Kingdom Hearts 3 at E3: Expectations

What’s the deal with Kingdom Hearts 3? 

That’s a question I have been asking no one in particular since the golden days of 2006 after I finished Kingdom Hearts 2. After the final hidden scene that showed Sora, Riku, and Kairi hovering over a mysterious letter from King Mickey, I thought I (along with millions of other fans), would not have to wait long for the next major installment in the franchise.

Now, here we are eleven years later, and I’m still asking that same question to no one in particular, even more so in the wake of never-ending final chapter prologues, II.8’s, final remixes, and HD collections.

With E3 2017 just around the corner, do we dare get our hopes up that Kingdom Hearts 3 will be on Sony’s stage? I will take the plunge for all of us and say, “yes!”

Square Enix released a report that put Kingdom Hearts 3, along with the Final Fantasy VII Remake in the “Fiscal Year 2018 and Beyond” development window.  However, rumors have indicated that a new trailer for Kingdom Hearts 3 was supposed to release last month in April, but Square hesitated for unknown reasons and will now hold off on showing any footage until E3.

The same reports indicate that while Kingdom Hearts 3 will be shown at the Expo, the game has a high possibility of releasing in 2018 after producer Tetsuya Nomura and his team make a few cuts to the game.

The last time we had a glimpse of Kingdom Hearts 3 was at E3 2015, and though there has been a shortage of news about the third major game since then, you’ll notice the conversations surrounding the Kingdom Hearts series as a whole have not died in the slightest. With the release of the 1.5 + 2.5 ReMix, Square Enix is getting fans both old and new excited for what lies ahead with the franchise.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed. Kingdom Hearts 3 could surprise us all in a big way at E3. We may even see Sora in shorts that actually touch his knees.

Tori Morrow

Tori is originally from Rapture but now she lives in Chicago. She enjoys open world RPGs, a good narrative-driven game, and is probably the only person still watching The Walking Dead.