Spoiler

There are plenty of signs pointing to Sora (and possibly Riku) having another adventure akin to Dream Drop Distance for the next KH title. One that I feel is absolutely concrete is that Sora is only with Donald and Goofy in the main numbered entries. The secret ending shows us that Sora and Riku are in another world that may or may not exist in a parallel universe to the one they occupied before, but they are definitely seperate from their friends. 

Another sign is (this one is probably more definitive) is the History of the franchise.  Every main entry was followed by at least 2 side games,  Chain of Memories and Coded after KH1, and 358/2, Birth By Sleep and Dream Drop Distance after KH2. These games always set up the circumstances for the next main entry and typically had more to do with characters other then Sora. 

A third sign can be taken if we examine what we believe would compose of the 4th Kingdom Hearts main entry. With the Master of Masters, Luxu and the accompanying Foretellers perhaps becoming the next "Big Bads", it's hard to envision that whatever plan they may set into motion will be implemented so immediately after Xehanort's plan failed, and even if we consider Xehanort to just be a high level pawn in whatever game was actually being played, it still doesn't seem realistic that Luxu will carry it out so soon. I think this lends credence to there being a gap of time in which Sora comes to fully understand the Power of Waking,  and it's consequences, while Ansem the Wise and Co. further their respective research and some of the looser plot threads left at the end of KH3 will be tied. 

Please include your feedback I would be interested in any counterpoints, but I really do feel this is the obvious direction of the series at this point. 

Edit: On a technicallity one may say Sora is journeying with Donald and Goofy in Chain of Memories, but the way the game is styled really only has Sora/Riku calling on the power of their friends memories. Even still,  yes,  Sora is with them In Castle Oblivion.

Edited February 19, 20196 yr by Fullmetal Keyblade

Spoiler

Nomura has done this in the past that is true. But also he recognizes the problems that cost him tying this saga up and also entertaining new fans. We also didn't have an ongoing game like UX going on to feed us more info to set up plots. That said, none of this stuff has ever stopped Nomura before and it's certainly not improbable. I would love a game centered on Lea as a wielder muahhahahaha! As for time gaps, Luxu needed the events to happen for a reason and for the MoM to come back so it wouldn't be unheard of for the events to start happening somewhat soon after. It's just that Nomura does so many things you think he wouldn't do that we just can't count any direction out at this point. He wrote the last saga completely as he went.

 

39 minutes ago, HarLea Quinn said:

  Hide contents

Nomura has done this in the past that is true. But also he recognizes the problems that cost him tying this saga up and also entertaining new fans. We also didn't have an ongoing game like UX going on to feed us more info to set up plots. That said, none of this stuff has ever stopped Nomura before and it's certainly not improbable. I would love a game centered on Lea as a wielder muahhahahaha! As for time gaps, Luxu needed the events to happen for a reason and for the MoM to come back so it wouldn't be unheard of for the events to start happening somewhat soon after. It's just that Nomura does so many things you think he wouldn't do that we just can't count any direction out at this point. He wrote the last saga completely as he went.

 

Spoiler

He's probably making things up as he goes along, at least recently, and he's very much trying to please older fans while appealing to new ones. But with Verum Rex and The World Ends With You being tied in now,  I feel like its all but confirming some kind of side-entry crossover to hold people over until Kingdom Hearts 4. I also think that it's definitely coming within the next 2 years, if not sooner. 

 

22 minutes ago, Fullmetal Keyblade said:

Spoiler

He's probably making things up as he goes along, at least recently, and he's very much trying to please older fans while appealing to new ones. But with Verum Rex and The World Ends With You being tied in now,  I feel like its all but confirming some kind of side-entry crossover to hold people over until Kingdom Hearts 4. I also think that it's definitely coming within the next 2 years, if not sooner. 

 

I wouldn't say all but confirmed, but given his penchant for sidegames I think it's probable. Just don't know if he will learn though from previous mistakes about the side games although I myself have enjoyed them and don't mind them. 

Spoiler

I still think that a console port of KHUX is going to happen at some point or another. I think the story of Union Cross will be tied up soon and then once it's complete they'll do a port of the main plot to PS4 to make it accessible to more people. This would make sense since the epilogue confirmed the return of the Foretellers, which officially makes KHUX part of the main series. Keeping it strictly on mobile devices would be weird.

 

56 minutes ago, HarLea Quinn said:

  SPOILERS: Click to reveal

Nomura has done this in the past that is true. But also he recognizes the problems that cost him tying this saga up and also entertaining new fans. We also didn't have an ongoing game like UX going on to feed us more info to set up plots. That said, none of this stuff has ever stopped Nomura before and it's certainly not improbable. I would love a game centered on Lea as a wielder muahhahahaha! As for time gaps, Luxu needed the events to happen for a reason and for the MoM to come back so it wouldn't be unheard of for the events to start happening somewhat soon after. It's just that Nomura does so many things you think he wouldn't do that we just can't count any direction out at this point. He wrote the last saga completely as he went.

 

Spoiler

Didn't Nomura say in an interview that he has big plans for Lea? I suspect that these include him being a main playable character in at least one future installment. Plus, since we've been given the reveal of Lea and Isa's friend who was one of the test subjects in Ansem the Wise's and his apprentices' experiments, I think it's safe to assume that a future installment will center on Lea and Isa looking for her. Maybe we'll get to play as both of them? That would be pretty cool. 

 

44 minutes ago, Allwil13 said:

  SPOILERS: Click to reveal

I still think that a console port of KHUX is going to happen at some point or another. I think the story of Union Cross will be tied up soon and then once it's complete they'll do a port of the main plot to PS4 to make it accessible to more people. This would make sense since the epilogue confirmed the return of the Foretellers, which officially makes KHUX part of the main series. Keeping it strictly on mobile devices would be weird.

 

  Hide contents

Didn't Nomura say in an interview that he has big plans for Lea? I suspect that these include him being a main playable character in at least one future installment. Plus, since we've been given the reveal of Lea and Isa's friend who was one of the test subjects in Ansem the Wise's and his apprentices' experiments, I think it's safe to assume that a future installment will center on Lea and Isa looking for her. Maybe we'll get to play as both of them? That would be pretty cool. 

 

Spoiler

Nomura is well aware of Axel/Lea's popularity and he himself loves that character. I am unsure since it's Nomura what his idea of big plans is lol I agree that Lea and Isa's story will be in future installments. Whether that is a side game or part of KH4 we don't know yet. I would love to play as both too.

 

1 hour ago, Fullmetal Keyblade said:

  Hide contents

There are plenty of signs pointing to Sora (and possibly Riku) having another adventure akin to Dream Drop Distance for the next KH title. One that I feel is absolutely concrete is that Sora is only with Donald and Goofy in the main numbered entries. The secret ending shows us that Sora and Riku are in another world that may or may not exist in a parallel universe to the one they occupied before, but they are definitely seperate from their friends. 

Another sign is (this one is probably more definitive) is the History of the franchise.  Every main entry was followed by at least 2 side games,  Chain of Memories and Coded after KH1, and 358/2, Birth By Sleep and Dream Drop Distance after KH2. These games always set up the circumstances for the next main entry and typically had more to do with characters other then Sora. 

A third sign can be taken if we examine what we believe would compose of the 4th Kingdom Hearts main entry. With the Master of Masters, Luxu and the accompanying Foretellers perhaps becoming the next "Big Bads", it's hard to envision that whatever plan they may set into motion will be implemented so immediately after Xehanort's plan failed, and even if we consider Xehanort to just be a high level pawn in whatever game was actually being played, it still doesn't seem realistic that Luxu will carry it out so soon. I think this lends credence to there being a gap of time in which Sora comes to fully understand the Power of Waking,  and it's consequences, while Ansem the Wise and Co. further their respective research and some of the looser plot threads left at the end of KH3 will be tied. 

Please include your feedback I would be interested in any counterpoints, but I really do feel this is the obvious direction of the series at this point. 

Edit: On a technicallity one may say Sora is journeying with Donald and Goofy in Chain of Memories, but the way the game is styled really only has Sora/Riku calling on the power of their friends memories. Even still,  yes,  Sora is with them In Castle Oblivion.

it’s crazy that a buddy of mine and I were just talking about this last night. I definitely agree that if we look at the history of the games then we could see something like a side game next for the franchise. I mentioned to my friend that I would love for Nomura and his staff to actually sit down and stick to the continuity they created in KH3. All rules for how the world works, stick to it so we don’t have a bunch of retconned stuff. KH3 had so many things that could’ve been set up and we still have the dlc coming so who knows what they plan on doing with that. There’s the deal with Lea and Isa’s lost friend, there’s the deal with that one heart we spoke to in the Final World finding her friend. I think it might be (I can’t spell her name) Lauriam’s sister. I just can’t think of anyone that Ava would be waiting on to come save her aside from Ephemer ( pretty sure I spelled his name wrong too) plz forgive me. There’s the verum Rex and the world ends with you stuff. Most importantly.... there’s the fact that SORA DISAPPEARED AT THE END OF KH3!!!! So we still have to do something about that. Now all of these things can be addressed in one game or in multiple, but it will be interesting to see the played out.

4 minutes ago, TakenKing said:

 

  Hide contents

it’s crazy that a buddy of mine and I were just talking about this last night. I definitely agree that if we look at the history of the games then we could see something like a side game next for the franchise. I mentioned to my friend that I would love for Nomura and his staff to actually sit down and stick to the continuity they created in KH3. All rules for how the world works, stick to it so we don’t have a bunch of retconned stuff. KH3 had so many things that could’ve been set up and we still have the dlc coming so who knows what they plan on doing with that. There’s the deal with Lea and Isa’s lost friend, there’s the deal with that one heart we spoke to in the Final World finding her friend. I think it might be (I can’t spell her name) Lauriam’s sister. I just can’t think of anyone that Ava would be waiting on to come save her aside from Ephemer ( pretty sure I spelled his name wrong too) plz forgive me. There’s the verum Rex and the world ends with you stuff. Most importantly.... there’s the fact that SORA DISAPPEARED AT THE END OF KH3!!!! So we still have to do something about that. Now all of these things can be addressed in one game or in multiple, but it will be interesting to see the played out.

One of the really cool prospects is the fact that it can't possibly be another handheld title,  the 3Ds is at the end of its life cycle,  and we've advanced too far on a technical standpoint to revert back to handheld graphics and limitations. Its either going to be a Switch title, or another X Box\Ps4 release. I'm looking forward to the DLC myself to see what else Nomura has planned for KH3, but I don't believe it'll have much to do with any future titles,  only improving some issues and maybe adding another world,  along with Critical Mode of course. 

i don't think that'd be a surprise at this point unless nomura was given a "kingdom hearts" only team, plus like lea said he wrote it as he went its kinda hard to make things so convoluted when you just go 1,2,3...

2 hours ago, HarLea Quinn said:

  Hide contents

Nomura has done this in the past that is true. But also he recognizes the problems that cost him tying this saga up and also entertaining new fans. We also didn't have an ongoing game like UX going on to feed us more info to set up plots. That said, none of this stuff has ever stopped Nomura before and it's certainly not improbable. I would love a game centered on Lea as a wielder muahhahahaha! As for time gaps, Luxu needed the events to happen for a reason and for the MoM to come back so it wouldn't be unheard of for the events to start happening somewhat soon after. It's just that Nomura does so many things you think he wouldn't do that we just can't count any direction out at this point. He wrote the last saga completely as he went.

 

bonus points for "improbable" x D

Please God no more side games. Do you want another DDD? Because this is how we get one

my thinking the next game will be about someone (riku or kairi) trying to find sora as a set up for 4

2 hours ago, 2 quid is good said:

Please God no more side games. Do you want another DDD? Because this is how we get one

The thing is, it won't be just another Dream Drop Distance, it'll be a lot more refined. Keep in mind the next game will be following up Kingdom Hearts 3, reverting back to sloppy writing (Sora's "Huh? Who are you? What do you mean?") and gimmicky gameplay (Dropping during Boss Fights and abilities tied to party members, OP'ed Flowmotion) would harm the franchise in the wake of the biggest game in the franchise to date. You could say that the next game is just as important as 3 was to keeping KH relevant for both Disney and Square. 

So sorry,  I don't know quite what you mean by that, and even if it were the case, as long as its more Kingdom Hearts, I'm happy.

Edited February 19, 20196 yr by Fullmetal Keyblade

Some people think there won't technically be a "Kingdom Hearts 4". Like, there will be a sequel for sure but the next "trilogy" or whatever won't be numbered. I kinda like that option.

Spoiler

I don't know what the secret ending is implying, but it could very well be DLC also. I'm really....iffy about having another whole game focused on Sora and Riku. Like, we already have like three games dedicated to their friendship already, I get it, like focus on some of Sora's other relationships for once. Or some different relationships entirely.

 

I don't care if it's on a handheld console or on the PS4 as long as we get the next game in the next couple years and not waiting a decade.  I'm personally hoping for more side games since they come out quicker and I've enjoyed playing the side stories which build up the next big plot game.

I think we are stuck with UX for the next decade.

12 hours ago, Raynaninja said:

I don't care if it's on a handheld console or on the PS4 as long as we get the next game in the next couple years and not waiting a decade.  I'm personally hoping for more side games since they come out quicker and I've enjoyed playing the side stories which build up the next big plot game.

With all the hype around the Switch I think there's a good chance we get a game exclusive to it, and I can't see Nomura teasing a project that he once worked on (Verses XIII) ,that he now believes would of been greater than what took its place(FF 15), and letting it collect dust for years while FF VII Remake gets finished. In regards to the Remake, that has been confirmed as episodic so there's nothing holding him back from developing the next Kingdom Hearts title in the inbetween times and getting it out sooner rather than later. I personally believe myself that it's going to be within 2 years. 

I do believe we'll get an inbetween game & not a main numbered game next. Just looking at it's history of games you can already see it. So I'd say we'll get 1 or maybe 2 inbetween games before the next numbered game. I do hope they won't backtrack with prequel games anymore & just move forward instead. 

Birth by Sleep and Dream Drop Distance are main games not side-games. They made not have a number title like Kingdom Hearts 1, 2, and 3 but the story of Birth by Sleep and Dream Drop Distance are par with the number titles.