UPDATE: Square-Enix has confirmed to PSU that Gilbert Gottfried is in fact voicing Iago for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, which leaves out Kingdom Hearts III for now. Check out the Kingdom Hearts website for a trailer showcasing the second ReMIX.
—————————————————————-
Actor and comedian Gilbert Gottfried has leaked extremely exciting news for Kingdom Hearts fans: his work as Iago in Kingdom Hearts III may have begun, which means English voice recording could be underway.
That’s because Gilbert Gottfried doesn’t voice the talking parrot Iago, a role and persona he made famous in Disney’s Aladdin, in the Japanese versions of the games. Those honors belong to Akira Kamiya and Tōru Ōkawa for Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, respectively.
There’s a fair chance this tweet will be deleted before long, so here’s the screen-cap:
Recently, Square Enix promised that we’d hear more about both Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV soon, before later confirming a presence at E3 2014. Both games made their grand debuts (for Final Fantasy XV, more of a re-reveal) at E3 2013. It’s speculated that Final Fantasy XV will see release first, partly because it’s been in development as Final Fantasy Versus XIII for so long. Then again, if Square Enix is already getting started on English localization, development could be coming along nicely. Could the fan feedback that was sought make a difference in the final product?
Either way, this news is all I need to sleep soundly tonight. I’ve waited far too long for this game.
EDIT (5/22): Of course, as @PSPenguin of PSNStores.com rightly points out on Twitter, some of the English voice actors for the series are returning to record dialogue for new scenes of Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded for the upcoming Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX. It’s unknown what these scenes are, though character designer Tetsuya Nomura mentions that the cast was brought back for VO as long ago as last year. Additionally, it was reported that new lines for that collection had finished recording in March 2014 (though that may only apply to the Japanese cast).
PSU has reached out to Square Enix for comment on Gilbert Gottfried’s tweet.