Recently, it was announced by the developers of “Kingdom Hearts 3” that the game is now using the Unreal Engine, in order to improve the quality of the game while also streamlining the development process thanks to the Unreal toolset. However, while most saw this as good news, some were a bit worried by the announcement and saw it in a different light.
The switch was made right in the middle of the game’s development, which prompted many to believe that it will cause a serious delay in its development. This hasn’t been confirmed by the game’s developers so far, but it’s looking like a very real possibility. Currently, we’re expecting to see a trailer for the game at the 2015 D23 Expo in Anaheim, although we’re not sure if this is actually happening or not, especially now in light of the rumors about the delay.
Other reasons for the delay that have been speculated by the game’s fans include the deaths of Leonard Nimoy and Chikao Otsuka, voice actors for the title. All in all, it’s looking more and more likely that we won’t see the game coming out in 2015, but it’s hard to say when its release could possibly happen after that.
There has been some speculation about the release date sparked by a hidden logo in the game’s website, but this so far seems to be just a random coincidence, and the result of the game’s fans reading into a random detail too much. Of course, it’s entirely possible that the game’s developers are indeed trying to mess with their fans, but Square Enix is not generally a studio that does that.
“Kingdom Hearts” is an iconic title with a large following, and it’s definitely something that Square Enix should pay careful attention to. The third installment is a game with a strong potential to become a massive hit, but they have to execute it properly and make sure that they implement the most common suggestions that fans have been discussing over the months. The franchise has always relied on taking the best pre-existing elements in the gaming industry and putting them together in one brilliant package, so this one should continue that trend.
Hopefully, Square Enix aren’t going to rush its development just to meet some internal deadline, and will actually put their full effort into this release. They’re a studio that understands the value of properly polishing their products, as they have proved countless times so far, and with a title as important as that one on the table, they should definitely tread carefully. In the end though, it could be one of their most successful releases at all.