Game Designer

Square Enix

August 2014 - June 2015 (11 months) | Osaka, Osaka, Japan

 

"Kingdom Hearts III" (PS4, Xbox One) Development (10 Months )

• Original-level planning, documentation and execution for 2 Worlds INCLUDING enemy, Item, secrets and event Management.
• Mockup Creation of 3 Worlds INCLUDING temporary Asset Creation.
• Game idea planning and documentation.
• Game Check and balance.
• Enemy planning and documentation.
• Gummi Ship system planning and documentation.
• Multiplayer planning and documentation.
• Attraction Flow planning and documentation.
• Main Scenario planning for 2 Worlds.
• Various in-Game dialogue writing.
• Translation and Interpretation of Contact Between Involved English and Japanese parties INCLUDING Disney and Pixar.
• Publicity video Recording and editing.
• Communication with Outsourced companies.
• Holding Meetings with Disney and Pixar.
• Team Management, Meeting Management and Proceeding Recordings.

 

I know that this is an old news post, however, I feel as though it still has relevance. Firstly, the 2.9 game turned out to be 2.8 (containing Dream Drop Distance HD, 0.2 Birth by Sleep - A Fragmentary Passage and X Back Cover), but more importantly, there's a lot of things to understand with regards to how Kingdom Hearts III is forming.

 

First off, it seems as though that Square Enix are communicating far more frequently with Disney with regards to Kingdom Hearts III (and rightly so seeing as it is a mainline game). This goes to show that the promotion and publicity is a joint effort with Square Enix and Disney with regards to Kingdom Hearts III. 2.8 on the other hand isn't as scheduled and corporately monitored by Disney (as most of the elements of that game is original content with no new Disney properties introduced).

 

Secondly, I'd like to point out the phrase "In-game dialogue writing". A lot of people assumed that those were either grunts or cut scenes, but now that we know that Aqua is able to talk during game play in 0.2, I feel as though that's what in game dialogue is referring too. There was also the question of NPC's in a world. I have a good feeling that we will finally have NPC interaction as X Back Cover showed a crowd of player characters in a cut scene. That's not my strongest point to prove NPC interaction for Kingdom Hearts III, sure, but it ties in with the "in game dialogue" possibilities, for example, Sora talking to a citizen in San Fransokyo.

 

Finally, and here's the big kicker. Pixar. Now, for people who don't know what does on with Disney behind the scenes of their animated movies, During 2006, Disney CEO Bob Iger bought Pixar to be a Disney subsidiary, and as a result, Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter was the creative boss of Disney Animation (the Disney studio that has the movies featured in Kingdom Hearts). So, when it comes to Disney Animation movies from 2008 onwards (starting from Bolt), it's inevitable that Square Enix would have to contact this head honcho. Through sweet talk and mutual appreciation of each others work, Nomura could have convinced Disney to add Pixar in Kingdom Hearts III.

 

So, what's everyone's thoughts on the conclusions that I've made?

Edited October 3, 20169 yr by Guest

Pixar would be nice but who knows all we can do is wait and see. Id love NPC's I can kinda see them talking and Sora talking to them sort of like in FF XIII-2 and LR when you pass some NPCs

i like the word "balance". 

Pixar would be nice but who knows all we can do is wait and see. Id love NPC's I can kinda see them talking and Sora talking to them sort of like in FF XIII-2 and LR when you pass some NPCs

 

They have the hardware to do so, and seeing as quite a lot of CG Disney movies have a lot of crowd scenes, I think it's mandatory for some over world NPC interactions.

 

i like the word "balance". 

 

I think this specifically refers to Sora. He's got so many abilities that Nomura trying to make sure that he's not too over-powered.

 

I think this specifically refers to Sora. He's got so many abilities that Nomura trying to make sure that he's not too over-powered.

 

Making Sora simply "not overpowered" would be easy as shit. Really making a truly balanced game is the masterquest. Making the game harder is simple slider pushing, there is no real effort involved in this, iam looking at BBS and DDD. Iam still not quite sure if i can trust the osaka team in that regard. Sure they seem to make a good job at first glance, but many reports from people that played the 0.2 demo say that the game still feels a little floaty and that worries me to death. I know its aqua and that it could simply represent her fighting style but we cant know for sure. Iam really hoping for some clearer insight this winter when KH3 news/trailers drop.

Edited October 3, 20169 yr by sneakie1

Making Sora simply "not overpowered" would be easy as shit. Really making a truly balanced game is the masterquest. Making the game harder is simple slider pushing, there is no real effort involved in this, iam looking at BBS and DDD. Iam still not quite sure if i can trust the osaka team in that regard. Sure they seem to make a good job at first glance, but many reports from people that played the 0.2 demo say that the game still feels a little floaty and that worries me to death. I know its aqua and that it could simply represent her fighting style but we cant know for sure. Iam really hoping for some clearer insight this winter when KH3 news/trailers drop.

 

Or better yet, we can play the games for ourselves and judge it from there. Honestly, I really do feel as though that 0.2 is a step in the right direction. Square Enix have listened to the negative criticism of the side games and have decided to implement said feedback into the console titles.

 

Seeing as Final Fantasy XV is at the debugging stage, once that game is finished, the original Kingdom Hearts team is going to move onto Kingdom Hearts III. Through their expertise, they'll be able to help out the Osaka team in understanding as to how to make Kingdom Hearts III more like a mainline game, and as a result, make Sora more balanced.

i like the word "balance". 

So do I.

 

We know that pixar is going to be in the game, that space shooting thing we saw in the Jump Festa trailer was Buzz Light year's one, and aren't all the attraction flow rides meant to be from Disney Worlds?

Or better yet, we can play the games for ourselves and judge it from there. Honestly, I really do feel as though that 0.2 is a step in the right direction. Square Enix have listened to the negative criticism of the side games and have decided to implement said feedback into the console titles.

 

Seeing as Final Fantasy XV is at the debugging stage, once that game is finished, the original Kingdom Hearts team is going to move onto Kingdom Hearts III. Through their expertise, they'll be able to help out the Osaka team in understanding as to how to make Kingdom Hearts III more like a mainline game, and as a result, make Sora more balanced.

The game is finished (XV), it went into certification a few days ago and they aren't adding anymore to it unless they come accross a major glitch or something along that line. Also, that piece of info (red) was never confirmed but it's logical to assume that.

We know that pixar is going to be in the game, that space shooting thing we saw in the Jump Festa trailer was Buzz Light year's one, and aren't all the attraction flow rides meant to be from Disney Worlds?

 

When it comes to attraction flows, I think that they're their own thing. Like for example, one Attraction Flow is Captain Hook's ship, and another is the Teacups from Alice in Wonderland. It doesn't guarantee that Neverland and Wonderland is returning as worlds in Kingdom Hearts III. I'm not saying that Pixar won't be in Kingdom Hearts III, quite the opposite, I believe it will. I just don't think that the attraction flows are the proof of the pudding.

 

The game is finished (XV), it went into certification a few days ago and they aren't adding anymore to it unless they come accross a major glitch or something along that line. Also, that piece of info (red) was never confirmed but it's logical to assume that.

 

Interesting, I never knew about that. Thanks for the update. Hopefully, the Tokyo Kingdom Hearts team gets transferred to Kingdom Hearts III as opposed to working on Final Fantasy VII remake. Kingdom Hearts III needs all the support it can get with its production.

Yeah, your deduction is pretty good!  It'd be awesome if Pixar was implemented into Kingdom Hearts III!  I'm guessing that it probably might be, but Nomura is keeping tight lips on any sort of educated guesses we can make, ya know?  But yeah, with the Linkedin information, I think we can trust it to be a reliable source! 

 

Just imagine if near the end of this year, there was another Linkedin document that details more on how KHIII is going along in development? That'd be sweet!

 

As for various in-game dialogue, I am really hoping that this means that Sora will have little conversations with Donald and Goofy!  That'd be frickin awesome!  And not just with them, but with various NPC's and the like! Gahh, I'd be so happy!

Just imagine if near the end of this year, there was another Linkedin document that details more on how KHIII is going along in development? That'd be sweet!

 

That's not out of the realm of possibilities to be honest. Quite a lot of positions for being a developer for Kingdom Hearts are contractually temporary. That means that, game developer applicants can talk about their work with Kingdom Hearts without quite breaking the non-disclosure agreement.

They probably couldn't make to Pixar cause of the 3D style.

They first planned Buzz and Woody but they noticed it didn't work out.

They probably couldn't make to Pixar cause of the 3D style.

They first planned Buzz and Woody but they noticed it didn't work out.

 

Oh really? 

 

 

And what format was this movie in again? and what Kingdom Hearts entry did this character end up being in?

 

The reason Woody and Buzz didn't make it into Kingdom Hearts was because, Michael Eisner of Disney and Steve Jobs of Pixar had corporal disagreements, and because of that, Square Enix couldn't use any Pixar characters. I've already mentioned in the initial post that, John Lasseter is now the head of both Disney Animation and Pixar so Square Enix has the potential possibility to use Pixar characters.

Oh really? 

 

 

And what format was this movie in again? and what Kingdom Hearts entry did this character end up being in?

 

The reason Woody and Buzz didn't make it into Kingdom Hearts was because, Michael Eisner of Disney and Steve Jobs of Pixar had corporal disagreements, and because of that, Square Enix couldn't use any Pixar characters. I've already mentioned in the initial post that, John Lasseter is now the head of both Disney Animation and Pixar so Square Enix has the potential possibility to use Pixar characters.

Hm yeah I always forget this little guy. Yeah I know the issue with Pixar.

But Pixar content is now in Kingdom Hearts as you can see in the latest KH3 trailer.

That was the big announcement.

Edited October 5, 20169 yr by KH4Real

I agree with you. Also, I really hope a Pixar world is in KH3. That would be awesome and well overdue.

That's not out of the realm of possibilities to be honest. Quite a lot of positions for being a developer for Kingdom Hearts are contractually temporary. That means that, game developer applicants can talk about their work with Kingdom Hearts without quite breaking the non-disclosure agreement.

 

Man, one can only hope that another such document is revealed to us, so that way, we can more or less guess how far Kingdom Hearts III is in, development-wise, ya know? Gahhh, the wait is agonizing, but it's all going to be worth it in the end!