A few days ago, Twitter user @SAO_IRL published a tweet about the Sword Art Online beta testing phase ending. This is in reference to the event of the anime series. For context, the story of the anime series begins in the year 2022 with the in-universe release of the SAO game. Specifically, the game was released in November 2022, with a beta test phase happening a few months before. The tweet was a big hit among series fans as it has gotten over 60k likes and 7k retweets over the past couple of days. There are also plenty of reactions from fans that are playing along with this retelling. Given how big of a hit this Sword Art Online Twitter fan account is, expect to see it continue to share real-time updates as November 2022 nears. Sword Art Online (or SAO) is a TV anime by A-1 Pictures that is based on the light novel series of the same name by Reki Kawahara. The light novel series began with the first volume’s release back in April 2009, and it now has 26 volumes in the main series. SAO is set in the future where the innovative NerveGear virtual reality game platform was released, with the latest game being called Sword Art Online. This new online VR game was an instant hit thanks to its lifelike gameplay. Soon though, the game’s creator traps thousands of players inside the game, with players not being able to log out. The only way to escape is to beat all 100 levels of the game’s world of Aincrad. The catch is that players who die in the game will die in real life as well. The story follows Kazuto “Kirito” Kirigaya, a beta test for the game and an expert player. While he is capable on his own, he soon realizes that the challenges are too much to face alone. Thus, he teams up with Asuna Yuuki and other talented players to survive. The SAO anime began with the first season, which aired in 2012. This was followed by multiple seasons, a spin-off series, and a set of movies. Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of a Dark Dusk is the latest film in the franchise and is set to release in October 2022.
