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‘Kingdom Hearts 3’: Is ‘Final Fantasy XV’ Causing Delay?

By Bryan Star
Published on: 06:13 PST, May 1, 2016

Could Square Enix be delaying one game in favor of the other?

According to University Herald, Square Enix could be pushing Kingdom Hearts 3 back due to the upcoming release of Final Fantasy XV. Back on March 30 of this year, Square Enix held an event in which they uncovered the details of the highly anticipated Final Fantasy XV game. The release date, set for September 30 of this year, came as a surprise for many. However, is this good news a sign that Kingdom Hearts 3 will be taking a backseat?

Both Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts 3 are looking to be great games. There will be combat, exploration, items, and much more for players to explore. Furthermore, both franchises have a huge following and have captured the hearts of many over their various game releases and spinoffs. But with September being four months away, one can only wonder what the agenda for Kingdom Hearts 3 will be. It would make sense that the adventure with Sora, the main character in the Kingdom Hearts series, be put on hold with Noctis, the main character in Final Fantasy XV, quickly taking center stage. For fans to possibly have to choose between close release dates and production requiring much on both ends of the spectrum, a delay would be quite understandable. Still, there has been no official announcement from Square Enix.

Fans of the Kingdom Hearts series are set to enjoy the celebration of its fifteenth anniversary, as Square Enix has officially announced that they will be honoring the occasion with music. More specifically, they have announced that a concert will be held worldwide. Named “The First Breath” tour, the first of the series of concerts are set to begin in Japan. It will expand to Tokyo, Aichi, and Osaka. While a grand occasion is sure to ignite the passion of its fans, it could also serve as a reminder that Kingdom Hearts 3 is still in the wind.

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons for Kingdom Hearts fan concern originates from a tweet from one of the game’s most recognizable voices. Quinton Flynn, the voice of actor of Axel, gave a lighthearted jab at the lack of production news.

“Speaking of Axel, when is the new Kingdom Hearts going into production? Step it up. Quinton needs to pay his bills!” Flynn tweeted.

This brings about the question of whether or not Kingdom Hearts 3 is actually in production, though past reports have claimed that Square Enix was already into the gameplay portion of development. In contrast to the discouraging tweet by Flynn, Ecumerical has reported that other voice actors have been contacted in regards to voicing their characters in the game. Jim Cummings, the voice of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, is among the list. This might provide a small amount of hope for Kingdom Hearts fans, but it appears likely that Kingdom Hearts 3 may be pushed back into the year 2017.

There’s also the matter of this year’s E3 taking place from June 14 to June 16 of this year. News about huge game titles are usually a given for such a large event, and Kingdom Hearts 3 is no exception. Square Enix revealed progress on the game during E3 of 2015, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility for the upcoming event to showcase Kingdom Hearts 3 in a similar fashion. We may even get a release date, but the huge push for Final Fantasy XV to see its September release fuels the rumor that players may not be picking up their keyblades until next year.

Do you think it a smart move for Square Enix to delay Kingdom Hearts 3 for community and marketing reasons?

[Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]

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