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Synergy! Cross Promotion! Cameos! Characters and things from the .hack universe have been utilized in otherwise unrelated products for these very reasons. I intend to point out as many of 'em as I have found out about!
Legend of the Twilight (Volume 3)
Release: April 3rd, 2004
This is pure cross promotion advertisement. At the end of the manga a couple of pages are dedicated to having Shugo, Rena, and Mireille promote the manga "Shank: The Rate Story". Because... because!
Keroro Gunsou: MeroMero Battle Royal Z
Console: PlayStation 2
Release: November 17th, 2005
According to the trivia in Haseo's .hack//Wiki article, Haseo makes an appearance in the TV advertisement for the game.
"Haseo stars in a commercial for the game Keroro Gunsou: Meromero Battle Royal Z, where he literally kicks Keroro Gunsou, the mascot, off the screen."
Ridge Racer 7
Console: PlayStation 3
Release: November 11th, 2006 (jp), November 13th, 2006 (us), March 23rd, 2007 (eu)
DLC Release: November 11th, 2006 (jp), January 18th, 2007 (us), ?? (eu)
"A set of 3 Decals to commemorate the Japanese release of .hack//G.U. Vol. 3 for PlayStation® 2 on January 18th, 2007.
The startling truth is revealed in this fatal final chapter!"
This ones a true oddity! As the quote mentions these decals are commemorating the JP release of G.U. Vol.3. However, this DLC arrived in north america before Vol.2 had even been announced! Yup, it wasn't until 2 weeks later that we would learn that the game was coming out here. I'm not sure if this decal pack released in europe, but it would've been a real kick in the teeth if it had since none of the G.U. games were released there!
Taiko no Tatsujin DS
Console: Nintendo DS
Release: July 26th, 2007
To be honest, I really dunno the connection between .hack and this game. However, on the developer(?) blog there's a link to CyberConnect2's .hack//G.U. website. On the games site itself, under this section, article number 5 you can see an interview with CC2 head honcho Hiroshi Matsuyama having a fun time with the Taiko characters and a piece of G.U. x Taiko fanart at the end. Perhaps he's a fan of the series? Let's just label this under cross promotion rather than direct crossover.
Keroro RPG: The Knight, Warrior, and Legendary Pirate
Console: Nintendo DS
Release: March 4th, 2010
...Hey! That's the same day Link came out! In this game, Haseo shows up as a support character that Keroro can call upon in battle. Knowing Haseo, his support purpose is surely to kick random monster butt! This marked the first time a .hack character showed up in a game that wasn't on a Sony console.
Tales of Phantasia: Narikiri Dungeon X
Console: PSP
Release: August 5th, 2010
In this game the heroes pur on costumes to change classes and a whole bunch of costumes are cameo characters! The .hack//Link version of Kite being one of 'em. The characters battle sprite changes to his and gains his attacks!
Solatorobo: Red the Hunter
Console: Nintendo DS
Release: October 28th, 2010 (jp), July 1st, 2011 (eu), September 27th, 2011 (na)
CyberConnect2 used this teaser image on what would become the page for their game Solatorobo: Red the Hunter. A character that looks like Kite can be seen at the lower center of the image. As it turns out, the town in this image is actually in the game. Its called "Pharaoh" and apparently somewhere in this town you can see a mannequin wearing Kite's outfit, and a picture of Kite himself in one of the television screens!
Tales of Graces f
Console: PlayStation 3
Release: December 2nd, 2010
Now this is a crossover that goes both ways! Early pre-orders for Link came with a dvd audio drama featuring Haseo & Ovan and Asbel & Malik. Utilizing special passwords in .hack//Link will unlock alternate outfits for Haseo (Form 1) and Ovan. Haseo's special outfit is the one worn by Asbel Lhant, while Ovan's is the one worn by Malik Caesar. In Japan, a DLC costume of Haseo's Xth Form was released for Asbel to wear in Tales of Graces f. In addition to the costume, two battle themes from Link will be added to the game when wearing said costume. As of yet it has not been released in the west.
Project X Zone
Console: Nintendo 3DS
Release: October 11th, 2012 (jp), June 25th, 2013 (na), July 5th, 2013 (eu)
...Kite's right there on the games cover! What more connection do ya need? Okay okay. He and BlackRose are useable characters. The R:1 era Hulle Granz Cathedral and Skeith also make appearances. It's likely there will be at least one piece of .hack music in the game as well.
Little Tail Story
Console: iOS / Android
Release: March 25th, 2014 (jp)
Shortly after the games release, several .hack related costumes and pieces of equipment were added to the game as seen here! A G.U. event was announced in early august as seen here! With the original .hack// series having Tail Concerto "ads" and this along with the Solatorobo stuff, these two series continue to have a cute little crossover relationship!
Project X Zone 2: Brave New World
Console: Nintendo 3DS
Release: November 12th, 2015 (jp), February 12th, 2016 (eu), February 16th, 2016 (na)
Kite returns from the first game, this time paired up with Haseo! Some currently released screenshots show the G.U. era Hulle Granz Cathedral and the Outer Dungeon design from G.U. Vol.3! What other allies/enemies/areas/items from the .hack series have yet to be revealed, but judging by the first game there's bound to be a bunch!
Sword Art Online: Code Register
Console: iOS / Android
Release: November 28th, 2014 (jp)
From March 13th, 2016 through March 28th, 2016 this game and New World Vol.1 have a crossover event! Items, character themed costumes, and a quest line appear in both games ripe for the picking!
Tales of the Rays: Fairy's Requiem
Console: iOS / Android
Release: February 28th, 2017 (jp)
On September 14th through September 30th, 2020 .hack//G.U. crossed over with "Tales of" once more. This time in the event "Glorious Unreality" in which Haseo and Atoli showed up as recruitable characters. Alongside them were a few Tales characters with .hack// related outfits including Malik getting an Ovan costume, returning the favor from Link in which Ovan got a Malik costume!
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