On the subject of Kingdom Hearts III, Nomura said, “While I can’t make a sweeping statement because the development process is different from what we’ve done so far, there are still worlds untouched. Production is progressing on unannounced worlds, in a state that we cannot show them off. In terms of the state of development, there is still some way to go.”
At this point, it’s not really surprising that Kingdom Hearts III is far from completion. In 2010, Nomura hinted at its existence in the Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Ultimania, an entry in the Kingdom Hearts informational book series. Sony officially announced Kingdom Hearts III at E3 2013. As each year passes, fans continue to wonder when they will receive the next mainline iteration of the Disney/Square Enix crossover, the first since 2006’s Kingdom Hearts II.
As for Final Fantasy VII Remake, Nomura was more vague. “We’re steadily progressing on production,” he said, before apologizing for the status of both titles. Final Fantasy VII Remake was revealed at E3 2015, after years of fans clamoring for an updated version of the iconic RPG. We have since learned that it will be a “Multi-Part Series.”
While it certainly sounds like these games won’t be available for quite awhile, the one spot of bright news is that Square Enix hopes to show both titles at events throughout the year.
Nomura may be the bearer of bad news, but it’s hard to be mad at him. He is currently undertaking the gargantuan role of leading two of Square Enix’s biggest projects. He has been the director of the Kingdom Hearts franchise since the beginning and has created characters for the Final Fantasy franchise since Final Fantasy V. Nomura was also the original director on Final Fantasy XV before switching over to direct Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Kingdom Hearts fans still have the disastrously titled, but hopefully good, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue to look forward to on January 24. Also, anyone who has not played the franchise can join those waiting for Kingdom Hearts III by picking up Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix on March 28.
