Kingdom Hearts III Co-Director Teases What's To Come
How are things going on Kingdom Hearts III?
We've been working full throttle. It's moving along. We structured our team in a way that development of 2.5 doesn't impede Kingdom Hearts III. I'm actually very excited about Kingdom Hearts III.
What are you most excited for?
The technology and creative stuff. There's a lot of stuff we have never ever done before. There's a lot that's the same, but there's a lot that's changed. We're moving from a totally different console to [a new] console. The technology has evolved; it's very new and everyone is doing a lot of research. And look-wise, it looks amazing as well. We've shown you some of the trailers and teasers. There are a lot of Disney-themed attractions, so that's exciting as well. It's very exciting for me and I want to tell you more about it, but I really can't at this moment.
I know some fans were disappointed, they were hoping for some sort of trailer or teaser for Kingdom Hearts III during E3...
I understand that, but this year, it was the year of 2.5 for us. When we were first planning out Kingdom Hearts III, we wanted 1.5 and 2.5 out in a timely fashion, so everyone would really get an understanding of the story. And so we really wanted to push 2.5. Making teasers and trailers really does require a lot of work, and we just wanted to get the development moving along quickly on Kingdom Hearts III, so this year we really focused on 2.5.
When can fans anticipate more information on Kingdom Hearts III? Are you going to wait until next E3?
We are planning. We're coming up with ideas for game shows and etc. I can't really say which ones at this moment.
The last trailer we saw showed off Disney attractions as part of Sora's special attacks. Has anything been expanded off that since then?
For the rides, we want it to be very varied. For anything in Kingdom Hearts, there's a lot. For those attractions, we want different types, many types, so we're thinking about that.
Were you paying attention to fans' feedback from that trailer, specifically about the attractions?
Yeah, we are. It was well received. The exact look is not going to be the same as that. We're really working with our engines and everything. I think people were excited, and it felt very Disney. I think that was one of the good points, like creating Disneyland gameplay-wise. I think we'll focus on making different, varied versions of that.
I know we'll be visiting new worlds, but will you still have some of the old, iconic ones in Kingdom Hearts III?
It's going to be a mix. Whenever we come up with worlds for Kingdom Hearts, we want to have them be varied. You don't want the same type of world, so we will have different categories. That will make it feel fresh, like you're having an adventure.
Disney acquired a lot of new licenses and had movies since the last Kingdom Hearts, upping the potential for new worlds, like Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, etc. Are you guys looking into those?
Everyone wants to know. I can't say at this moment, but news will come out about the worlds. There's a lot of Disney content that's new and coming out and we're considering which ones to use, which would be good from a gameplay perspective. This is not an announcement or anything, but personally I enjoyed watching Frozen. It was magical: the stories, the songs, the ice expressions.
Thinking back last year, it was a big moment for Square Enix finally confirming Kingdom Hearts III. Did you watch any of the fan reaction videos?
Yeah. It's crazy! We all watch [the reaction videos]...the development team, the marketing team. That's been a huge boost for morale. Especially the American users...they don't do that in Japan. They're more quiet. We get a lot of our energy from [the fan reactions]. Watching that, I felt like I needed to make Kingdom Hearts III quickly. We were feeling all this pressure, but we're also really excited that everyone's so passionate about it. That reaction? That's why we're making Kingdom Hearts III. That's the main reason. That's most important to us.
Source:
gameinformer