Sony Computer Entertainment Japan have announced that a PlayStation 4 launch event will be held on February 21, 2014, starting at 10:30PM JST. Kingdom Hearts III producer Shinji Hashimoto has been annouced as a guest creator for the event, which will be live streamed on Ustream and Nico Nico. It is currently unknown if Hashimoto will reveal any new Kingdom Hearts III information, but we will keep you updated with more information as it appears.
Update 2: Shinji Hashimoto appeared on stage at the event and asked fans to "Please wait a little longer." concerning Kingdom Hearts III.
Update: Sony have uploaded the videos to be shown at the event to their PlayStation Japan YouTube channel, and unfortunately, the video containing Kingdom Hearts III is old footage from the E3 2013 announcement trailer. This can be seen below.
There is still a chance that Hashimoto could reveal some small new information while on stage, so stay tuned and we will keep you updated-- no guarantee, though!
Earlier in the week, a leaked internal document from Square Enix Europe showed that Kingdom Hearts III had been given a 2014 release date-- however, Square Enix have today confirmed that this release date is inaccurate, and simply a placeholder. Square Enix released the following statement to GameSpot:
We're aware an internal document has been in circulation listing release dates for select Square Enix titles. This information contained in this document is inaccurate and features placeholder timing. Specifically, no announcement has been made to date for Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV--their projected release window remains to be advised.
Square Enix have announced a new compilation album by Yoko Shimomura, the composer of the Kingdom Hearts series. The album is called memória!, and will contain tracks from the Kingdom Hearts series, along with other Square Enix games that she has composed for. Memória will release on March 26, 2014.
This week's issue of Famitsu Weekly magazine contains the opinions of various Japanese video game developers about the PlayStation 4 and the games they're developing ahead of the PlayStation 4's release in Japan next month. Tetsuya Nomura is one of those developers and he speaks about developing Kingdom Hearts III for the PlayStation 4. You can read it below, thanks to Kotaku.
Looking at the PS4, I thought "they've gone too far." I wish they would just let us off the hook. For the player, having a game that's "thoroughly made" makes them excited with anticipation, but for a developer, it's a hurdle we have to overcome.
The number of things we have to do keeps increasing and if we keep trying to expand as far as it will go, we'll never be finished. I think we're going to end up being faced with the choice of what to keep and what to give up on [for Kingdom Hearts III].
I really felt the immense response to the Kingdom Hearts III announcement and so it's now my task to figure out how to satisfy all those people who are looking forward to it.
There have been a lot of different consoles in the past, but I feel that this one is the biggest mountain we've had to climb yet, in a good way.
The connection between Kingdom Hearts χ and Kingdom Hearts III is believed to have been touched upon in the latest update for Kingdom Hearts χ, via the Fortuneteller's Script. goldpanner has translated this script via KHInsider, and it can be read below.
Chirithy:
You've really shaped up as a Keyblade Wielder, haven't you.
Uh-huh, you're looking really fine, too!
I think it's time to tell you, then.
Before my master, He who created me, disappeared,
He bestowed His six followers with new names, and gave five of them a tome of prophecy.
These five followers, who were to become the Foretellers, read the future written in the tome.
Apparently a passage written on the last page shocked them.
"The war in that place will lead to the defeat and destruction of the Light.
The World will be enveloped in eternal Darkness."
In order to save the future World, the five Foretellers thought to use the power hidden in the tome of prophecy.
That's the power you are all using now.
Through the cards, you are using the power of the future to try and protect the light from the darkness, and avert the future enveloped in darkness.
Also, as you know, even though the five Foretellers share the same goal, they by no means share the same will.
So, you mustn't lose sight of it yourself.
shinra-bansho from NeoGAF has revealed that Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX sold a total of 438,000 copies in 2013 in North America. This is a very good result for the HD remaster, so congratulations! Thanks go to @ErrenVanDuine for the tip.
Haley Joel Osment, the English voice actor for Sora in the Kingdom Hearts series, is currently holding an "ask me anything" on reddit. Here, people can ask HJO anything they like, and he will choose questions to answer. Hopefully he answers a few Kingdom Hearts-related questions! We will keep updating below with any that he answers.
Artvandelay1: Have you started working on Kingdom Hearts 3 yet? What do you know about it that you can legally share with us?
HJOsment: Wow, lots of Kingdom Hearts questions! I am a fan of the series too, so I am excited to see what they do with KH3. I only have about as much information as you all do at the moment; they are still making the game, and my part is one of the last steps in the process. I won't be involved until later in the year at the earliest. But I will let you all know if I hear anything more!
lanxner: The Kingdom Hearts plot is really hard to follow, but seeing as you’ve provided your voice for most of the games, can you understand most of it? Do you tend to play the games yourself?
HJOsment: I will never forget walking in for the first session of KH2 and seeing that the producers had set up a bulletin board with a flow chart explaining the sequence of events in different universes and watching them almost struggle to sort it out. It wasn't that they weren't knowledgeable, they just were still unraveling the story for themselves and dealing with the huge amount of information Nomura-San puts out. That was when I personally realized how video games had reached the level of art. Or maybe when I beat the Spirit Temple for the first time on N64....
KMA10k: With regards to Kingdom Hearts, how does it feel to have played the character of Sora for essentially half your life now? Is it an honor, a burden, or something else entirely?
HJOsment: It is weird to think that this is the character I've been with the longest! It's a great series though and I hope it goes on and on and on.....I did a play in Philadelphia a few years ago ( "Red" by John Logan) and we had a talkback after one Student Matinee....every single question was "WHEN IS THE NEXT ONE COMING OUT?" I enjoyed that.
Driz51: Who is your favorite Kingdom Hearts character besides Sora and what is your favorite line of Sora's?
HJOsment: the number of times i have screamed "RI KUUUUUU"... Kairi's great too....not playing favorites
Be sure to check out his non-KH answers as well:
Hey reddit, it's me Haley Joel Osment, here to answer your questions.
Zap2it recently interviewed Haley Joel Osment, the English voice actor for Sora and he briefly commented on Kingdom Hearts III. He confirms that he spoke with Square Enix following the announcement at E3 2013 and that he hopes to voice Sora in Kingdom Hearts III. You can watch the video and read the transcript below, thanks to opinion from KH13 for the tip.
Zap2it: "Now, one last question. I'm going to nerd out a little on you, but you've been involved in the Kingdom Hearts franchise for a really long time, and people are excited about 'Kingdom Hearts III' finally coming out. Can you talk a little bit about that? Have you seen the script or anything?"
HJO: "I saw the announcement and then talked with them a little on the phone. I started doing ‘Kingdom Hearts’ in 2001, and we’ve done the main series and then the Game Boy one. I feel like I’ve done seven or eight installments, which is awesome but with this, they’re making it now and the recording of the dialogue is one of the last parts of the process. Probably this summer or later."
Zap2it: "But we'll have you back for Sora?"
HJO: "That’s what I hear. Sometimes Sora goes back to being a child or goes to another universe or changes into somebody else so I can never say for sure, but hopefully I’ll be back."
Recently, we have updated our Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days playthrough archives. And we have also updated our Kingdom Hearts II, Japanese cutscene archive. These archives are now up-to-date.
Here are the updates in detail:
- Our Chain of Memories, Japanese playthrough archive has been completed. Thanks to KH13's Rush
- We've added a complete playthrough of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days' English version. Thanks to our partner, Everglow8444.
- And we've also finished our archive of pre-rendered cutscenes from Kingdom Hearts II's Japanese version.
We hope you enjoy all these updates and look forward to more rare and exciting content in the future.
The latest issue of Famitsu Weekly, releasing on December 26, 2013, has contained an interview with the director of the Kingdom Hearts series, Tetsuya Nomura. Here, Nomura reveals new information regarding Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts III and Kingdom Hearts χ.
hokanko-alt have published a summary of this interview, and staff translator goldpanner has translated it. Thanks to her, it can be read below.
> Game Information
- Final Mix version as base, plus Japanese voices
- Re:Coded has been fully remade as a movie, with new scenes
> Interview
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX
- KH2.5 was created by the same team as 1.5, the Osaka Team. However, as the HD-ifying process had already been established, it went a lot more smoothly than 1.5 did
- A release time frame is in sight but they still aren't at a stage where they can announce a date
- They didn't have to change as much this time as they did for KH1.5, but the volume was equivalent
- Re:Coded isn't as long as 358/2 days, and most of the main story was already in cutscene form, which means they are applying new cutscenes to things that happened in Disney Worlds. Those require new voicing work, and last week they carried out the voice recording for Alice's world
- They are also adding battle scenes and a just little more to the scenario
- There's a scene connecting from Re:Coded to KH3D
- The reason for the HD remasters is to recap the story that leads to KH3, and since a) it's sad to think of just one title getting left out of being in HD and b) KH3D is a vital part in laying out KHIII, he knows he has to think of something
Kingdom Hearts χ
- He is currently being conscious of putting in mysteries and twists for the story. There's an episode of KHχ added that begins with a simple conversation with Chirithy, but then another Chirithy appears in the scene.
- The Guilt System had the working title of 'Orb', but they changed it. Perhaps you could expand on imagining collecting the sins (guilt) of the Heartless
-There is a natural predetermined meshing if he writes the scenarios himself, but as the goal approaches, he is becoming less convinced of that answer. He's exploring solutions to the question of how to surprise himself
- He thinks the KHχ scenario will actually be a surprise. An episode dedicated to the Foretellers will reveal, written in a tome of prophecy, events that are to happen in the future
- The last passage in the tome of prophecy is something shocking that connects to KH3
- As KHχ is online, it is by nature difficult to establish an ending to the story, but he has thought of a tentative conclusion. He's also currently thinking of online components for KH3, so he's hoping he can link them nicely, but he still doesn't know
Kingdom Hearts III
- He was happy that the KH3 promo released in October had such a massive reception, but there is still way way not enough on the development side
- 'Attraction Flow', which allows the selection of techniques that respond to enemies and locations, has techniques particularly rich in individuality during boss battles. It's one of the core gameplay elements of KH3, evolved from KH3D's Flowmotion
- Other than the gun form, there are some out-of-this-world transformations for the Keyblade. When the staff told me it would become a [redacted] I burst out laughing
- I hope to use all sorts of gimmicks on the suggestion of the planning department
- KH3 and KH2.5 are both by the Osaka Team; they are being worked on side by side
- Nomura is currently rewriting the scenario for KH3
Update 1: Famitsu.com have posted a preview scan of the article concerning HD 2.5 ReMIX. You can view it below.
Update 2: SQEX.INFO have done a full translation of Nomura's interview, and thanks to them, this can be read below.
Today we’re speaking with Kingdom Hearts series creator Tetsuya Nomura about KH2.5 and KHX, as well as the latest title KH3 announced for PS4 and XB1. Get the inside scoop about what Nomura has in store for the undoubtedly amazing story!
- First off, I’d like to ask about Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix. Did development start right after Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix was finished?
Nomura: That’s right. Just like KH1.5, KH2.5 is being handled by the Osaka team. Programmers established the system for making things HD with KH1.5, so this time it’s progressing even smoother than that.
- So it’s not as difficult this time around?
Nomura: I think I mentioned this before, but it was more difficult with KH 1.5 since there was no remaining data to go off of. (wry laugh) This time Birth by Sleep is included in the compilation and originally the Osaka team worked on that, so they have the know how and there haven’t been any problems so far.
- KH2.5 was recently exhibited at Jump Festa 2014. If development is going so well, is the release date close at hand?
Nomura: The release period is in sight, but I can’t say yet.
- Alright, let’s talk about content. For KH1.5, there were changes made to KH’s technical specifications to make it closer to KH2, what about this time?
Nomura: There haven’t been any changes so far. Nonetheless, we are not only making an HD version of KH2, but BBS and the Final Mix parts as well, and of course we’re implementing trophies, so it has considerable volume and I think it’s something players can enjoy thoroughly.
- Scenes from KH Recoded are also included in the compilation. How much footage from it will be included? And are voiced scenes being recorded?
Nomura: The scenarios of Recoded itself are rather short within the series, so it’s not as abundant as Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days was in KH1.5. But in accordance with the length of Days, scenes from it were structured mainly around the story involving Roxas and the series’ original characters. This time around, Recoded isn’t as long as Days, so most of the main story from the original has been converted to movie cutscenes. The events that took place in the Disney worlds have been newly made into movie cutscenes as well. Of course that means there will be new scenes that need voice recordings. Just last week they were recording the voices for events in the Alice in Wonderland world.
- That’s good news for Disney fans!
Nomura: After that we’re including battle scenes that we couldn’t put in at the time of Days and though they are few, we’ll be adding new scenarios too.
- Scenes that didn’t take place during the game version?
Nomura: Yes. Chronologically, Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance takes place after Recoded, so there will be scenes that fill in that gap.
- Speaking of which, KH3D isn’t getting an HD remake.
Nomura: The HD remastered versions are meant to recap the story leading to KH3. While we’re remaking the series, it’s a shame that only one won’t be in HD, but KH3 picks up where KH3D leaves off so it’s an important title to the series, you can’t forget about it.
Side Note: According to Famitsu’s data as of 2013/12/8, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix is the 2nd best selling HD title, behind Monster Hunter Portable 3rd HD Ver. from Capcom. It sold 131,940 copies in it’s first week and has sold 222,995 total.
- KH1.5 remains the 2nd best selling HD remaster title in Japan’s history. Even though the final mix remake came out before the HD version, the HD version is selling. What do you think the main factor for this is?
Nomura: Well, probably because it’s in HD and it’s easier to play. (laughs)
- I think that’s the case too. (laughs) I think there are many people who want to play it on the high def screen and reaffirm the mysterious story.
Nomura: I keep it in mind when I put mysterious and captivating parts into the story. That way fans can imagine how things might turn out. For example, the other day a new episode was added to KHX and it has the first conversation with Chirishi. A scene where another Chirishi appears is added there, but the rest is left to your imagination. It’s established even if you only finish the conversation, I tweaked it a little bit, so it has some meaning.
- I see. Since it’s a scene you participated in, we’ll want to check it out. The new system in KHX involving “guilt” seems significant too.
Nomura: That too. At first in development they were called “orbs”, but the name has changed to “guilt” which has to do with “sin.” About the act of “gathering guilt from Heartless”, I think fans of the series will remember the connection it has. And then your imagination goes from there.
- Certainly we’ll pay attention and imagine something from there. But I doubt that we’ll be absolutely correct. How do you always think this stuff up?
Nomura: When I’m writing the scenarios on my own, it’s a combination of stuff coming naturally and the pre-established harmony. It’s because I keep writing towards my original goal. It becomes impossible to understand just by the visible answers. I want to be able to betray myself, by myself. From there I ask, “How can I surprise myself?” And then I begin to grope for a different answer. I also put thorough consideration into the fans viewpoint, wondering what might happen if this happened, etc.
- I see. Doing it like that, no one would be able to guess what’s coming, moreover a configuration with integrity is made. We will no doubt be surprised every time.
Nomura: I think that the scenarios of KHX from here on out will be surprising as well. In the episode concerning the clairvoyant, the prophesied events occurring in the future written by the clairvoyant will be revealed.
- By “the future”, what point of time do you mean?
Nomura: As for that, you’ll have to see for yourself. At any rate, the last verse of the clairvoyant is a major shocker. It’s something that connects to KH3.
- That’s a must see then! By the way, is there an ending to the story of KHX?
Nomura: As far as online characteristics go, it’s the hard part, but I am tentatively thinking about the conclusion. I’m also thinking about online elements for KH3, so if I could link them somehow that’d be cool, but I don’t know about that yet.
- At an event in October of this year a new KH3 trailer was premiered. How was the response?
Nomura: Everyone was really happy to see it, so that was good. But from the development side, only we knew what point it’s progress was at, and we showed something that still has a long way to go, something “insufficient.”
- But it looked immediately playable… Anyways in the trailer, we saw Attraction Flow, the system based on theme park attractions like Jet Coaster, etc. Are those kind of features going to be abundant?
Nomura: With Attraction Flow, you can choose techniques corresponding to the place, enemy, etc., so especially in boss fights you’ll be able to use techniques as abundantly as you like. It’s an evolution of KH3D’s Flowmotion and is one of the systems central to KH3.
- Speaking of new systems, we saw Sora’s Keyblade do a full on transformation.
Nomura: In the trailer, it became gun shaped, but it has unexpected transformations as well. The other day when I was doing a check up, a staff member said to me, “It turns into ___”, and I blurted out, “Are you serious!?” (laughs)
- What!? So already it’s not just a weapon? (laughs) After all, it was a vehicle in BBS…
Nomura: The planning side has suggested it should be used for some kind of feature. There are infinite possibilities with the Keyblade. (laughs)
- I’m sure we’ll be surprised. By the way, the Osaka team is also working on KH3, so does that mean they’ve stopped development to work on KH2.5 in the meantime?
Nomura: They’re working alongside one another.
- What are you currently working on?
Nomura: I’m working on KH3’s scenarios. Writing and editing, writing and editing.
- KH2.5 comes first huh. Lastly, I’d like to ask about the other titles that you’re involved with. How is Final Fantasy XV coming along?
Nomura: Right now we’re centralizing development. I hope you can wait until the time we can put out subsequent information.
- Alright well the other day it was announced that you are in charge of the character design for the arcade version of Puzzle & Dragons Battle Tournament. I’d like to ask about the details regarding that.
Nomura: I had the request for Gunslingers Stratos 2 and then a request from Producer Nobuki Kadoi, so I thought, “Me again?” (laughs) I was happy to hear there was a request from Gungho. At first they requested character designs with shorter body proportions, but I was being selfish and made them a little taller. I listened to the requests from the voice cast as well, and I think that the character casting came out pretty well.
- Sounds like there was a good collaboration effect going on. Lastly, is it challenging when you have those kind of jobs?
Nomura: I thought so with Gunslingers Stratos 2. It had been a long time since I designed characters for a new title and I was drawing freshly, so I thought that if I get the opportunity again, I’ll definitely go for it… Well, that’s how I felt anyways. We were able to talk about a lot of things this time. This old soldier is grateful for that.
Update 3: Famitsu.com have updated with an online companion article to the magazine article, containing many screenshots from HD 2.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts χ. These can all be seen below, in our gallery. 4Gamer.net have also updated with some screenshots, including one extra that Famitsu did not. This is also included below.
Update: The Jump Festa 2014 trailer is now available in English!
Square Enix have released Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX's Jump Festa 2014 trailer online in HD, and English language. You can watch it below. They have also released 13 new screenshots, you can view them all below, in our gallery.
Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX appeared at Jump Festa 2014 with a completely new trailer, and we have uploaded this trailer to YouTube for you. You can see it below. Enjoy!
Update: We have added English subtitles to the trailer, thanks to KH13's Oishii. Just enable captions in the video below!
Our coverage of Jump Festa 2014 has begun. Jump Festa 2014 is a Japanese gaming event occurring December 21-22, 2013. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX is confirmed to appear with a new trailer and a playable demo, so stay tuned. This news post will remain pinned at the top and link to all related news articles. Times are in JST, with (USA EST in brackets).
Day 1: Live event coverage
8:00PM (6:00AM) - Famitsu.com have posted photos from the event, with some showing the HD 2.5 ReMIX demo being played. These can be seen in the photo section below.
1:10PM (11:10PM) - The new trailer for HD 2.5 ReMIX was shown in Square Enix's livestream, and we have recorded this trailer and uploaded it to YouTube. The trailer can be viewed here, please check it out!
9:56AM (7:56PM) - Details about the new HD 2.5 ReMIX trailer from @aibo_ac7: "From 2.5, In 2, Roxas waking from his bed, Axel, bottom half of Namine's face as well as fighting King Mickey. BBS, Terra and Aqua standing before Eraqus, Xehanort, Terra flying on his Keyblade, likes he's persuing something in the garden? Aqua enters. Terra and Cinderella, etc." (Translations thanks to Oishii from KH13)
9:40AM (7:40PM) - Details about the new HD 2.5 ReMIX trailer from @aibo_ac7: "I only caught the end of the 2.5 preview, there was Atlantica, Nightmare Jack, and lastly a guy in a black coat facing Sora saying 'Tell me why you were chosen.' New person?" (Translations thanks to Oishii from KH13)
9:08AM (7:08PM) - HD 2.5 ReMIX-themed Christmas cards are available at the event. (Photo thanks to @aibo_ac7)
9:00AM (7:00PM) - The doors have opened at Jump Festa 2014! Keep refreshing, as will we be updating with live event coverage of everything Kingdom Hearts. HD 2.5 ReMIX's release date is still only "2014" at this stage.
Day 0: Pre-event coverage
5:12PM (3:12AM) - @hidemi_mad_dog has shared a photo of the Square Enix Merchandise booth at the event. The Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX wall scroll can be seen in the background.
5:49PM (3:49AM) - Square Enix Events on Facebook have uploaded a photo of their booths being prepared for tomorrow. The Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX demo booth can be seen in the middle. No release date is given on the poster, unfortunately.
Photos
Jump Festa 2014 is an event starting tomorrow in Japan, where Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX is confirmed to appear with a new trailer and a playable demo. Square Enix's schedule has been added to the official livestream pages for the event (Saturday | Sunday), and the HD 2.5 ReMIX trailer is confirmed to be included in this livestream on both days that the event is on. The timeslots that the new trailer is confirmed to appear within are listed below:
December 21 (Sat): 12:45PM to 2:25PM
December 22 (Sun): 11:30AM to 12:55PM
Note: These times are the local times for Tokyo, Japan.
The January 2014 issue of Game Informer has released, and the magazine includes a preview for Kingdom Hearts III. Most of the preview is a re-telling of what we learned from the game's appearance at D23 Expo Japan, however, Tetsuya Nomura (the director of the Kingdom Hearts series) has left some comments explaining some of these revelations in more detail!
Nomura's quotes are below (with indirect quotes [in square brackets]):
Nomura: [Kingdom Hearts III's main story concludes Xehanort's arc, and it picks up] "immediately after the events of Dream Drop Distance."
Nomura: "The process of the wielders coming together will be the main storyline, but one of the highlights of the climax is going to be who is part of the seven lights and thirteen darkness when they get to the final battle. Would it be as everyone expected, or will there be unexpected members added to the mix? That is something to look forward to."
Nomura: "All Keyblades transform, and in many different ways. Through the series, various other skilled Keyblade wielders had transformed their weapon; it may serve as a hint to see what they transformed their Keyblades into, in order to understand the different ways in which they changed their form."
Nomura: [The special Keyblade moves seen in the trailer are not tied to the Keyblade abilities, but instead to the enemy you're up against.] "When the appropriate attack becomes available, the player can activate it."
Nomura: [Kingdom Hearts III] "will be a summation of everything accumulated up to this point, in terms of both story and game mechanics. I'm sure that those who've followed the series up to now are very eager to see what's next, but I think it's also important to create wonder and awe, much like when the first game in the series came out."
Nomura: "The end also means a new beginning, and I'm certain that as this story arc ends, players will be able to look forward -- carrying this excitement -- for something new and different, never-before-seen in the series."
Thanks go to Kimberley Wallace from Game Informer for the original article, and to KH-Vids for the tip.
