The co-director behind Kingdom Hearts 3 and Kingdom Hearts 2.8 has shed light on Square Enix’s decision not to bring the hotly anticipated third numbered instalment in the Disney-RPG franchise at E3 last month.
Speaking with GamesBeat, Tai Yasue explained that the Japanese giant wanted to focus on Kingdom Hearts 2.8 first, simply because it’s first in line for release. Kingdom Hearts 3, on the other hand, is still some way off.
“It was a difficult decision for us,” Yasue-san said. “We want to share as much as possible. We’re excited about Kingdom Hearts 3. But 2.8 we’re releasing globally at the beginning of December. We wanted to concentrate on that first. We want what’s best for the moment. We’re currently making 3 and 2.8 at the same time, but we wanted to concentrate on 2.8 right now.”
Kingdom Hearts 3 was announced during Sony’s E3 2013 press conference alongside Final Fantasy XV. The game is currently in development for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, though no release window has been confirmed as of yet. More info is expected this winter, however.
Meanwhile, Kingdom Hearts 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue will be hitting PS4 later this year. The game includes a high-definition remaster of Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, plus a series of other complementary material to help flesh out the series’ comprehensive narrative.
Square Enix previously remastered Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II among other titles for the PS3. The publisher hasn’t ruled out the possibility of bringing these collections to the PS4 at some point, either.