Kingdom Hearts 3' Release Date and News Update: Game Expected To Come Out Beyond April Next Year

By Jenn Loro - 18 May '16 09:55AM

'Kingdom Hearts' fans are in for a big disappointment this year as the third iteration of the highly successful multi-universe franchise is unlikely to be released at this year's E3 event in June. Recent updates now point to a possible launch after April 2017.

For the past couple of months, several online media outfits have claimed that forthcoming 'Kingdom Hearts 3' title is due to be announced at Square Enix's official press conference at E3 2016 creating huge expectations among hopeful fans.

However, Square Enix's recent fiscal year briefing did not include 'Kingdom Hearts 3' in their list of 2016 major releases, Design & Trend reported. Since the Japanese gaming developer's fiscal year ends in March 31, 2017, the game is likely to come out beyond April next year. Instead, the company confirmed the official release of the following titles before February next year: 'Final Fantasy XV,' 'Deus Ex: Mankind Divided,' 'Dragon Quest Heroes II,' 'Rise of the Tomb Raider,' 'Saga Scarlet Grace', and 'World of Final Fantasy.'

Despite the high level of anticipation resulting from online speculations, the delay of the much awaited 'Kingdom Hearts 3' game should no longer be surprising. The company has never any official release of the game happening this year or before its fiscal year ends. Previous report from Parent Herald also cited Square Enix's work on 'Final Fantasy 15' as the key reason why KH3 was staved off from this year's schedule.

Although far from completion, the production team is already picking up some progress on their work such voice recording of the game's major and minor characters as mentioned in a report by University Herald.

To compensate KH fans' disappointment and frustration, Kingdom Hearts 2.8' Final Chapter Prologue is slated for release this year as previously announced at E3 2015. The forthcoming title will reportedly cover North America, Europe and Japan.

'Kingdom Hearts 3' features an interesting cross-over of various superheroes and characters from multiple universes. It is set to roll out on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as soon as an official word from Square Enix comes out.