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Pre-orders for the Kingdom Hearts manga and artbook are now available

Pre-order pages for the Kingdom Hearts manga and "The Artwork of Kingdom Hearts" artbook have just gone up on Amazon.com. These pages confirm the release dates and prices of each. We have a link to each them along with their release date and cost below.
Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix
(Complete series in two omnibuses)
Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Volume 1. Releasing May 28, 2013 for $12.00 USD.
Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Volume 2. Releasing May 28, 2013 for $12.00 USD.
Kingdom Hearts: CHAIN OF MEMORIES
(Complete in one omnibus)
Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories. Releasing June 25, 2013 for $19.00 USD.
Kingdom Hearts II
(Omnibuses 1 and 2 cover the first five volumes of the original releases)
Kingdom Hearts II, Volume 1. Releasing July 30, 2013 for $19.00 USD.
Kingdom Hearts II, Volume 2. Releasing August 27, 2013 for $19.00 USD.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 DAYS
(Single volume releases)
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Volume 1. Releasing November 19, 2013 for $12.00 USD.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Volume 2. Releasing January 14, 2014 for $12.00 USD.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Volume 3. Releasing March 2014.
Kingdom Hearts FULL COLOR ART BOOK
Shiro Amano: The Artwork of Kingdom Hearts. Releasing October 29, 2013 for $25.00 USD.
Updates: The above information has been updated on July 2, 2013 to include all available information at the time. New release dates and cover artwork has been added.
Sora96

Kingdom Hearts III appears in June 20 issue of Famitsu

The latest issue of Famitsu Weekly, releasing on June 20, 2013, has contained an article on Kingdom Hearts III. The article summarizes the information from E3 2013, and contains an interview with series director Tetsuya Nomura, where he discusses details about the game. The majority of this issue was published on Famitsu.com last week, and thanks to goldpanner for translations, you can read this interview here.
aibo_ac7 and hokanko-alt have reported on some possible new information from the issue, and we will have definite translations of this up soon.
Update 1: goldpanner has done a full translation of the new details from the issue, and this translation can be read below. With a big thanks to her, enjoy!
Q&A With KH3 Director Tetsuya Nomura ---Outline
* Release date TBA
* Price TBA
* Director: Tetsuya Nomura
* Co. Director: Tai Yasue
* Composer: Yoko Shimomura
* Producer: Rie Nishi
* The plot consists of Sora and the gang doing their thing on various Disney Worlds in order to find the key to restore hearts
* CG renders of Sora, Donald Duck and Goofy are introduced
~
---Q&A
* It will continue on from KH3D, and the selection of new worlds is under way. There will be a final showdown with Xehanort as this is the last chapter of the Dark Seeker Chronicles.
* Will we be able to control characters other than Sora, such as Riku or Kairi etc? He wouldn't say that the possibility is zero.
* About the visuals: They are still exploring how KH ought to look on next gen, but as the characters of KH were designed to evoke the feeling of the brush painting in the works of Disney, they're going back to that as the starting point. After a few tests on the request of Mr Nozue, they came up with visuals that among the developers they are calling the 'Kingdom Shader'.
* The action: There is a demo version that works on real consoles, and it's an absolute storm. Going even beyond 'bold action', in KHIII you will have a three person party but depending on the world NPCs will also join in fighting. Basically they're developing some very flashy action. Enemy AI has also changed considerably, and they are going for coordinated action that you can pull with enemies and allies alike.
* In these testing stages they already have Sora transforming his Keyblade
* The FFXV and KHIII development teams cause each other to improve as they work. Even at the private conference there was a response, developments unseen in the KH series so far eg. online elements are under investigation, he wants you to look forward to upcoming news. This year in Japan they will be exhibiting at Tokyo Game Show and at Disney's D23 Expo Japan event in October, so expect more information to come out around then.
Update 2: ArikaMiz has uploaded a photo from the article, showing an all-new render of Sora, Donald and Goofy for Kingdom Hearts III. You can see this below.

Update 3: TrueGaming has uploaded scans of the article. You can view them below, in our gallery.
DChiuch

HD 1.5 ReMIX to appear at Japan Expo 2013

Earlier this month, Square Enix announced that Shinji Hashimoto, executive producer of the Kingdom Hearts series, and Yoko Shimomura, composer of the series, will both be attending Japan Expo 2013. Square Enix France have now revealed their schedule for the event, and this schedule confirms that Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX will appear in a conference with an "exclusive presentation". There is no mention of Kingdom Hearts III, as of yet. Japan Expo 2013 takes place in Paris, France from July 4 to July 7, 2013.
Update 1: Square Enix have announced a set of Kingdom Hearts-related prizes that will be given out at Japan Expo 2013, as part of some competitions being run at the Square Enix Products booth. These prizes are:
- A Kingdom Hearts figurine signed by Tetsuya Nomura for 1st place
- A plush toy or original soundtrack for 2nd place
- A Square Enix strap for all participants
Update 2: KHDestiny have announced that they were able to test HD 1.5 ReMIX at Square Enix France today, and that attendees of Japan Expo 2013 will also be able to try HD 1.5 ReMIX. They also uploaded this photo, presumably of a poster from the Square Enix France office:

DChiuch

Nomura talks Kingdom Hearts III with Dengeki PlayStation

The latest issue of Dengeki PlayStation has included an interview with the director of the Kingdom Hearts series, Tetsuya Nomura. Here, Nomura discusses Kingdom Hearts III, revealing all-new details such as that smartphone and tablet support are being considered. hokanko-alt has posted interview details online, and to goldpanner for translating them, you can read them below.
- The clip was a teaser through and through, so they didn't give away much information. Unlike for FF15, the clips weren't realtime, as they were in a hurry to select from among what was undergoing testing on the hardware, but it looks basically the same running on the hardware anyway. Perhaps the camera controls are better in realtime. Outfits and battle gameplay will be introduced another time - During the clip the visuals change showing the shape that next-gen KH will take
- Though this is the final chapter of the Dark Seeker Chronicles, they're working on ways to make it easy for newcomers to the series to join in. As with FF15 they are investigating online correspondence, and smartphone and tablet support
- They are hard at work on development, they have not yet finished choosing all the worlds
- As for the past few years they had continued with spin off titles, they announced the next numbered title with the aim to bring peace of mind to fans. There won't be follow-up information available right away, but Nomura is hoping to release more information at TGS and D23 Expo Japan. Don't forget that some popular voice actors from the series will be attending D23 Expo Japan. Nomura is hoping to be on the stage with the voice actors talking about the series and announcing the latest information.
DChiuch

Nomura talks Kingdom Hearts III with Edge Online

Edge Online have posted an article containing an interview with the director of the Kingdom Hearts series, Tetsuya Nomura. Here, Nomura discusses Kingdom Hearts III, as well as Final Fantasy XV. Thanks to Edge Online, and to KHInsider for the find, this can be read below.
So, Kingdom Hearts 3: what took you so long? Tetsuya Nomura: So we received great reviews for Kingdom Hearts 2 and so of course the expectation for 3 became much higher. And to make the game appropriate in terms of story, systems and the world – to reach the fans’ expectations – it just ended up taking some time.
What’s the relationship with Disney like? Disney’s attitude to games has changed in recent years to become focused on mobile and social games. Have you noticed their attitude change much?
The relationship with Disney has [remained] the same. Actually the contact person at Disney is still the same person from Kingdom Hearts 1, and Disney has given us lots of requests in terms of the Kingdom Hearts franchise and they did mention some smaller titles for other platforms, but our common, most important goal was to [complete] Kingdom Hearts 3. So it’s the same.
Fans of the series would be quite happy for the game to be the same as the last one, but as a designer and developer don’t you want to experiment and do new things? How do you balance those desires in Kingdom Hearts 3?
As you know, it took a while to actually announce Kingdom Hearts 3, but in the meantime we announced several spin-off titles in the series, and each time for the spin-off title we did experiment and challenge with new things. So we did definitely feel like we have reached enough experimentation and experiences and also I do the development of Final Fantasy, so I feel like for this Kingdom Hearts 3 we are putting everything – all of the experimentation and experiences – into this new title.
The combat in Final Fantasy XV looks real-time instead of turn-based, is that a complete change for the series? Are you making an action game now?
The Final Fantasy series – if you look at each title – each of them has a different system and a different story, so that’s the trend of the Final Fantasy [series] in the past. And when we decided to do action-based for Versus XIII, I personally thought: Is that Final Fantasy? So that was actually one reason why the title was called Versus XIII, not the main sequel, main title, for Final Fantasy. But if you look at the other titles in the franchise, XI and XIV are MMORPG so they do use battle systems which is a command-based, turn-style battle system. So it’s not quite the typical RPG… so that’s why we decided why [Final Fantasy XV] could be action-based battle. And in the future, if other teams decide to different styles of battle systems, then that’s what they decide to do.
So why were you at Sony’s conference and not Microsoft’s? Have you chosen your favourite already?
So, why not Microsoft? Until the last minute we actually didn’t know which conference we would be in, and there was a possibility not to be in the Sony conference either. So it was simply the arrangement between the companies and also originally Versus XIII was announced for PlayStation 3 several years ago. That’s why we thought it’s just probably proper to just go to them and discuss and if they decided to put it on then we would see.
What did you think of E3? Was there anything in particular that excited you?
So of course I was aware of the specifications of each new next-gen console because we are working on them, so there was no specific impact that I got from the announcements in that [respect]. But I was more curious about the software that would be announced. Some of the contents looked really interesting to me and I was preparing for my own presentation of my own games, so I was also very nervous of what other companies would present.
Do you feel comfortable now that you’ve seen everyone else’s games and put yours out there alongside them?
The more contents I saw, with each new trailer before mine, I was getting more worried [laughs]. So of course I’ve been seeing my own trailer so many times that I’m accustomed to watching it so I can’t tell if it’s great any more because I’m so used to watching it. I know my team is working so hard and they agree, but I’ve never done that comparison of looking at my title and trailer with others so that’s why I was nervous.
What does the next generation of consoles mean to you, the games you make, and to Square Enix in general?
So in terms of my own titles that I directed, for the current generation consoles, I have to admit that our company was a little bit behind in terms of development. Talking about my own titles, Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD is not yet released in the UK, Europe and US even after the announcement of next-generation consoles, and 1.5 is for PlayStation 3. But in the meantime we were already in the development of Kingdom Hearts 3 and Final Fantasy XV for next-generation consoles, so we definitely have to catch up with the rest of the gaming world with those titles and in the future Final Fantasy XV most likely will be released sooner than Kingdom Hearts 3. And I think for Square Enix Final Fantasy XV will be the flagship title for the next-generation consoles, and after that we will definitely make more titles for those platforms.
DChiuch

Everything we know about Kingdom Hearts III so far

E3 2013 was a gaming event occurring June 11-13, 2013 at the Los Angeles Convention Centre. Kingdom Hearts III was officially announced at the event, featuring a new trailer and various press updates including intervews and website updates. We have summarized all Kingdom Hearts III content from the event below for you.
Announcement Trailer
Tetsuya Nomura appeared at Sony's press conference via a video and showed a short, beta trailer for Kingdom Hearts III.

This trailer is also available in our video archive. A photo gallery of screenshots is available on our Facebook page.
Platform: PlayStation 4 & Xbox One
Status: "Now in development" (early stages)
Release date: No announcement yet

Photos

Details from press events & releases
Details from "Square Enix: The Future" press event:
- Kingdom Hearts III is being developed with DirectX 11, meaning that it can be easily compiled for both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
- Kingdom Hearts III will follow a mature Sora adventuring with Mickey, Donald and Goofy. New Disney worlds for the series will be included.
- Kingdom Hearts III is being developed by the "Osaka team", the team responsible for Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 3D.
Details from press release:
Kingdom Hearts III features a mature Sora as the main protagonist who sets forth on an adventure with Mickey, Donald and Goofy through new and legendary Disney worlds. Kingdom Hearts III will make full use of next generation console technologies to showcase a stunning universe packed full of worlds based on Disney properties. Story of Kingdom Hearts III
Believing light and darkness must remain in balance, Master Xehanort seeks to spark war against the ‘tyranny of light’ to restore equilibrium.
In an effort to undermine Xehanort’s plot, Sora, Donald and Goofy search for seven guardians of light and the “Key to Return Hearts,” while King Mickey and Riku search for previous Keyblade wielders.
Other updates
Square Enix launched official websites for Kingdom Hearts III in various regions. These websites are linked to below. These don't contain much as of yet, but expect them to be updated in the future.
Official Japanese website for Kingdom Hearts III
Official international website for Kingdom Hearts III
New details from interviews
Tetsuya Nomura took part in various interviews throughout the week. We have summarized all of the new Kingdom Hearts III information from these interviews below. Or, if you're interested, you can read the full interviews here.
Story, worlds and characters
- The battle against Master Xehanort and Organization XIII will end in Kingdom Hearts III. Kingdom Hearts (the location) will appear in Kingdom Hearts III.
- The world selections in Kingdom Hearts III will contain some stable choices, as well as some surprising factors. There is a particular surprising world.
- Kingdom Hearts III will contain Final Fantasy characters.
- Sora's outfit is yet to be unveiled.
- Whenever Nomura hears about a new Disney acquisition (Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, etc), he contacts Disney and sees if it's something that he can use in Kingdom Hearts. Nomura says that the answer is sometimes 'absolutely no', but sometimes 'we don't know'. No more details were given.
Gameplay
- Nomura sees core games (KH1, KH2 and KH3) as having "evolving gameplay", and other games as having "experimental gameplay" (new challenges and new skills). Kingdom Hearts III will follow the evolving gameplay formula, ie. the gameplay will be similar to KH1 and KH2, however, it will also draw inspiration from well received experiments in other titles, such as Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 3D. KH3D was noted as having lots of inspiration drawn from it.
- Summoning will return in Kingdom Hearts III, but it will be in a very different form.
- Multiplayer elements and online capabilities are both being considered. More details about this will be announced later.
- Nomura recognizes that people want to play as King Mickey, and that will be taken into consideration. Sora will definitely be the main character to play, however, but it is possible that there will be multiple playable characters. In Kingdom Hearts III, you will have a three person party, but depending on the world NPCs will also join in fighting
- The gameplay is described as "some very flashy action". Nomura says "you'll be flying through the sky, unfolding into air battles without landing", as with the trailer.
- The enemy AI is becoming rather elaborate. Nomura is aiming for coordinated action to flow from enemies and allies alike. There is already a vehicle-like enemy, and Sora is able to ride that enemy all around during battle.
Development
- Kingdom Hearts III is in a very early stage of development, and Nomura feels that it was a bit early to be announcing it. Despite this, the game visuals already have a solid direction. The visuals are referred to as 'Kingdom Shader'. This is a technique they have developed for the game, where the shader will adjust depending on the world.
- Kingdom Hearts III is being developed on Luminous Studios, ie. developed using DirectX 11, allowing for easy compiling to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The trailer did not contain any actual gameplay, actually, the gameplay portion of the trailer is a FMV that represents what gameplay might look like. Development is at a stage where they have a demo version running on existing equipment, and the way the demo moves is said to be similar to the way the FMV looks.
Future announcements
- Square Enix is exhibiting at Tokyo Game Show 2013 (September 19-22, 2013) and D23 Disney Japan Expo (October 12-14, 2013). Nomura expects that Kingdom Hearts III will be shown at these events, and that more information will become available around those times.
DChiuch

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX at E3 2013: A summary of everything

E3 2013 was a gaming event occurring June 11-13, 2013 at the Los Angeles Convention Centre. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX appeared at the event, featuring a new trailer, playable demo, and various press updates including intervews and website updates. We have summarized all HD 1.5 ReMIX content from the event below for you.
Trailer

This trailer is also available in our video archive.
Square Enix "Focus On"

This is a 30 minute presentation by Square Enix, focusing on HD 1.5 ReMIX. The embedded video above will start from the relevant location. The major points from this video are:
- English Kingdom Hearts Final Mix (specifically, Halloween Town and Neverland) footage from HD 1.5 ReMIX was shown. These worlds made up the demo at E3 2013.
- The pre-order bonus for HD 1.5 ReMIX (the 24-page artbook) will contain a special message from Tetsuya Nomura.
- The official Facebook page for Kingdom Hearts will give out signed lithographs by Nomura with the HD 1.5 ReMIX artwork sometime in the near future.
Photos
Arturo Molina from KH13 and Square Enix have uploaded photos from E3 2013. You can view a select few below, in our gallery. You can view all of them here.
All photos from the event

New details from interviews
Tetsuya Nomura took part in various interviews throughout the week. We have summarized all of the new HD 1.5 ReMIX information from these interviews below. Or, if you're interested, you can read the full interviews here.
- Remastering Kingdom Hearts Final Mix was a lot of work, as a lot of the original data was missing.
- The decision to make HD 1.5 ReMIX followed the decision to make Kingdom Hearts III, as Nomura wants everyone to play the HD collection in preparation.
- The 24-page artbook pre-order bonus will contain some all-new sketches.
- The 358/2 Days video volume was never intended to be as long as it turned out to be (2 hours and 50 minutes). The team simply started work on it without knowing how long it would end up. Nomura almost wishes he had just made an actual 358/2 Days film (as opposed to cutscenes).
Other updates
The official international website for Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX was updated. The website has been redesigned and information, images, videos and wallpapers have been added. This is linked to below.
Official international portal for Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX
DChiuch

Full voice cast for 358/2 Days in HD 1.5 ReMIX revealed

Last week, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX was featured at E3 2013. Here, demos of the game were available to play, and Arturo Molina from KH13, who attended the event on behalf of us, was able to get a recording of the 358/2 Days credits. This can be seen below, revealing the full voice cast for the title. It shows that Square Enix managed to get everyone to return for their roles. Thankfully, no characters have had their voice replaced.

Roxas "No. XIII"
Jesse McCartney Axel "No. VIII"
Quinton Flynn
Xion "No. XIV" & Kairi
Alyson Stoner
Xemnas "No. I"
Paul St. Peter
Xigbar "No. II"
James Patrick Stuart
Xaldin "No. III"
David Dayan Fisher
Vexen "No. IV"
Derek Stephen Prince
Lexaeus "No. V"
Dave Boat
Zexion "No. VI"
Vincent Corazza
Saix "No. VII"
Kirk Thornton
Demyx "No. IX"
Ryan O'Donohue
Luxord "No. X"
Robin Atkin Downes
Marluxia "No. XI"
Keith Ferguson
Larxene "No. XII"
Shanelle Gray
Ansem
Richard Epcar
Diz
Corey Burton
Riku
David Gallagher
Naminé
Meaghan Jette Martin
Sora
Haley Joel Osment
Featuring the Disney character voice talents of:
Wayne Allwine
Tony Anselmo
Jeff Bennett
Jim Cummings
Bill Farmer
Jess Harnell
Bret Iwan
Kath Soucie
DChiuch

Nomura interviewed about Kingdom Hearts III & HD 1.5 ReMIX

Tetsuya Nomura, the director of the Kingdom Hearts series is attending E3 2013, the gaming event occurring June 11-13, 2013 where Kingdom Hearts III was officially announced. Here, Nomura was interviewed various times about Kingdom Hearts III and Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX. Full details about these interviews are available below.
Interview 1: Tetsuya Nomura with Square Enix Members
Earlier, Square Enix's YouTube channel livestreamed an interview by Square Enix Members with Tetsuya Nomura. We have typed up a full transcript of this interview, and it can be read below.
Tetsuya Nomura: Hi. -- We're going to start off with a little bit of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX chat. Can you explain how you came up with the idea of Kingdom Hearts and how the name originated?
Nomura: Originally, I wanted to find a title that fits Disney, because it's a Disney video game. When I thought of this game I thought of amusement parks and I wanted to make something kind of like through Disney Land. So, "Kingdom" was the first name that came to my mind. The development team was calling it as a kingdom. But I couldn't get the IP of "Kingdom". So, we thought about "Heart" as a core part of the story, and we combined them together.
-- How it’s meant to work with Disney?
Nomura: Originally our producer Hashimoto became friends with Disney (they shared the same office building), and chatted with people from Disney. We decided it would be great to make a game together. This is how the franchise was born. Our relationship with Disney has been good, working together for 10 years, and we still have the same counterpart at the Disney site. We have heated discussion (laughs). But the relationship has been good.
-- Can you let fans know what’s been involved in the process of remastering Kingdom Hearts for the HD 1.5 ReMIX?
Nomura: KH1 was created a long time ago, so actually the original data was missing. We had to research and dig out from the games and recreate everything. Then, we had to redo the graphics, and it was actually not that easy.
-- What makes this a definitive Kingdom Hearts experience? Especially because this version was never released in North America, it’s going to be the first time for people to experience this package.
Nomura: The Final Mix version of KH was available in Japan, just not NA and Europe. I had a vision that I eventually wanted to make them available everywhere-- all over the world. There are many additional elements in FM that were not seen by the other territories, so this became a big chance. We added two games and one movie as a package, as HD 1.5 ReMIX, and now everyone over the world can share the complete KH world.
-- What is your favourite character and enemy in the Kingdom Hearts universe?
Nomura: Master Xehanort is definitely one of my favorites. And in KH1, Ansem was my favorite.
-- Was there any characters or worlds that were cut at any time?
Nomura: The Jungle Book is one world that we always try to insert, but due to various circumstances it always ends up being cut.
-- What does HD 1.5 ReMIX remix mean in relation to Kingdom Hearts III?
Nomura: Because we decided to make Kingdom Hearts III, we decided to make HD 1.5 ReMIX. So basically, it shows my determination to Kingdom Hearts III. To the fans, I want to make sure that everyone plays HD 1.5 ReMIX in preparation for Kingdom Hearts III
-- Pre-order Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX, and get a free 24-page art book which includes new sketches. Also, get a never before seen sketch by Nomura-san!
-- On to the Kingdom Hearts III questions, what new worlds can we expect in Kingdom Hearts III?
Nomura: (laughs) I’m not allowed to say what will be coming in Kingdom Hearts III, but each time when I select the worlds for the game I choose some stable choices that are accessible for the game and the story, and I try to insert surprising factors. I want everyone to be surprised to see that particular world. For Kingdom Hearts III I want to make sure that there will be a lot of surprises.
-- Can you speak of the new battle system at all?
Nomura: For the previous KH’s titles, especially for KH1 and KH2 (core games), I want to make sure that evolution is occurring. For the spin-off games, I wanted to experiment with new challenges and new skills. Because this is a core game, I feel like there are appropriate game styles. KH2 had a game system that was well received by the KH players, and Kingdom Hearts III will follow this system. However, due to the experiments in the spin-off titles, we would like to incorporate the well-received changes of these games.
-- Will we see any new FF characters? Will we get a chance to play as King Mickey?
Nomura: The appearance of FF characters is pending. For a while, the previous titles didn’t have any FF characters, and I think it’s time to include some. I know everyone wants to play as King Mickey, so I will take that into consideration. Of course Sora will be the main character to play; it would be nice if other characters are playable as well.
-- Any plans for multiplayer in Kingdom Hearts III?
Nomura: Multiplayer elements are also under consideration. We are also looking into online capabilities. We will announce more details regarding this at a later time.
-- Will summoning be returning to Kingdom Hearts III?
Nomura: Yes. Summon is going to be available, but in a very different form. In previous titles, Disney characters could be summoned. But in Kingdom Hearts III, it will be a completely different system.
-- Is this the end of Organization XIII and Nobodies as characters?
Nomura: Yes, the battle against Organization XIII will end in this title. I don’t know about Nobodies. But, Master Xehanort is the one that organised the Organization XIII and the battle against him will be the end.
-- Will we actually get to see Kingdom Hearts?
Nomura: I don’t want to say too much, but Kingdom Hearts has appeared occasionally in the last 10 years of the franchise and I think it will appear again...
(Nomura remembers something he wanted to say about the worlds in KH3.)
Nomura: For Kingdom Hearts III you may notice there is a technique called “shader”. Using this tool, restriction of characters have been definitely changed, and the texture which is to be put on the surface of the model has been used to describe the Disney characters and to make it similar to the Disney characters that people are familiar with. For Kingdom Hearts III, we will use a different “shader” for different worlds, so it would look natural to match these worlds.
Interview 2: Tetsuya Nomura with Hiroki Yasumoto on Square Enix Channel
Earlier, Nomura was interviewed by Hiroki Yasumoto on Square Enix Channel. Staff translator goldpanner has done a very detailed translation of this interview, and with a big thanks to her, you can read the whole thing below.
Introducing Tetsuya Nomura
- Yasumoto commiserates with Nomura, who is very tired and has been doing a lot of talking today.
- Nomura caught a cold just before departure, and he is losing his voice and trying not to cough.
- Nomura hasn’t been walking around E3 as he has been in interviews the whole time due to the big announcements.
- Yasumoto reads a basic intro to the KH series. KH 1.5
- They note that KH 1.5 has already released in Japan, and will release overseas in September.
- As the trailer plays, Yasumoto gives a basic description of KH 1.5 and mentions speaking with animation supervisor Tatsuya Kando about KH 1.5 on the Square Enix Channel radio show in March.
- When Yasumoto mentions being impressed at the length of and the effort put into the Days video volume, Nomura says that they didn’t intend on making it so long from the beginning, and that they actually began work without being sure how long it would end up. He says that as it became so long anyway, he almost wishes he had just gone and made an actual film.
- Nomura affirms that it was difficult to create the HD remaster. He says that as the original title was so old, almost all the original data was gone. The programmers began the project by digging around for data, and they had to work out everything for themselves bit by bit, as they were working with other people’s programs rather than programs they had made themselves. It was apparently a huge job to recreate everything.
KH3
- While Yasumoto is excited about KH3 finally on the way after so much waiting, mentioning that KH2 was released in 2005, Nomura says he hasn’t felt aware of the time passing at all! Yasumoto says that’s probably to be expected since there have been games out every year anyway. Nomura says, however, hearing that seven or eight years have passed does make him think it’s been a bit too long. He says he has been thinking he really needs to hurry up and do it.
- When Yasumoto asks how work on the numbered titles begin, Nomura says that he thinks of a numbered title as something following the pattern of KH1, with Sora as protagonist and Donald and Goofy as friends that come with you.
- Nomura agrees that during the concept stage it is simple. There hadn’t been anything plot-wise that fit so far, so they had continued with spin offs.
- Yasumoto confirms that is has been 8 years since KH2 was released. Nomura agrees that it’s taken a bit too long.
- On the topic of gameplay and battling, Nomura says since it’s a numbered title they plan to evolve the basic style of KH2, while perhaps incorporating some of the elements of gameplay they challenged themselves to develop for the spin off titles. Apparently there will be a lot of gameplay from KH3D in particular, and he thinks you can feel the future KH3 in that game.
- When asked whether people who are completely new to the KH series will be able to enjoy KH3 without playing any other titles, Nomura is unsure! He says that when he decided to make KH3, he decided he would also have to make 1.5. Nomura hopes people will play and enjoy 1.5, especially now that KH3 has been announced.
- They talk about the difficulties of working on new hardware such as the PS4 and XBONE. Nomura says that they way they have to make the game is very different from how they have done things so far. They are using the method of making the base of the whole thing on PC and then adjusting for the features of each console, which is apparently the best way to go about ported projects.
- There are many challenges in making a ported game, but Nomura is confident he and his team will overcome them.
Interview 3: Tetsuya Nomura with Famitsu.com
Famitsu.com also had the opportunity to interview Nomura. This interview has a focus on Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV, and will appear in the issue of Famitsu Weekly releasing on June 20, with game screenshots. Staff translator goldpanner has done a very detailed translation of the Kingdom Hearts III parts of this interview, and with a big thanks to her, you can read the whole thing below.
---We were surprised that you would release a KHIII trailer so soon, what with KH 3D [Dream Drop Distance] (hereon KH3D) and KH -1.5 HD ReMIX still so recent. Nomura: I know there are many fans who are restless because we have only released spin off titles since KHII, so I decided to announce it along with FFXV. Looking at the stage of development, though, I do think perhaps it is a bit early to be announcing it.
---However, it does seem like the visuals already have a solid direction.
Nomura: Among the developers we are calling the visuals 'Kingdom Shader'. On original worlds, this is the feel the characters will have. The Shader will adjust depending on the world, so the visuals will match with the style of each Disney World.
---Like FFXV, is KHIII being developed on Luminous Studios?
Nomura: At present, we are going with Luminous as our main and undergoing investigations. The porting to both PS4 and Xbox One, working by overengineering, is the same. For the section of battle in the trailer we showed, we didn't have time to prepare a clip of it working on the existing equipment because of tool issues, so instead we made an FMV that would give a feel for what is possible in realtime. Even so, the way it moves doesn't look much different at all in realtime.
---Please tell us how the action in KHIII will have evolved.
Nomura: Right now there's a demo version that works on our existing equipment... and it's an absolute storm (laughs). It goes even beyond 'bold action'. In KHIII you will have a three person party, but depending on the world NPCs will also join in fighting, basically, we're developing some very flashy action. You'll be flying through the sky unfolding into air battles without landing.
---Just with Sora (laughs).
Nomura: I suppose so (laughs). The enemy AI is becoming rather elaborate, and we'd like for coordinated action to flow from enemies and allies alike. For example, there's a vehicle-type enemy, and we've already got Sora being able to ride that enemy all around during battle.
---Lastly, a message for your fans.
Nomura: FFXV and KHIII are projects that exist as great rival projects that polish each other up as they are developed. At our private conference, despite KHIII being the lucky last and being at a low stage of development, I'm aleady feeling a response. For KHIII, developments unseen in the KH series so far involving online elements are under investigation, so please look forward to upcoming news. This year in Japan we will be exhibiting at Tokyo Game Show and at Disney's D23 Expo Japan event, so I think there will be more information available around those times.
Interview 4: Tetsuya Nomura with IGN
IGN also had the opportunity to interview Nomura. This interview has a focus on Disney’s Recent Acquisitions and whether they'll appear in Kingdom Hearts III. You can read this below.
There’ve been a handful of mornings over the past few years where Tetsuya Nomura, creator of the Kingdom Hearts series and director of Final Fantasy XV, woke up to some pretty interesting news. It turns out, these were the mornings where he awoke to hear word that Disney had purchased another in a litany of interesting companies. From Pixar and Marvel Entertainment, to Lucasfilm and 2014’s possible acquisition of Studio Ghibli, Disney has been quickly evolving into an entertainment Goliath. With news that Disney now owns the rights do these various companies and their respective properties, of course Nomura would get interested and begin imagining the possibilities for those new characters and worlds inside of the Kingdom Hearts universe. In an E3 interview with IGN, he explained, “Whenever I hear of the news, I always say, ‘woah…they’ve done it again.’”
“The first thing I do when I find out this news is contact Disney and see if it’s something I can use [in Kingdom Hearts].”
We followed up by asking him if Disney had ever answered with a yes, to which he replied, “Disney’s companies are all very different. Sometimes the answer is ‘absolutely no,’ and sometimes the answer is, ‘…hmm, we don’t know...’”
Nomura was obviously a bit coy about specific details regarding specific Disney properties, especially considering that Kingdom Hearts III was just announced at Sony’s press conference a few days ago, followed by word that it's coming to Xbox One as well. But he was willing to elaborate a bit more on his relationship with the media giant, saying that, “Disney’s pretty honest. If the situation is really difficult, they’ll say, it’s really difficult. If it’s impossible, they’ll say it’s impossible.
Stay tuned to IGN for much more on our enlightening interview with Tetsuya Nomura, including brand new details on Final Fantasy XV.
Interview 5: Tetsuya Nomura with Dengeki Online
Dengeki Online also had the opportunity to interview Nomura. This interview has a focus on Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV. Staff translator goldpanner has done a full translation of the Kingdom Hearts III parts of this interview, and with a big thanks to her, you can read the whole thing below.
Asking Tetsuya Nomura about Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III! E3 2013 > Announcing the game eagerly awaited by fans all over the world: Kingdom Hearts III!
---You've unveiled the long awaited Kingdom Hearts III.
Nomura: The clip was a teaser through and through, so we didn't give away much information. Things like Sora's outfit and battle gameplay are still to be revealed, so please look forward to that.
---It seems the look of the characters is different from usual...?
Nomura: That would be because of what the developers are referring to as the 'Kingdom Shader', which adds shading to the base image generation of the original 'Kingdom Hearts' that reproduces the brush painting of Disney works in even greater beauty.
---Will the plot follow on from Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance...?
Nomura: Yes, that's right. It will be the last chapter in the Dark Seeker Chronicle that we have been expanding up until now. I am thinking of some ways to make it easier for newcomers to the series to join in.
DChiuch

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