Team Redbeanime was on the ground at Anime Expo today, covering the CyberConnect2 panel led by Executive Vice President Taichiro Miyazaki. The session offered an inside look at the studio’s journey toward self-publishing, along with fresh details on their upcoming console title.
Miyazaki opened with a brief history lesson: CyberConnect2 was founded in 1996 with just 10 employees, growing to a team of 50 by 2001. He also reflected on the studio’s early original productions, noting that the working conditions behind them would be considered unacceptable by today’s standards.
One of the more surprising reveals involved JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. The studio initially believed a JoJo game would struggle, projecting sales of around 100,000 units at best. In reality, the title went on to sell a staggering 600,000 copies—far exceeding their expectations.
The panel also touched on the company’s ventures into manga, including a slice-of-life series based on life inside CyberConnect2 itself. That manga proved popular enough to be adapted into a Japanese TV drama, which later spawned two spin-off series and a feature film.
On the gaming front, the team announced that Fuga: Melodies of Steel will soon be making its way to smartphones. They also clarified their evolving publishing strategy: while previous titles were released through Bandai Namco, .hack//Z.E.R.O. will be both developed and published entirely in-house.
Adding to the excitement, the game will feature music from renowned violinist Taro Hakase. The studio described the collaboration as especially thrilling, noting that “it’s rare for him to create this kind of raw battle theme.”
Source: Ollie Kaplan, bsky
