'Kingdom Hearts 3' release date: is sequel going to roll out in episodes?

Sora in Kingdom Hearts 3 Square-Enix

Game director Tetsuya Nomura teases that the upcoming sequel "Kingdom Hearts 3" is "overwhelmingly big." Does this mean that the new game will be released in episodes, much like the recent title released by publisher Square Enix?

According to GamePur, in a recent interview with Japanese magazine Famitsu, Nomura hinted that with the scale of the story in "Kingdom Hearts 3," having an episodic release is highly possible.

The game director stated, "It's not that I've spread the story out, perhaps it's more that I've separated the parts that would have ruined [Kingdom Hearts 3's] tempo if they were told then. In fact, [Kingdom Hearts 3] is overwhelmingly big, so it's not that content has been shaved off, and it's something I've worried over how to handle."

Should the game really come out in episodic releases, it will not be the first for Square Enix. Just recently, it was revealed that the upcoming "Final Fantasy VII Remake" will also release in stages. One of the recent game releases by the publisher, the new "Hitman" game, is also currently rolling out in episodes, and is already readying for "Episode 4" to release this month.

Meanwhile, aside from the possibility of having a multi-part release, "Kingdom Hearts 3" may also add an online multiplayer feature. According to PC Advisor, Nomura has been hinting at this possibility in previous interviews, though nothing concrete is being confirmed to date. Having unconfirmed speculations is understandable, since "Kingdom Hearts 3" is not expected to release until the latter part of 2017, and may even roll out during the ending months. In addition, publisher Square Enix still has a lot lined up for its fans. The upcoming sequel to another big-name franchise, "Final Fantasy XV," is set to release next month, while "Final Fantasy 7 Remake" is expected to drop early next year.

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