001, reopened it in 2003, but it seems that BamCo has let it expire.
One fan also shared their findings, stating that it is just a static site on AWS CloudFront, a content delivery network operated by Amazon Web Services. "Most likely this website will eventually redirect to another website, or they'll switch the IP on the A record when the timer ends." It should also be noted that none of the official Bandai Namco accounts have made any posts or teasers related to the countdown timer or the .hack series.
The .hack
franchise is a multimedia project that originated in Japan and encompasses video games, anime series, manga, novels, and more. It was created by CyberConnect2 and published by Bandai. The franchise revolves around a virtual reality MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) called The World. Players in the series engage in adventures within the game, but as the story progresses, they become entangled in a complex and mysterious narrative that blurs the lines between the virtual world and reality.
Several video game titles, including hack//Infection, .hack//Mutation, .hack//Outbreak, and .hack//Quarantine, released for various PlayStation consoles, each with its own storyline and characters. Throughout the years, the .hack franchise has gained a dedicated fan base due to its intricate storytelling, compelling characters, and exploration of virtual reality themes.
Sources:
dothack website
resetera forum thread
OP reddit thread
