One of the most anticipated upcoming games is "Kingdom Hearts 3," but Square Enix did not showcase the game at this year's E3, leading many fans to presume that it may not hit its expected 2017 release. However, speaking to GamesBeat, Square Enix has explained why they haven't been marketing it and it all boils down to prioritizing "Kingdom Hearts 2.8 HD Final Chapter Prologue."
Co-director Tai Yasue explained that the company had to make a difficult decision of marketing either "2.8" or "Kingdom Hearts 3" and the former won the ruling given that it is launching a little bit earlier and the latter isn't scheduled until 2017.
"It was a difficult decision for us," Yasue explained regarding the absence of "Kingdom Hearts 3." "We want to share as much as possible. We're excited about 'Kingdom Hearts 3.' But '2.8' we're releasing globally at the beginning of December. We wanted to concentrate on that first. We want what's best for the moment."
This means that there won't be any signficant news or trailer for "Kingdom Hearts 3" until "Kingdom Hearts 2.8 HD Final Chapter Prologue" launches in December. Following the latter's release it is expected that Square Enix will begin marketing the third and final game, presumably by starting with an announcement of its release date.
Despite the strong marketing push for "2.8," Yasue also confirms that if players choose to ignore it they can still dive into "Kingdom Hearts III" and get a full experience. He explains that all the content from the tie-in handheld titles, mobile games, PC game and CGI film are all supplementary but not required to enjoy "Kingdom Hearts III."
Yasue did manage to tease how the combat will evolve, stating that if a character were to cast a spell like Blizzard then the environment would become slippery and could be skated on. Elemental effects like this are also seen in Square Enix's other big RPG, "Final Fantasy XV."
