PLEASE NOTE: There are two "tldr;s" near the bottom of the post.
With the recent release of kh3d I figure now is as good a time as any to point out a couple things about the game. By that I don't mean to refer to game tips/help or how awesome I think this game is because there is already a plethora of experts to provide you those posts. What I instead will talk about is what this game means in the scheme of the series as one of square's main franchises and from better understanding this perspective be able to better conclude where the series is going.
Lets go back to the game's origins. To many the farthest point back in time which the game may be traced to would be E3 2010, and in a number of ways this is true. However because it was confirmed that this game was not in existence at the time of the BBS Ultimania we know it came into conception over that three month period. I hope you can trust me with these facts as I won't be providing interviews for everything so be sure to take everything with a grain of salt.
With the Birth by Sleep Ultimania among the completed answers and new questions Nomura left us a treat, a tease of what lays in the future of kingdom hearts. Just check out these two questions, and I think you'll see what I mean:
Nomura: For now while FF Versus XIII is still being worked on, there isn't much I can do on KHIII, but we've already begun work on the next game in the series. There is one that we are hoping to be able to release within this year. Then the next year there is one more game we are planning on releasing. I think it will probably make the main character[s?] more complicated. Also, the end of 'Blank Points' with Sora leaving on a new adventure connects to KHIII.
Now that Birth by Sleep is complete, we're interested in the future titles to come in the Kingdom Hearts series?
Nomura: Kingdom Hearts III can't be started if the goals for Final Fantasy Versus XIII are not concluded, however development of the next title(s) in the series has already begun. There's one I plan to release within the year. After that, there's another one I'm thinking I want to release from next year onwards, and I think there will be more than one main character again. By the way, the scene 'Blank Points' in Birth by Sleep in which Sora ends up setting off on his journey is planned to connect to Kingdom Hearts III.
(This whole quote deserves to be bolded but I think its also worth mentioning there exists another translation that forum member grass of khinsider used in predicting bbsv2 at E3 2011 )
However a couple months later, we get something interesting:
So lastly, can you please give a message to the players?
Nomura: A while ago I mentioned that there were 'two titles' in conception (Sleeping Keys: BBSV2 and Re:coded), and it might look like those two titles were put on display at E3 this year. However, that has actually increased by one title with this (KH3D). (Editor: the remaining one title is still a mystery.) Our goals behind coming to E3 this time wasn't just for the announcements, but also in order to have some business meetings. We plan to go to E3 again next year, and there are still some hidden treasures, but first of all, please enjoy Re:Coded, of which we are planning to explain the release date soon.
I think you see where I'm going. Re:coded and the mystery game, which we now know to be bbsv2 were originally going to be the only two games preceding KH3, but after recognizing how unlikely it was that a single title aside from Re:coded would satisfy the wait for Versus XIII to be completed, let alone for KH3 to be completed, they trashed that approach to discover a plan to maximize the potential amount of games to sate the fans hunger until kh3. The plan that happened was strikingly similar to what many fans jokingly derive to make kh3 not release for another 20 years only Square's was slightly more elaborate to create a tighter story.
Japan's schedule:
2009: BBS
2010: BBS Final Mix (hints at BBS volume 2)
2011: Re:coded (hints at kh3d)
2012: KH3D/Coded/Days box
2013: BBS volume 2 (hints at new saga)
2014: KH3D Final mix/CoM e-shop (free with a code from KH3D Final Mix!)
2015: HD collections part 1: KH1 and KH2
2016: HD collections part 2: BBS and Re:com
2017:KH3 FINALLY!!!!!!!!
And just for the heck of it:
2018: KH3 Final Mix
Now, do I honestly think that it will take another six years for the Xehanort saga to be completed? That's the same amount of time that has passed since kh2 came out! Even I admit this is crazy, but I sadly wouldn't be surprised if some of the staff joked up this same schedule when thinking about the worst case scenario with versus. As for what they seriously came up with, well, all we have to do is look at all the games that came out after BBS. Re:coded included the secret ending to patch up (smooth out might be a better way to put it because Nomura's vagueness came in use to avoid a contradiction) their little mistake about the ending of blank points being Sora setting off on his kh3 journey. Released shortly-there-after, Birth by Sleep Final Mix hinted toward Birth by Sleep Volume 2. However, then BBSV2 was slowly forgotten. Some people argue that DDD simply replaced BBSV2. However it is indisputable now, even more so now with the DDD Ultimania that BBSV2 was to be a game in its own right.
So why does it appear now that we will only have one more small game aside from kh3d before kh3? My only guess would be they got some real progress in on Versus XIII and with DDD already in development threw BBBSV2 back to the shelf of possible games.
Tl;DR:
-Original Plan: Re:coded, BBSV2, KH3
-New Elaborate plan: Re:coded (establishing a premise of kh3d within the series), BBSFM (establishing a premise for BBSV2 within the series), KH3D, BBSV2,... *how many other titles it takes to kh3, Kh3
-Current plan (due to the development of Versus XIII): *first couple titles of the "New Elaborate Plan": Re:coded, BBSFM, KH3D*, "the small title", kh3 (<<but I'm still betting on a KH3D final mix)
And if anyone read Grass' amazing (yet wrong) theory on BBSV2 being at E3 2011 it was because of this fact of multiple plans. He sewed together an amazing amount of quotes and evidence but never considered that many of the older interviews weren't as valid. Let this be a lesson to remember that things change.
So will we ever see BBSV2? As of now, not even Nomura knows the answer. However, what he does have is the perspective to tell sooner than any of us yes or no. What we now hopefully have is a perspective much closer to his. Because BBSV2 concerns itself with the new saga it has a completely reasonable basis to be in that saga, albeit with significant differences of course. And what about how many more games until kh3? The answer is obvious if you know what has already changed. It entirely depends on the development of versus. And so to complete the tldr
TL;DR:
-Future Plan: Up to KH3 it is dependent on versus. Beyond KH3, its a new set of mysteries with BBSV2 in the balance of development.
Thoughts? Comments? Insults or flaming? Leave it all below
PLEASE NOTE: There are two "tldr;s" near the bottom of the post.
With the recent release of kh3d I figure now is as good a time as any to point out a couple things about the game. By that I don't mean to refer to game tips/help or how awesome I think this game is because there is already a plethora of experts to provide you those posts. What I instead will talk about is what this game means in the scheme of the series as one of square's main franchises and from better understanding this perspective be able to better conclude where the series is going.
Lets go back to the game's origins. To many the farthest point back in time which the game may be traced to would be E3 2010, and in a number of ways this is true. However because it was confirmed that this game was not in existence at the time of the BBS Ultimania we know it came into conception over that three month period. I hope you can trust me with these facts as I won't be providing interviews for everything so be sure to take everything with a grain of salt.
With the Birth by Sleep Ultimania among the completed answers and new questions Nomura left us a treat, a tease of what lays in the future of kingdom hearts. Just check out these two questions, and I think you'll see what I mean:
Nomura: For now while FF Versus XIII is still being worked on, there isn't much I can do on KHIII, but we've already begun work on the next game in the series. There is one that we are hoping to be able to release within this year. Then the next year there is one more game we are planning on releasing. I think it will probably make the main character[s?] more complicated. Also, the end of 'Blank Points' with Sora leaving on a new adventure connects to KHIII.
Now that Birth by Sleep is complete, we're interested in the future titles to come in the Kingdom Hearts series?
Nomura: Kingdom Hearts III can't be started if the goals for Final Fantasy Versus XIII are not concluded, however development of the next title(s) in the series has already begun. There's one I plan to release within the year. After that, there's another one I'm thinking I want to release from next year onwards, and I think there will be more than one main character again. By the way, the scene 'Blank Points' in Birth by Sleep in which Sora ends up setting off on his journey is planned to connect to Kingdom Hearts III.
(This whole quote deserves to be bolded but I think its also worth mentioning there exists another translation that forum member grass of khinsider used in predicting bbsv2 at E3 2011 )However a couple months later, we get something interesting:
So lastly, can you please give a message to the players?
Nomura: A while ago I mentioned that there were 'two titles' in conception (Sleeping Keys: BBSV2 and Re:coded), and it might look like those two titles were put on display at E3 this year. However, that has actually increased by one title with this (KH3D). (Editor: the remaining one title is still a mystery.) Our goals behind coming to E3 this time wasn't just for the announcements, but also in order to have some business meetings. We plan to go to E3 again next year, and there are still some hidden treasures, but first of all, please enjoy Re:Coded, of which we are planning to explain the release date soon.
I think you see where I'm going. Re:coded and the mystery game, which we now know to be bbsv2 were originally going to be the only two games preceding KH3, but after recognizing how unlikely it was that a single title aside from Re:coded would satisfy the wait for Versus XIII to be completed, let alone for KH3 to be completed, they trashed that approach to discover a plan to maximize the potential amount of games to sate the fans hunger until kh3. The plan that happened was strikingly similar to what many fans jokingly derive to make kh3 not release for another 20 years only Square's was slightly more elaborate to create a tighter story.Japan's schedule:
- 2009: BBS
- 2010: BBS Final Mix (hints at BBS volume 2)
- 2011: Re:coded (hints at kh3d)
- 2012: KH3D/Coded/Days box
- 2013: BBS volume 2 (hints at new saga)
- 2014: KH3D Final mix/CoM e-shop (free with a code from KH3D Final Mix!)
- 2015: HD collections part 1: KH1 and KH2
- 2016: HD collections part 2: BBS and Re:com
- 2017:KH3 FINALLY!!!!!!!!
And just for the heck of it:- 2018: KH3 Final Mix
Now, do I honestly think that it will take another six years for the Xehanort saga to be completed? That's the same amount of time that has passed since kh2 came out! Even I admit this is crazy, but I sadly wouldn't be surprised if some of the staff joked up this same schedule when thinking about the worst case scenario with versus. As for what they seriously came up with, well, all we have to do is look at all the games that came out after BBS. Re:coded included the secret ending to patch up (smooth out might be a better way to put it because Nomura's vagueness came in use to avoid a contradiction) their little mistake about the ending of blank points being Sora setting off on his kh3 journey. Released shortly-there-after, Birth by Sleep Final Mix hinted toward Birth by Sleep Volume 2. However, then BBSV2 was slowly forgotten. Some people argue that DDD simply replaced BBSV2. However it is indisputable now, even more so now with the DDD Ultimania that BBSV2 was to be a game in its own right.So why does it appear now that we will only have one more small game aside from kh3d before kh3? My only guess would be they got some real progress in on Versus XIII and with DDD already in development threw BBBSV2 back to the shelf of possible games.
Tl;DR:
-Original Plan: Re:coded, BBSV2, KH3
-New Elaborate plan: Re:coded (establishing a premise of kh3d within the series), BBSFM (establishing a premise for BBSV2 within the series), KH3D, BBSV2,... *how many other titles it takes to kh3, Kh3
-Current plan (due to the development of Versus XIII): *first couple titles of the "New Elaborate Plan": Re:coded, BBSFM, KH3D*, "the small title", kh3 (<<but I'm still betting on a KH3D final mix)
And if anyone read Grass' amazing (yet wrong) theory on BBSV2 being at E3 2011 it was because of this fact of multiple plans. He sewed together an amazing amount of quotes and evidence but never considered that many of the older interviews weren't as valid. Let this be a lesson to remember that things change.
So will we ever see BBSV2? As of now, not even Nomura knows the answer. However, what he does have is the perspective to tell sooner than any of us yes or no. What we now hopefully have is a perspective much closer to his. Because BBSV2 concerns itself with the new saga it has a completely reasonable basis to be in that saga, albeit with significant differences of course. And what about how many more games until kh3? The answer is obvious if you know what has already changed. It entirely depends on the development of versus. And so to complete the tldr
TL;DR:
-Future Plan: Up to KH3 it is dependent on versus. Beyond KH3, its a new set of mysteries with BBSV2 in the balance of development.
Thoughts? Comments? Insults or flaming? Leave it all below