Roundtable Chat with Tetsuya Nomura at E3 2015!
- Details
- Published on June 20, 2015 @ 04:01 pm
- Written by Arielle
Cecily, Sophearum, and myself alongside Mike & Andy from DisneyExaminer, Alex from Kingdom Hearts Destiny, Branden from Kingdom Hearts Union, Churro from KH13 were lucky enough to get the chance to meet Kingdom Hearts series director Tetsuya Nomura and chat with him briefly about Kingdom Hearts 3 which made its grand reappearance this past week at E3 2015!
We thank Square Enix and Tetsuya Nomura for having made all of this possible!
Tetsuya Nomura's autograph for Sophearum
--How did magic evolve for Kingdom Hearts 3?
Nomura: When it comes to magic in Kingdom Hearts 3, we really wanted to try to leave an effect on the surrounding environment. In the trailer when Sora would cast Blizzard, the blast would leave behind a sheet of ice for Sora to slide on, and when he cast Aero in a field, the wind would make an impression in the grass.
We are hoping to achieve those types of lasting effects in the world with the new magic skills, so please look forward to them.
--Are there any plans for further communication with fans online as a means of delivering news, such as through livestreaming (example: Final Fantasy’s Letter to the Producer / Active Time Report) or the Message to the Kingdom blog?
Nomura: Unfortunately, that is not possible for us. The reason for this is because of the risks involved when we actually do livestreaming for Kingdom Hearts. While we are able to hold livestreams frequently for Final Fantasy, it is a much more different process with due consideration to Disney. Even participating in Square Enix Presents here at E3 is a very delicate situation due to the risk of revealing information accidentally.
--What was your inspiration for Chirithy in Kingdom Hearts X[chi]?
When we were developing Kingdom Hearts X[chi], the development staff really wanted to introduce a guide for the Player character that would aid them throughout their journey. I thought a lot about how this character would appear as. This all took place before I acquired my own cats, but I had always wanted a Scottish Fold and decided to create Chirithy* based off of that breed.
--How do you select which attractions to use for Attraction Flow, and which rides do you like the best?
Nomura: We look at all the attractions in the Disney parks worldwide, particularly the ones that appear to be popular. We revealed a new Attraction Flow in the latest trailer based off of the Mad Tea Party with Sora, Donald and Goofy spinning around in teacups, but I was actually very surprised by the overwhelming positive feedback from the Western fans for them, as they are not as flashy as the other rides.
As for my favorite rides, I really like Disney World’s Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.
--In Kingdom Hearts I & II we were used to have a Disney character joining our party in each new world Sora and his friends visit. Will this mechanic be present in Kingdom Hearts 3?
Nomura: Right, the idea of having a Disney character joining your party was an important part of KH 1 & 2, so, yes you will be able to have Disney characters joining your team across the game, not just as a temporary party member in the worlds, but also as summons.
--How is the Kingdom Shader being used in Kingdom Hearts 3?
The goal of the Kingdom Shader is to evoke the feel of the brush paintings in each unique Disney world, just as we had always aimed to do. We are working to accomplish all of these different styles so that they will be properly reflected in each world in order to do the Disney properties justice, and we also have to decide if we will use them or go for a more realistic shader in certain worlds. The original worlds, however, will continue to use the same style.
--How was your time at E3? Were you able to check out any other games?
Nomura: Unfortunately I was too busy with interviews and was not able to see the other games being exhibited. I did, however, watch the first party press conferences online. I particularly liked Guerrilla Game’s Horizon: Zero Dawn and Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’sGhost Recon.
--Was Kingdom Hearts 3 always planned to be released for the new generation of consoles?
Nomura: To be honest, it was not. It just so happened that the timing happened to work out in this situation. When the time came that we were ready and able to begin work on Kingdom Hearts 3, the Playstation 4 and Xbox One had just been introduced, so the best decision for us was to develop KH3 for the new consoles.
*Note: Tetsuya Nomura pronounced Chirithy "Chirishii", but his translator pronounced it "Chirithy"
Don't forget to visit our friends on their websites:
DisneyExaminer | Kingdom Hearts Destiny | Kingdom Hearts Union | KH13
And to stay up-to-date on all of the latest news about Kingdom Hearts 3 & Kingdom Hearts Unchained X, follow Kingdom Hearts Insider on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Google+!
COMMENTS
I'm surprised Nomura is surprised that we love the teacups so much. It's the friggin' teacups, man!!
While the teacups may not be as flashy as the other two attractions we've seen, it's definitely the most fun looking, and, like most people, I like fun. Flashy doesn't automatically mean fun.
Was wondering if you guys were going to do this. Should have pulled the envelope a little bit more but that's fine. Glad to hear about the attraction flow. Could we see Disney's Tomorrowland in the game and have Sora use Space Mountain! Great interview from you guys.
I always wanted to eide the Tez Cup ride once, rode Tower of Terror, didn't scream at all.
Great interview.
Was wondering if you guys were going to do this. Should have pulled the envelope a little bit more but that's fine. Glad to hear about the attraction flow. Could we see Disney's Tomorrowland in the game and have Sora use Space Mountain! Great interview from you guys.
We'd have loved to, but since it wasn't a formal interview and more of just a meet-n-greet, we had to be really careful about not pressing for information, haha. So we just chose the ones that we felt would be safe for him to answer, but also that other sites might not have asked.
I'm very happy we got Chirithy's pronunciation out of that though~
| --How was your time at E3? Were you able to check out any other games? Nomura: Unfortunately I was too busy with interviews and was not able to see the other games being exhibited. I did, however, watch the first party press conferences online. I particularly liked Guerrilla Game’s Horizon: Zero Dawn and Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’sGhost Recon. |
Nomura is forgiven for calling the handheld titles spinoffs now. He knows what's up.
Glad to hear Kingdom Shader is exclusive for the Disney worlds. I was hoping it would only be for the Disney worlds. I really wanna see what Sora would look like in some of the "odder" Disney titles now.
I'm very happy we got Chirithy's pronunciation out of that though~
Also glad about this.
I am not a big fan of the attraction flow, seems like a gimmick to me. I hope that it is optional like summons, in which case I'm not going to use it. I feel like it'll take me out of the experience and it'll be a "press O to win" type of deal, which I'm not a fan of at all. I know Nomura said no more reaction commands, but I think it'll live on through attraction flow, which is no bueno.
I'm very happy we got Chirithy's pronunciation out of that though~
Awesome interview guys and congratulations for being able to sit down with Nomura and ask him about none other than KH3 and ask great questions. I definitely wanted an answer to the live streaming, ATR question myself and it is actually very enlightening to hear about the fact it is more complicated due to Disney's stake in the game. In fact after seeing the two Disney execs video talk about tangled in kh3 I think it is obvious now that this will be Disney's biggest involvement in a kh game so far which is a great thing in all honesty!
Sitting is a way to put it!
Yeah, I'm really excited to see what will come of Disney's involvement because this really feels like the first game in the series besides KH1 where it feels substantial.
[strike]secretly hoping this paves the way for adorable KH tsumtsums and Disney Infinity figures and a reference in WIR2[/strike]
I'm surprised Nomura is surprised that we love the teacups so much. It's the friggin' teacups, man!!
While the teacups may not be as flashy as the other two attractions we've seen, it's definitely the most fun looking, and, like most people, I like fun. Flashy doesn't automatically mean fun.
I think the teacups are much more iconic in the states than they are outside of the states, so that might be why xD
The teacups beg to be rode when you are at Disneyland/Disney World because you HAVE to.
Was wondering if you guys were going to do this. Should have pulled the envelope a little bit more but that's fine. Glad to hear about the attraction flow. Could we see Disney's Tomorrowland in the game and have Sora use Space Mountain! Great interview from you guys.
It wasn't like we didn't have bigger questions to ask, but we didn't want to risk asking him something he would not be able to answer and waste a question.
I always wanted to eide the Tez Cup ride once, rode Tower of Terror, didn't scream at all.
Great interview.
Was it in Florida or in Disney California?
This is more like Nomura dropped a huge KH3-related news bomb in our faces this month. :o
Sitting is a way to put it!
Yeah, I'm really excited to see what will come of Disney's involvement because this really feels like the first game in the series besides KH1 where it feels substantial.
[strike]secretly hoping this paves the way for adorable KH tsumtsums and Disney Infinity figures and a reference in WIR2[/strike]
I think the teacups are much more iconic in the states than they are outside of the states, so that might be why xD
The teacups beg to be rode when you are at Disneyland/Disney World because you HAVE to.
It wasn't like we didn't have bigger questions to ask, but we didn't want to risk asking him something he would not be able to answer and waste a question.
Was it in Florida or in Disney California?
Fllorida, that was the only time I was there for Disney World and Universal Studios.
Really want Sora to be able to summon an elevator carriage now that falls from the sky and sends blasts of lightning out upon impact.
Really want Sora to be able to summon an elevator carriage now that falls from the sky and sends blasts of lightning out upon impact.
PLEASE. Just slam it down.
Really liked Nomura's input about his favorite rides. Its leaning towards seeing tower of terror and rock n roller coaster attraction flow. With that being said I got this weird thought of Sora and Steven Tyler playing on "keytars" riding on the rock n roller coaster into an army of heartless..
"not just as a temporary party member in the worlds, but also as summons."
Kim Possible again becomes...possible :D
(also, if she really end up with Ron after their dating stage, wouldn't she be Kim Stoppable? lol)
I just hope we can fight alongside FF characters again too, instead of them being cameos most of the time.
I think it's awesome how versatile each of the respective sites are: Kingdom Hearts Destiny has such a beautiful website and it's french, Kingdom Hearts Union has podcasts, KH 13 has the best video library, and Destiny Islands has the best game walkthroughs.
I think it's awesome how versatile each of the respective sites are: Kingdom Hearts Destiny has such a beautiful website and it's french, Kingdom Hearts Union has podcasts, KH 13 has the best video library, and Destiny Islands has the best game walkthroughs.
Destiny Islands wasn't with us but yeah they do!
"not just as a temporary party member in the worlds, but also as summons."
Kim Possible again becomes...possible :D
(also, if she really end up with Ron after their dating stage, wouldn't she be Kim Stoppable? lol)
I just hope we can fight alongside FF characters again too, instead of them being cameos most of the time.
I feel like Kim would keep her last name, even though I don't think that sort of thing was ever mentioned on the show. I just think she would :P
Also, do you mean fight alongside like Auron or that one part in the siege on Hollow Bastion? Cuz I mean I could see them slipping in one more FF party member, but parts where they are guests could be much more likely. Especially since Leon and the gang are bound to be in the game again.
Thanks for asking Nomura what other games he liked from E3. I remember in 2013 when he said he liked the look of Titan Fall, so I thought Horizon would get him excited too. There's this cute image in my head of Nomura's jaw dropping when the robot dinosaurs first appear.
"not just as a temporary party member in the worlds, but also as summons."
Kim Possible again becomes...possible :D
(also, if she really end up with Ron after their dating stage, wouldn't she be Kim Stoppable? lol)
Ron would take Kim's name, obviously!
I edited a picture of the autograph Zephyr received from Nomura at the roundtable chat into the OP :)
I think it's awesome how versatile each of the respective sites are: Kingdom Hearts Destiny has such a beautiful website and it's french, Kingdom Hearts Union has podcasts, KH 13 has the best video library, and Destiny Islands has the best game walkthroughs.
You confused Disney Examiner with Destiny Islands xD
I edited a picture of the autograph Zephyr received from Nomura at the roundtable chat into the OP :)
You confused Disney Examiner with Destiny Islands xD
I wished they asked if key blade armor would be the new drive system imagine a valuer armor ,wisdom armor, master armor,final armor and all new ultima armor
Again, this was not a formal interview, so we could not press for "secret information". It was a very casual meet-and-greet with fansite staff.
It also has absolutely nothing to do with my earlier post 8D
Again, this was not a formal interview, so we could not press for "secret information". It was a very casual meet-and-greet with fansite staff.
It also has absolutely nothing to do with my earlier post 8D
Hopefully we get to see what the more realistic or not-Disney shaders look like soon. I'm very curious.
Sitting is a way to put it!
Yeah, I'm really excited to see what will come of Disney's involvement because this really feels like the first game in the series besides KH1 where it feels substantial.
[strike]secretly hoping this paves the way for adorable KH tsumtsums and Disney Infinity figures and a reference in WIR2[/strike]
I think the teacups are much more iconic in the states than they are outside of the states, so that might be why xD
The teacups beg to be rode when you are at Disneyland/Disney World because you HAVE to.
It wasn't like we didn't have bigger questions to ask, but we didn't want to risk asking him something he would not be able to answer and waste a question.
Was it in Florida or in Disney California?
I think it'd be even riskier hitting him with a toy keyblade; knocking him unconscious and running away with his mobile device to retrieve the data that we need to solve our questions lol.
I'm surprised you're working on psychology, you & Cecily would be GREAT Journalists.
As for the Tea Cups, my sister was just telling me I should go for some chili dogs from Casey's Corner, Disney's very own popcorn with butter and some frozen bars with a full stomach going into the Tea Cups to see the end result hehe. I came out of Crystal Palace years ago with a full stomach and went on it with my cousin, she drove that Tea Cup wildly fast and I some how managed to survive.
We'd have loved to, but since it wasn't a formal interview and more of just a meet-n-greet, we had to be really careful about not pressing for information, haha. So we just chose the ones that we felt would be safe for him to answer, but also that other sites might not have asked.
I'm very happy we got Chirithy's pronunciation out of that though~
You guys have a lot fun over there :(
Again, this was not a formal interview, so we could not press for "secret information". It was a very casual meet-and-greet with fansite staff.
It also has absolutely nothing to do with my earlier post 8D
? I am just wondering that all
[/FONT]
| --In Kingdom Hearts I & II we were used to have a Disney character joining our party in each new world Sora and his friends visit. Will this mechanic be present in Kingdom Hearts 3? Nomura: Right, the idea of having a Disney character joining your party was an important part of KH 1 & 2, so, yes you will be able to have Disney characters joining your team across the game, not just as a temporary party member in the worlds, but also as summons. |
Finally something I'm interested to hear. Soras new look being something I was glad to see.
Bless Chirithy.
Bless Chirithy.
Goldpanner was right all along!
*Drowns in the wave of Nomura interviews...
Man, guess it was a bad time to be away from the internet for a whole weekend. So many new Nomura interviews waiting to be read.... It is really good to get new info after such long and empty wait.
Really cool that you managed to talk with him. Some really interesting stuff was revealed.
How does these things usually work? Do you ask Square for permission to interview him? And if this was a more formal interview, how would things be different? Maybe one day somebody will ask him about the chamber and who Xemans talked to... That would end my sleepless nights.
Also it is good to know that the ATB things aren`t possible for KH. Aslo Nomura looked little nervous in the interview session.
 |
Man, I really hope I would get something like this one day. Well, a man can dream.
SPEAKING OF WHICH-
I don't buy the reason why they can't give ATRs for Kingdom Hearts. How is Kingdom Hearts more precious in regards to spoilers than any other game? It hasn't stopped Square for ruining the plots of the previous games with their trailers.
SPEAKING OF WHICH-
I don't buy the reason why they can't give ATBs for Kingdom Hearts. How is Kingdom Hearts more precious in regards to spoilers than any other game? It hasn't stopped Square for ruining the plots of the previous games with their trailers.
I think it is more that Disney is super strict about how things get revealed. If we thought SE was serious about marketing schedules, Disney is probably the king of sticking to the plan and punishing those who stray from it. If it was just Disney or just Square Enix doing it, I'm certain it'd be easy to do streams like ATR or Letters from the Producer but there is a matter of having to go between each other to get approval and Disney might have plans that don't align with Square Enix's plans...If one reveals something before the other wanted it to be revealed, then it causes a huge bureaucratic issue.
Essentially it seems like Disney has gotten more involved than they were in the past and it is easier to avoid a mess by not doing this at all.
I personally just want to see more Messages from the Kingdom even if they are just blog posts about being tired/a silly story/food posts/staff's thoughts on merchandise or stuff they did in the past.
I think it is more that Disney is super strict about how things get revealed. If we thought SE was serious about marketing schedules, Disney is probably the king of sticking to the plan and punishing those who stray from it. If it was just Disney or just Square Enix doing it, I'm certain it'd be easy to do streams like ATR or Letters from the Producer but there is a matter of having to go between each other to get approval and Disney might have plans that don't align with Square Enix's plans...If one reveals something before the other wanted it to be revealed, then it causes a huge bureaucratic issue.
Essentially it seems like Disney has gotten more involved than they were in the past and it is easier to avoid a mess by not doing this at all.
I personally just want to see more Messages from the Kingdom even if they are just blog posts about being tired/a silly story/food posts/staff's thoughts on merchandise or stuff they did in the past.
This must be it, Disney's involvement, at least from a publicity level, is much larger now so this makes sense. I hope we don't get a vignette before they announce every world though. I like being surprised by the trailers and jump scans.
Umm, I know, I'll look like a dummy now, but...
What is ATB anyway?
Umm, I know, I'll look like a dummy now, but...
What is ATB anyway?
Active Time Battle
Battle System - The Final Fantasy Wiki - 10 years of having more Final Fantasy information than Cid could research!
But if you are referring to the other ATB, it's streaming that SE does for FFXIV and FFXV adn other games, that's mostly where we get how the games play.
Active Time Battle
Battle System - The Final Fantasy Wiki - 10 years of having more Final Fantasy information than Cid could research!
Thank you very much!
Now I know it as well... :3
Guys, ATR. Active Time Report.
Guys, ATR. Active Time Report.
i wish disney allow nomura to have a stream once in while to just annouce the worlds on the stream and talk about how devloping is going
i wish disney allow nomura to have a stream once in while to just annouce the worlds on the stream and talk about how devloping is going
I doubt Nomura would be the one to do the stream if one was possible.
A part of me would love streams and world reveals on the scale of what we got at E3, but I have a fondness for the magazine scan reveals. Those were always the big highlight of the promotional period for the series besides trailers.
I doubt Nomura would be the one to do the stream if one was possible.
Really? Even after the few SE Presents he's appeared on? At the least I'm sure Yasue would be on though. As he is the more outgoing of the directors.
Really? Even after the few SE Presents he's appeared on? At the least I'm sure Yasue would be on though. As he is the more outgoing of the directors.
Nomura doesn't really seem the type to get on camera to talk to an audience, don't you think? I feel like him doing SEP was different because he was talking to the translator and brand manager, people he is rather familiar with. To go on camera either on his own or with somebody to specifically talk to an audience is much more...daunting.
Not to say he couldn't surprise us all and actually do it, but he's always tended to shy away from being directly in the public's eye unless absolutely necessary.
How does these things usually work? Do you ask Square for permission to interview him? And if this was a more formal interview, how would things be different? Maybe one day somebody will ask him about the chamber and who Xemans talked to... That would end my sleepless nights.
Some of us fansite staff have a pretty good relationship with each other and with Square Enix staff. In this case, they actually arranged it for us as a surprise and contacted us during the event to drop by the booth at a specific time so we could meet Nomura (though I honestly have no idea where Yasue was during most of the event, but hopefully he was able to explore and check out some of the other games).
If it was a formal interview, I don't think it would have been much different though, besides maybe getting to ask more questions in general? We were pretty careful with consideration for the questions we chose to ask :D
Some of us fansite staff have a pretty good relationship with each other and with Square Enix staff. In this case, they actually arranged it for us as a surprise and contacted us during the event to drop by the booth at a specific time so we could meet Nomura (though I honestly have no idea where Yasue was during most of the event, but hopefully he was able to explore and check out some of the other games).
If it was a formal interview, I don't think it would have been much different though, besides maybe getting to ask more questions in general? We were pretty careful with consideration for the questions we chose to ask :D
Nomura doesn't really seem the type to get on camera to talk to an audience, don't you think? I feel like him doing SEP was different because he was talking to the translator and brand manager, people he is rather familiar with. To go on camera either on his own or with somebody to specifically talk to an audience is much more...daunting.
Not to say he couldn't surprise us all and actually do it, but he's always tended to shy away from being directly in the public's eye unless absolutely necessary.
I agree. Just thought that maybe if it was more of a pre-recorded documentary-esque report it could work. Maybe someone from the marketing team could gather questions and ask him while he's with Yasue or someone.
I could just be too hopeful but was hoping what Tabata is doing with the FFXV Reports could lead by example =p. Though their respective dev times for their games are completely different.
Okay, so I'm still confused about Chirithy's pronunciation.
Is it "Ki-ri-thee" or "Key-ri-thee" or "Chee-ri-thee" or what?
I agree. Just thought that maybe if it was more of a pre-recorded documentary-esque report it could work. Maybe someone from the marketing team could gather questions and ask him while he's with Yasue or someone.
I could just be too hopeful but was hoping what Tabata is doing with the FFXV Reports could lead by example =p. Though their respective dev times for their games are completely different.
I would kill for a KH documentary btw ;~;
As for something pre-recorded, I think Nomura could probably be in it but him being on camera or talking wouldn't be the bulk of the video. Just maybe the intro, a few quotes. That could work, but of course if we wanted the better candidate for being open to talking, Yasue would definitely be it.
The fact that he is a fluent English speaker would help bridge
The ATR was made because of how successful Yoshi-P's live letters have been for XIV, and considering XV's development it seemed like a good way to keep the fans informed after 8 years of little droplets of information. I'd say that since KH3's development is hardly as troubled as those two games were and are, it probably isn't a high priority when it is on a regular development track.
Okay, so I'm still confused about Chirithy's pronunciation.
Is it "Ki-ri-thee" or "Key-ri-thee" or "Chee-ri-thee" or what?
"chee-ri-thee" In Japanese it is "chee-ri-shee"
The pronunciation of "chi" as "ki" is only used when referring to the character "X" in the series.
Chi is usually just pronounced "chee" or in Greek "Kai" anyways, but "ki" is an alternate that this series uses to be punny.
"chee-ri-thee" In Japanese it is "chee-ri-shee"
The pronunciation of "chi" as "ki" is only used when referring to the character "X" in the series.
Chi is usually just pronounced "chee" anyways, but "ki" is an alternate that this series uses to be punny.
Good. I like that pronunciation. I was saying "Key-rith-ee" and I thought it sounded bad every time I said it.
I like like 15 mins from Disney world and have a season pass. If I ever see Nomura there, I'd be so excited. I really hope they hold a official kingdom hearts special event there someday so I could attend. California gets all the fun kingdom hearts things and I just get the rest of Disney. I still think fantasy land (like old fantasy land. Not the new part) looks like traverse town. The new part looks just like pranksters paradise in 3d
Some of us fansite staff have a pretty good relationship with each other and with Square Enix staff. In this case, they actually arranged it for us as a surprise and contacted us during the event to drop by the booth at a specific time so we could meet Nomura (though I honestly have no idea where Yasue was during most of the event, but hopefully he was able to explore and check out some of the other games). If it was a formal interview, I don't think it would have been much different though, besides maybe getting to ask more questions in general? We were pretty careful with consideration for the questions we chose to ask :D |
Holy moley! That sounds like an awesome surprise!
Holy moley! That sounds like an awesome surprise!
I almost had a heart attack lol
I almost had a heart attack lol
I would have probably fainted or something. :D I know Sqaure gets a lot of negative feedback and the company has made some bad decision, but it is really nice to know that they do stuff like this.
You must be pros now when it comes to interviewing Nomura.
Having magic effects change the environment is a neat idea.
I would have probably fainted or something. :D I know Sqaure gets a lot of negative feedback and the company has made some bad decision, but it is really nice to know that they do stuff like this.
You must be pros now when it comes to interviewing Nomura.
If I ever met Nomura, I would get his autograph and frame that shit up on my wall. Meeting him would be awesome.
Bobjam
June 20, 2015 @ 08:11 pmOffline