If you're a fan of “Serial Experiments Lain”, get ready, because a new game inspired by the franchise is on the way. Is called “//signal.”, and is being developed by Team MJM with the official approval of NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan. The game will be released on PC on April 30, with a very affordable price: 1,000 yen (about 7 dollars) for the digital version and 1,700 yen (11 dollars) for the physical edition on CD-ROM. Additionally, there will be a free trial before launch.
The interesting thing about “//signal.” is that it is not based directly on the anime, but on the original 1998 PlayStation game. Although they both share characters and themes, the PS1 game had a different, darker and more realistic story. However, unlike that title, which was more of an interactive visual novel, “//signal.” It will be a complete RPG. What does this mean? Basically, instead of just reading and making decisions, players will be able to explore the Wired as Lain, interact with characters from the anime and the original game, piece together emails, and solve occult mysteries.
Something that has attracted a lot of attention is that The series' screenwriter, Chiaki J. Konaka, not only approves of the game, but even wrote them a letter of support to the development team. This is what he said:
- «Serial Experiment 2025. New and nostalgic. The PlayStation game was the true origin of Serial Experiments Lain. For years, many asked for a re-release, but producer Ueda always refused. Instead, he created a time-limited license (TTL) for Lain and said, 'If you want it, do it yourselves.' At first, I doubted there were any fans really willing to create a new Lain game on their own. Then the //signal project appeared. and, although it had moments of silence, it has finally become something real. It incorporates elements from the anime that was released after the original game, but when I saw the new art of Touko (Lain's psychiatrist in the PS1 game), it was clear to me: the experiment is still going on.».
If you've ever wondered why they never re-released the PS1 game, the answer is simple: Yasuyuki Ueda, the original producer, flatly refused. In fact, this made physical copies of the game very expensive on the second-hand market. Instead, in 2019, NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan decided to allow anyone in Japan to create derivative works of “Serial Experiments Lain” for free and without supervision, as long as they followed its rules. This policy will be in effect until 2028, the year in which the franchise will celebrate its thirtieth anniversary.
With “//signal.”, Lain fans will finally have a new interactive experience in this disturbing and philosophical universe. The game comes out on April 30, 2025 on PC, will cost 1,000 JPY (about 7 USD) and will also have a physical edition on CD-ROM for 1,700 JPY (about 11 USD). If you've always wanted to explore Wired on your own, this will be your chance.
