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Famitsu has recently published a list of 107 video game creators who have participated in their New Year's questionnaire. The questionnaire asked the individuals about their key words and resolutions for 2018. Kingdom Hearts series executive producer and brand manager Shinji Hashimoto was a participant in this report. In a brief statement, he expressed his excitement towards next year's E3 Expo. You can read the full translation below, provided by KH13 staff member Mio-chan. Thanks to @aibo_ac7 for the tip! What do you make of Hashimoto's new year's resolutions? Do you think he's alluding to something big in E3 2018? Let us know your expectations in the comments!

On December 15, 2017, user Wrestleman posted two screenshots of an alleged new world in Kingdom Hearts III sourced to a Square Enix FTP server. Following this, other similar screenshots from the same world surfaced on Imgur on December 23, 2017. Since then, more Kingdom Hearts III developer's content was made publicly downloadable from the server; they have quickly been taken down, but it is still possible to see the file names (most of them dated April and September 2017), which give away a partial list of worlds in the game. Upon investigating the leaks, KH13.com have reason to believe these are legitimate. However, due to ethical and copyright issues, we have decided to not report on them in detail any further. We have created a Kingdom Hearts III Spoilers subforum where fans can discuss these leaks. KH13.com's spoiler policy on Kingdom Hearts III allows discussion on publicly announced content (eg. trailers, interviews, promotional pictures, etc.); however, leaks are to be discussed in the Spoilers subforum only. Avatars, statuses, and thread titles must not contain spoilers. We may be revising our Kingdom Hearts III spoiler policy in the future, according to future content releases by Square Enix and Disney. We hope that fans understand our decision and respect the work done so far by the game's developing team by not divulging the leaks where they aren't warranted. Thank you for your cooperation. To visit the Kingdom Hearts III spoiler subforum, click here.

On Thursday, December 15, 2017, the Walt Disney Company announced a definitive deal to secure assets from 21st Century Fox, Inc. for $52.4 billion. Disney hope this acquisition will allow them to "create more appealing content, build more direct relationships with consumers around the world and deliver a more compelling entertainment experience to consumers wherever and however they choose." The deal was signed by Disney's chief executive Robert A. Iger, a veteran in guiding the company to become a Hollywood leader through a series of acquisitions such as Lucasfilm, Marvel, and Pixar. Disney will be acquiring the film and television studios of 21st Century Fox, which includes 20th Century Fox Film studios and movie blockbusters such as Avatar, Titanic, The Sound of Music, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Hidden Figures, Gone Girl, The Shape of Water, The Martian, and Anastasia. The deal will also allow Disney to bring the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Deadpool into their Marvel Cinematic Universe if they so pleased. The acquisition also includes 20th Century Television studios, which have 36 series currently in production, including The Simpsons, Homeland, This is Us, and Modern Family. Furthermore, Disney will be acquiring 21st Century Fox's cable and international TV businesses such as FX and National Geographic. Disney will also be obtaining Fox's 30% stakes in Hulu and 39% current stakes in Sky (along with their planned complete takeover by June 30, 2018). Earlier this year, Disney announced the end of their distribution agreement with Netflix, planning to pull their movies from the streaming service to one of their own new direct-to-consumer streaming service launching in 2019. The deal to acquire 21st Century Fox marks another step in Disney's direct-to-consumer strategy to become a "more viable competitor" to the tech giants in the entertainment business by adapting to the increasing demand of streaming and other digital services. The acquisition does not include Fox Broadcasting network and stations, Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, FS1, FS2 and Big Ten Network; these will be listed under a new, separate company called New Fox. <3 What do you make of this takeover by Disney, including many of 21st Century Fox's remarkable IPs? How do you think this could affect the future content of the Kingdom Hearts series? Let us know in the comments!

We have been recently contacted by our friends Jorge and Matthias from Disney Central regarding a petition to bring German, Spanish, and French dubbing in the upcoming Kingdom Hearts III. While this petition has existed for quite some time, Disney Central aim to close this by the end of 2017 (prior to the release of the game in 2018), and send the fans' signatures and comments to Square Enix Europe for consideration. You can read the petition letter below: We at KH13.com believe this is a fantastic cause, especially for bringing together fans of different backgrounds in the Kingdom Hearts community! We are committed to promote this petition, and urge all our fans to sign it! You can sign the petition here. It only takes 30 seconds! Disney Central have already been receiving statements from the Square Enix team in Germany, indicating interest in the petition. The following is the initial response from Square Enix: Another response followed after a year of campaigning for the cause: As you may already know, Square Enix have been conducting online surveys and questionnaires asking for fan feedback, including regarding Kingdom Hearts. Disney Central and the European fan community have been voicing the need for dubbing in their respective languages through these surveys as well. We believe it's high time the English-speaking Kingdom Hearts community joins as well! Visit the petition website here.Visit the petition Facebook page here.

Japanese retailer Secret Honey, a brand for fashionable women's clothing, has announced two new licensed Kingdom Hearts-inspired items for its Disney Collection: Organization XIII Mickey short coat, selling at 34,000 yen (approximately $306) before tax Organization XIII long coat, selling at 42,000 yen (approximately $378) before tax. The coats will be available to purchase at the Secret Honey shops on December 2, 2017. You can see pictures of the coats below: Description of the items are as follow: Thanks to @aibo_ac7 for the tip! UPDATE [Dec. 4, 2017]: Secret Honey has listed the Organization XIII Mickey short coat and the Organization XIII long coat on Rakuten. The coats are now available for purchase on the Japanese site. Click here for the short coat or click here for the long coat. The global site has the Organization XIII Mickey short coat selling for ¥36,720 (approx. $325 USD) and the Organization XIII long coat will cost ¥45,360 (approx. $400 USD). Pre-orders for both these coats will begin on December 5th at 6:00 PM JST (4:00 AM EST) and will be shipped in February 2018.

After many miscommunications and misunderstandings surrounding the release dates of the Sora, Riku, and Kairi Funko Pop! Vinyl figures, Hot Topic finally resolved the issue by stating that the figures will be releasing on Thanksgiving on November 23, 2017. As stated, they are out today! They are available to purchase for $12.50 USD each, or you can order all three for $25.00 USD. You can view pictures of the Sora Pop! Vinyl below. You can order it here. You can view pictures of the Riku Pop! Vinyl below. You can order it here. You can view pictures of the Kairi Pop! Vinyl below. You can order it here. Along with these figures, Hot Topic has also added two new Funko Kingdom Hearts t-shirts to their listing. UPDATE [Nov. 28, 2017]: The Sora, Riku, and Kairi Funko Pop! Vinyls are now available to purchase at BoxLunch for $10.90 each; currently, the price has been discounted to $9.00 each. Funko has released other Kingdom Hearts products previously, including a Shadow Funko Pop! Vinyl, a Halloween Town Sora plushie, Halloween Town Donald and Goofy Pop! Vinyls, a Halloween Town Sora Pop! Vinyl, Kingdom Hearts Pocket Pop!, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy plushies, and a Pete Pop! Vinyl. Funko also has many other Kingdom Hearts releases planned, including an Organization XIII Mickey Pop! Vinyl, a Final Form Sora pop! Vinyl, and Kingdom Hearts Mystery Minis. Let us know if you'll be purchasing these figures, and don't forget to show us you Kingdom Hearts Funko collection!

You can now purchase Kingdom Hearts Funko t-shirts at Hot Topic that come with two new designs featuring Kingdom Hearts Funko Pop! Vinyl characters! The shirts are originally priced between $20.90 USD to $24.90 USD. However, you can buy them now for $10.00 USD each during the current Black Friday sale! You can view pictures of the Kingdom Hearts Group Pop! t-shirt below. You can order it here. You can view pictures of the Kingdom Hearts Comic Pop! t-shirt below. You can order it here. The Sora, Riku, Kairi Funko Pop! Vinyl figures have also released today at Hot Topic and other retailers. Funko has released other Kingdom Hearts products previously, including a Shadow Funko Pop! Vinyl, a Halloween Town Sora plushie, Halloween Town Donald and Goofy Pop! Vinyls, a Halloween Town Sora Pop! Vinyl, Kingdom Hearts Pocket Pop! keychains, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy plushies, and a Pete Pop! Vinyl. Funko also has many other Kingdom Hearts releases planned, including an Organization XIII Mickey Pop! Vinyl, a Final Form Sora pop! Vinyl, and Kingdom Hearts Mystery Minis. Let us know if you'll be purchasing any of these shirts!

The Kingdom Hearts II Sora S.H.Figuarts figure is releasing today, on November 23, 2017! The figure was originally shown at the Tamashii Nations 10th Anniversary World Tour at Osaka, Japan. It was then shown off at Tokyo Toy Show 2017 along with the S.H.Figuarts figures of Donald, Goofy, and Organization XIII Mickey. The Mickey figure will release in January 2018, the Donald figure in March 2018, and the Goofy figure is reportedly releasing in April 2018. You can read our coverage of the S.H.Figuarts figures to date in the article here. The figure has an original retail price of 6,264 yen (approximately $56.32 USD). You can view the promotional pictures below. You can also read the product description below: Below is a non-comprehensive list of international retailers to help you order a Sora S.H.Figuarts figure. Keep in mind that many of these retailers ship to different countries. You can comment below if you find an online retailer you'd like us to add to this list. UPDATE [Jan 20, 2018]: The Sora S.H.Figuarts figure will be releasing in the West on January 25, 2018. You can find out how to pre-order it in the article here. Let us know if you'll be purchasing it!

According to a magazine scan circulating on the internet, the Kingdom Hearts II Goofy S.H.Figuarts figure by Bandai's Tamashii Nations is due to release in April 2018 for 5,940 yen (approximately $53.10 USD). You can view a picture of the scan below: The scan was procured from The Toyark; we have not been able to trace the original source. There has not been an official announcement from Tamashii Nations yet, and their website does not feature the Goofy S.H.Figuarts figure at the moment. The Goofy S.H.Figuarts figure was first shown at the Tokyo Toy Show 2017, along with Sora, Donald, and Organization XIII Mickey S.H.Figuarts figures. Since then, the Sora S.H.Figuarts figure has released, the Mickey S.H.Figuarts figure has been announced for a January 2018 release, and the Donald S.H.Figuarts figure has been announced for a March 2018 release. Both the Mickey and Donald S.H.Figuarts figures are currently available to pre-order. You can read our detailed coverage of the Kingdom Hearts S.H.Figuarts figures to date in the article here. You can purchase the Sora S.H.Figuarts figure on AmiAmi here and on Amazon Japan here, you can pre-order the Organization XIII Mickey S.H.Figuarts figure on AmiAmi here and on Amazon Japan here, and you can pre-order the Donald S.H.Figuarts figure on AmiAmi here and on Amazon Japan here. UPDATE [Nov. 27, 2017]: Tamashii has the Goofy S.H.Figuarts figure listed, confirming an April 2018 release, and a price of 5,940 yen (approximately $53.49 USD). New photos of the figure are also available. You can view them in the gallery below: UPDATE [Nov. 27, 2017]: The Goofy S.H.Figuarts figure is now available to pre-order on AmiAmi and on Amazon Japan! You can pre-order it on AmiAmi here, and you can pre-order it on Amazon Japan here.

You can now purchase a Kingdom Hearts Fair Isle Pom Beanie exclusively at BoxLunch and on the BoxLunch website. The original price of the beanie is $19.90 USD; it's possible to get a 20% discount and buy the product for $15.92 USD. You can view pictures of the beanie below: BoxLunch has been rolling out many products as of late, such as the Kingdom Hearts Organization XIII Mickey Funko Pop! Vinyl figure (also a BoxLunch exclusive), a Kingdom Hearts woven ring bracelet, and a Kingdom Hearts Kingdom Key D Keyblade necklace. BoxLunch has also recently started selling Zag Toys' Kingdom Hearts Domez Blind Bags for a retail price of $7.90 USD (currently on sale for $6.32 USD). Other Kingdom Hearts products currently available at BoxLunch are: Star Seeker Keyblade Keychain - $8.90 USD (currently on sale for $7.12 USD) Sleeping Lion Keyblade Keychain - $8.90 USD (currently on sale for $7.12 USD) Mickey and Donald Funko Pocket Pop! keychains - $6.90 USD each (currently on sale for $5.52 USD each) Kingdom Hearts 3D Foam Keyrings Series 1 blind bags - $5.90 USD each (currently on sale for $4.72 USD each) Let us know if you'll be purchasing this new beanie and don't forget to show us a selfie if you do!

UPDATE [Nov. 22, 2017]: It turns out the Kingdom Hearts II Halloween Town Sora Funko Pop! plushie that EB Games Australia and Zing Pop Culture Australia are selling is actually the previously released Kingdom Hearts Halloween Town Sora Funko Pop! plushie that came out in September of this year (2017). The EB Games Australia and Zing Pop Culture Australia websites have been fixed to have the correct image of the Halloween Town Sora Funko Pop! plushie and have been updated with the correct information. You can find out more about this plushie, as well as find out how to purchase it at Hot Topic, EB Games Australia, and Zing Pop Culture Australia in the full article here. Thanks to KHInsider for the tip! You can view the original article from before EB Games Australia and Zing Pop Culture Australia updated the image and information below: A new Kingdom Hearts II Halloween Town Sora Funko Pop! plushie has been spotted in the online stores of EB Games Australia and Zing Pop Culture Australia. The product is on pre-order for $20.00 AUD ($15.19 USD) with a listed release date of November 20th, 2017. You can view a picture of the plushie below: This Halloween Town Sora Funko Pop! plushie is based off of Sora's Halloween Town outfit specifically from Kingdom Hearts II, which makes it different from the previous Halloween Town Sora Funko Pop! plushie, which was based off of his Halloween Town outfit from the first Kingdom Hearts. The EB Games Australia product description reads: We currently have no information of the release of the plush in the West. Keep an eye on this space for more updates! If you get your hand on one of them, don't forget to post a picture and let us know in the comments!

A watchman style beanie featuring the Sora stained glass art from Kingdom Hearts is now available to buy at Hot Topic for $14.90 USD. It's currently on sale for $11.17 USD. You can order the product on the Hot Topic website here. You can view the pictures of the product below: Hot Topic includes other Kingdom Hearts products in its listing, such as the Kingdom Hearts bedding and pillowcase set and decorative pillow. Let us know if you plan to purchase any of these Kingdom Hearts merchandise!

BoxLunch has updated its Kingdom Hearts products listing to include a Kingdom Hearts Woven Ring Bracelet and a Kingdom Key D Keyblade necklace. Both products are currently in stock. You can view pictures of the products below: You can order the Kingdom Hearts Woven Ring Bracelet here for $12.90 USD. You can order the Kingdom Key D Keyblade Necklace here for $18.90 USD. Thanks to Churro for the tip! BoxLunch currently also has these other Kingdom Hearts products, listed below: Star Seeker Keychain - ($8.90 USD) Sleeping Lion Keychain - ($8.90 USD) Funko Pocket Pop! Mickey Key Chain - ($6.90 USD) Funko Pocket Pop! Donald Key Chain - ($6.90 USD) Kingdom Hearts Collectible Minis Blind Bag - ($7.90 USD) Kingdom Hearts Keyring Blind Bag - ($5.90 USD) Let us know if you'll be purchasing any of these products!

During their quarterly briefing on November 8, 2017, Square Enix revealed some interesting information regarding games releasing the next fiscal year* and those being planned for the Nintendo Switch. Square Enix stated that they have kept their fiscal year forecast unchanged as there are "no big games planned" for release between now and March 2017. The global titles Square Enix plan to release next fiscal year are being prepared to showcase at E3 2018, and have been described as "sharp," "powerful," and "well made." On the Nintendo Switch, Square Enix commented that its core architecture is similar to that of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One; therefore, while some adjustments would be necessary, there is definitely a possibility of developing games for all three platforms. Square Enix also stated that the Switch's momentum is very strong, and unique compared to the positions of PS4 and Xbox One, and that Nintento have done well for the company. They asserted that they are good at making middle-ranged games, and that the Switch is an ideal platform for such games. Lastly, Square Enix will not rule out any IPs when "agressively" making games for the Switch; this means the Switch could see not only new Square Enix games, but also currently active and non-active ones. These games may possibly be made multi-platform. *This refers to April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019. Kingdom Hearts III is one of Square Enix's international titles releasing next year on the PS4 and Xbox One. Are you expecting to see more of the game at E3 2018, and if so, what kind of showcase and announcements are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below! UPDATE [Nov 20, 2017]: Square Enix has released the outline from the recent FY2018 Q2 Results Briefing Session back on November 8th. The outline details the presentation giving at the press session from Square Enix President Yosuke Matsuda and Chief Financial Officer Kazuharu Watanabe. Their presentation gave more detail into the income from the previous quarter and an update on Digital Entertainment [games, manga, etc.] and predictions for Quarter 3 and beyond. After the main presentation, several questions were asked about how profit from digital sales could improve game development, the possibility of bring titles to the Nintendo Switch, and new ideas for AI. You can read an excerpt below.

Back in February 2017, Leonard and Jessie Maltin invited Scott Adsit, the voice actor for Baymax in Big Hero 6, to guest star in their podcast. In-between talking about Scott's voice acting experiences as Baymax in the movie, the animated series, and a video game (Disney Infinity 2.0), Adsit mentioned his interest in reprising this role if given the opportunity. You can find the relevant excerpt from the podcast below: Big Hero 6 was announced to have its own world in Kingdom Hearts III back at the D23 Expo 2015, with a plot centered around Heartless taking over the Baymax that was left behind the portal. It is currently not known whether Adsit has been approached about resuming his role as Baymax in Kingdom Hearts III. Based on his eagerness to reprise the role, do you think we'll hear the original voice of Baymax when the game releases next year? Let us know in the comments!

With Series 1 three-packs hitting the comic book and specialty stores today, and more character variations and packaging coming to other retailers in coming weeks, Diamond Select Toys have revealed that they will be rolling out a second series of Kingdom Hearts figures for 2018. The announcement follows: You can read our full coverage of the Kingdom Hearts Select Series 1 figures here, our coverage of the Kingdom Hearts Select Series 1 figures at C2E2 2017 here, our unboxing/review of a few Kingdom Hearts Select Series 1 figures here, our full coverage of the Kingdom Hearts Vinimates Series 1 figures by Diamond Select Toys here, and our full coverage of the Kingdom Hearts Minimates Series 1 figures by Diamond Select Toys that are releasing in 2018 here. UPDATE [Dec. 18, 2017]: Diamond Select Toys has provided us with a new picture and information, that retailers will have tomorrow, of the Series 2 of their Kingdom Hearts Select line of figures. As shown above, Series 2 of Kingdom Hearts Select will include three packs of figures: Roxas with Donald and Goofy, Aqua with Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Goofy (Goofy in his royal knight armor), and Pete with Chip & Dale and a Soldier Heartless. Each pack will cost $24.99 USD. These figures will also be available in figure two-packs at other retailers. You can check out the Kingdom Hearts Select Series 2 sales information below: UPDATE [Dec. 28, 2017]: AmiAmi is now accepting pre-orders for all 3 Kingdom Hearts Select Series 2 packs. Each pack cost ¥3,500 (approx. $31.01 USD), but has a 15% discount, bringing the price down to ¥2,970 (approx. $26.31 USD). The release date is tentatively set for June 2018. You can check out the pre-orders by click the links below: Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep - Action Figure Select Series 2: Aqua & Goofy Kingdom Hearts II - Action Figure Select Series 2: Roxas & Donald Duck & Goofy Kingdom Hearts II - Action Figure Kingdom Hearts Select Series 2: Chip & Dale & Pete & Soldier We were also provided with new pictures and information about the new Kingdom Hearts Vinimates Series 2 figures by Diamond Select Toys. You can find out more about those figures in the article here.

In 2016, Yen Press announced that it will be publishing the Kingdom Hearts II light novel series in English in two omnibuses containing the four original Japanese volumes. Since then, Kingdom Hearts II: The Novel Volume 1, containing the first two original volumes, released in June 2017. Originally, the Kingdom Hearts II: The Novel Volume 2 was set to release on December 12, 2017. Since then, the release seems to have been delayed to December 19, 2017. The Yen Press website shows Kingdom Hearts II: The Novel Volume 2, both the paperback and the e-book version, set to release on December 19. The paperback is priced at $16.00, while the e-book is priced at $7.99. The novel summary is the same as the previous volume, and the cover has been finalized. You can view it below. Kingdom Hearts II: The Novel Volume 2 in paperback is currently available for pre-order at: Barnes & Noble for $13.32 USD Amazon for $13.41 USD AAA Anime for $16.00 USD Books-A-Million for $16.00 USD Indigo for $18.90 USD IndieBound for $16.00 USD RightStuf for $11.99 USD Book Depository for $14.20 USD AAA Anime, RightStuf, and Book Depository are still showing the release date as December 12, 2017. Yen Press will also be releasing omnibuses for the Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep light novels. They have yet to announce the release dates. It is currently not known if there are plans to localize the Kingdom Hearts Re:coded and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance light novel series in the West. All the other light novels and manga series have already been published in English. UPDATE [Nov 20, 2017]: Kingdom Hearts II: The Novel Volume 2 is now available to pre-order at Barnes & Noble in the form of a NOOK Book and on iTunes in the form of an iBook! You can pre-order the NOOK Book version of Kingdom Hearts II: The Novel Volume 2 on Barnes & Noble for $7.99 USD here, and you can pre-order the iBook version of Kingdom Hearts II: The Novel Volume 2 on iTunes for $7.99 USD here. UPDATE [Nov 30, 2017]: We now have photos of the back and the spine of the Kingdom Hearts II: The Novel Volume 2 paperback thanks to the official Yen Press Twitter account. You can check them out in the gallery above. UPDATE [Dec 9, 2017]: You can now pre-order the Kingdom Hearts II: The Novel Volume 2 e-book on BookWalker for $7.94! UPDATE [Dec. 19, 2017]: Kingdom Hearts II: The Novel Volume 2 is now available to purchase! You can purchase it in paperback and e-book at the stores and websites listed above. It's also now available on Amazon for Kindle, which you can purchase here.