Update: Thanks to @aibo_ac7 we now know that the iPhone 5 case will release on September 27, 2013 in Japan. It will cost 2,800 yen.
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Update: Thanks to @aibo_ac7 we now know that the iPhone 5 case will release on September 27, 2013 in Japan. It will cost 2,800 yen.
~Visuals with a soft feel, and even bolder action —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. Considering 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 the ‘Kingdom Shader’. On original worlds, the characters will go around with that feel to them. Then, to match the style of each Disney World, the Shader will adjust the visuals depending on the world.*
---We weren't expecting the soft, illustrated feel as seen in the KH3D movie, rather than a more realistic look.
Nomura: Perhaps the ordinary course of things would be to go with the realism close to the visuals in the movies so far, but then there wouldn't be any surprises, would there? I think the same thing about existing things like cel shading, too.
---How did you come up with these visuals?
Nomura: How should next-gen Kingdom Hearts be... should I go with the realism from recent works, or go with something different? I thought long and hard about several answers. From that, I knew we had to go back to our original goal for the graphics of the Kingdom Hearts characters: evoking the feel of the brush paintings in Disney works. So, I called on (Mr Takeshi) Nozue and we did test after test, and the result of all our investigating is the 'Kingdom Shader'. Because we are skipping a generation of hardware with our numbered titles, Kingdom Hearts II having been released on PS2, perhaps it will seem like we are changing things too radically. However, we are doing our utmost best to take everything you have seen so far and evolve it to be even richer.
—Like FFXV, is KHIII being developed on Luminous Studios?
Nomura: We are currently verifying going with Luminous as our main. Working on an over-spec and porting to both PS4 and Xbox One is also going to be the same. In the trailer we showed, for the battle section we didn't have time to prepare a clip of it working on the actual hardware because of tool issues, so instead we made a concept FMV that depicts what is possible in realtime. That said, the actual thing working in realtime it doesn't look much different at all.*
---And development is being handled by the Osaka team responsible for KH Birth by Sleep, KH3D and KH -1.5 HD ReMIX-?
Nomura: The base is the Osaka team. With (Mr Tai) Yasue as Co. Director, they are working in conjunction with the Tokyo Kingdom Hearts staff.
---We're interested in how the action in KHIII will have evolved.
Nomura: Right now there’s a demo version that runs on the hardware… 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, some very flashy action will unfold. You’ll be flying through the sky flowing through 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.
---Even just from watching the Shadows in the trailer moving we certainly can tell that the enemies have evolved. And, on the other side, Sora has gained powers befitting a 'Keyblade Master', hasn't he? Will he be able to transform his Keyblade?
Nomura: In this stage of testing he can transform it. By the way, in the trailer, Sora picks up the Keyblade belonging to Master Eraqus that Aqua had. We put that together in order to remind you of the story of KHIII, as this time we weren't able to prepare a scene that would show you a portion of the drama.
---That means the story begins after the end of KH3D, doesn't it.
Nomura: Yes. We are currently working through the selection of new worlds. As this is the last chapter of the Dark Seeker Chronicles that has been going since KH1, there will be a final showdown with Xehanort.
---If the story continues from KH3D, then is it possible that we will be able to control not only Sora but other characters such as Riku and Kairi?
Nomura: I can't say the possibility is zero.
---We apologise for what might be an overly-specific question, but, what happened to Meow Wow.......
Nomura: ......What indeed (laughs). The last part of KH3D was meant to be tentative foreshadowing.*
---So perhaps we can get our hopes up (laughs). Lastly, a message for your fans.
Nomura: FFXV and KHIII are projects that, like great rivals, polish each other up as they develop. At our private conference, despite KHIII being the lucky last and being at an early stage of development, I I already felt the 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.
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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.
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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.
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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:
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Stuffed Dusk
Keychains
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- 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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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