'Kingdom Hearts 3' release date news: No 'Kingdom Hearts 2.9', producer confirms

A screenshot of "Kingdom Hearts III" taken during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2015. You Tube/Square Enix

It looks like Square Enix is trying to keep "Kingdom Hearts" gamers busy with "Kingdom Hearts 2.8" while development for "Kingdom Hearts 3" continues.

According to a report by iDigital Times, while Square Enix continues with the development of the upcoming action role-playing videogame, "Kingdom Hearts 3," the developer continues to busy fans with other "Kingdom Hearts" games and collections like "Kingdom Hearts 2.8." Slated to release in January next year, the developer intends to have "Kingdom Hearts 2.8" fill in the plot gaps of the series in preparation for "Kingdom Hearts 3" which release date has yet to be revealed by Square Enix.

Aside from that, the studio is also preparing a "Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 HD Collection" to follow "Kingdom Hearts 2.8" as well. The "HD Collection" is set to make its way to shelves for the PlayStation 4 in March. While these releases have led some to believe that the developer may be focusing on "Kingdom Hearts 2.9" instead of "Kingdom Hears 3," Shinji Hashimoto, the producer of the franchise, recently assured fans that such would not be the case.

Last month, according to KH13, Hashimoto attended the Lucca Comics & Games convention in Italy to discuss and address questions about the releases for the "Kingdom Hearts" franchise. During the discussion, Hashimoto explained that Square Enix would be skipping "Kingdom Hearts 2.9" after the release of the "Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue," saying that the company would proceed directly to 'Kingdom Hearts 3'.

The producer also detailed the upcoming "Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 Remix" by explaining that the compilation came from the fans' feedback on the jumble plot of the "Kingdom Hearts" franchise. By allowing the fans to obtain the whole collection of the game on one console, the company aims to have the game's PlayStation release address this issue of jumbled and complex storylines in the "Kingdom Hearts" franchise.

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