Project GU site updated with countdown clock

TOKYO--Japanese developer CyberConnect2 launched its Project GU Web site last year, but the company has released no new information on the enigmatic role-playing game since then. Today, the game's Web site was adorned with a countdown clock that will reach zero next month. When that happens, the industry will likely learn a bit more about the timeline for the upcoming game's release.

According to the Project GU site, CyberConnect2's newest PlayStation 2 game will in some way be connected to the .hack universe, though the level of overlap was not specified. The .hack games were published by Bandai and are expansive role-playing games based on a fictional massively multiplayer online game. The series has been expanded into an anime series and a trading card game.

It's not known to what extent the .hack universe or storyline will surface in Project GU.

An interview on the Project GU site suggests that the game has taken substantially more time to develop than originally anticipated--the developers have also been working on the Bandai-published Naruto: Narutimate Hero series of games.