News ► Nomura to IGN: 1.5+2.5, 2.8 & 3 on Switch / Xbox One "Maybe Possible"

[Chaser]

In an interview between IGN and Kingdom Hearts Series Director Tetsuya Nomura, the topic of the Kingdom Hearts series coming to the Nintendo Switch came up.

Nomura told IGN that it "maybe possible"  for Kingdom Hearts 3 to appear on Nintendo Switch, but only after the game is complete on Playstation 4 and Xbox One first:

“The Nintendo Switch is definitely a very interesting piece of hardware, but if we lightly say, ‘Oh yeah, we’ll be on the Nintendo Switch,’ I’m sure people will come back and say, ‘But what about the PS4 and Xbox One? We want them out first. Don’t focus on other platforms,’” Nomura told IGN. “So for now, we want to focus on what platforms we’ve already announced we’re going to be releasing Kingdom Hearts 3 on. And so after, perhaps, maybe we can start thinking about other possibilities.”

Nomura didn't dismiss the collection coming to Xbox One either, but isn't sure demand exists outside of the West:

“Just like with the previous answer, if we were to announce yet another non-Kingdom Hearts 3 [project]...people are going to be like, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’ So we will want to focus on releasing on the platforms that we have already announced,” he reiterated. “Do the Western audiences want Kingdom Hearts titles on the Microsoft or Xbox platforms? Japan might say ‘well, we don’t want any more on Xbox.'”

 

[Harmonie]

Kind of annoying because I feel that Kingdom Hearts has a much larger audience on Nintendo systems than Xbox, where not a single KH title of any sort has appeared.

Oh well, I bought a PS4, so I'm good.

 

[Recon]

Kind of annoying because I feel that Kingdom Hearts has a much larger audience on Nintendo systems than Xbox, where not a single KH title of any sort has appeared.

Oh well, I bought a PS4, so I'm good.

You have a fair point and Nomura backs up your statement by asking if Western audiences want it on Microsoft platforms. Perhaps it was already too late for the Switch for a first day release. More often than so, they are just looking for reassurance. It really makes me wonder if the Kingdom Hearts' Nintendo fanbase is all too existent.

 

[MATGSY]

Kind of annoying because I feel that Kingdom Hearts has a much larger audience on Nintendo systems than Xbox, where not a single KH title of any sort has appeared.

Which is a bit of a shame, XB1X will by default have the most advanced version of the game & no one cares. Not releasing the collections ain't helping matters.

Would be down for Doubletripledipping on a Switch if they get it running halfway decent.

 

[maryadavies]

My brother will squeal if they actually DO bring KH3 to the switch. But I figured, it would take them a good while to port it; I thought they just wanted to get it out. ^^

As for me, I haven't got a switch. Even if I get one, I proly won't buy the game twice.

 

[Muke]

Yeeah, Kingdom Hearts on the Switch just feels so much more right than on the Xbox.

 

[SoulXaldin]

I don't mind releasing them releasing KH3 on either the Xbox One or the Switch. In the end, SE, Microsoft and Nintendo can definitely capitalize on the opportunity by essentially prompting more people to buy (Microsoft's and Nintendo's) respective consoles. I don't really get the problem :tongue:.

 

[Alpha Baymax]

Why can't Xbox step in and take over the publishing for Xbox systems. Or do a Valkyria Revolution in which the Xbox version was only released in the west. If there's a bunch of Vita ports exclusive to Japan, what harm is there for having an exclusive western Xbox On Kingdom Hearts ReMix collection?

 

[Harmonie]

I don't mind releasing them releasing KH3 on either the Xbox One or the Switch. In the end, SE, Microsoft and Nintendo can definitely capitalize on the opportunity by essentially prompting more people to buy (Microsoft's and Nintendo's) respective consoles. I don't really get the problem :tongue:.

Eh, I just remember back when KHIII was first announced. Back then I only had Wii U, with the only Sony system I had being a PS2. I completely expected KHIII to be PS4 exclusive, but when it was revealed that it was expanded to Xbox One "to reach more fans", it felt like a big slap to the face to me, because really, if the interest was in reaching more fans, Nintendo should have come first. SE had, after all, released Kingdom Hearts games on Nintendo systems in the past, but not Microsoft systems.

I know, I was just being salty. To this day, I still can't completely shake that off, although I found reason to get more Sony consoles since the announcement and no longer feel such a strong need for it to be on a Nintendo system (I don't even own a Switch and won't for the foreseeable future).

 

[Recon]

Why can't Xbox step in and take over the publishing for Xbox systems. Or do a Valkyria Revolution in which the Xbox version was only released in the west. If there's a bunch of Vita ports exclusive to Japan, what harm is there for having an exclusive western Xbox On Kingdom Hearts ReMix collection?

An exclusive KH game for Western fans? You must be dreaming

 

[Alpha Baymax]

An exclusive KH game for Western fans? You must be dreaming

Or at the very least, make it limited copies for the Xbox One copies in Japan so it doesn't sell at a loss. All people are asking is a port of 1.5+1.5 and 2.8. It's additional revenue that Nomura's team is ignoring because of cultural bias.

 

[MATGSY]

For that matter, if they can't invest the resources into a Switch port until after it releases on other platforms first, then putting out the HD remixes in the more immediate future wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

[MATGSY]

Kingdom Hearts III: Tetsuya Nomura Clarifies Statement on Possibility of a Switch Port

A few days ago, Kingdom Hearts III Director Tetsuya Nomura was asked by IGN to comment on the possibility of a Nintendo Switch port for the game. His answer was quite vague, and IGN updated the slightly misleading headline after the fact for clarity, but some media outlets and blogs still presented it in a rather positive way. This was amplified further in Japan, where nuance was lost as his answers originally in Japanese and translated to English, were re-translated back to Japanese.

Today, Nomura-san clarified that statement in an interview on Famitsu, mentioning that when statements on foreign sites are relayed in Japan, it’s not uncommon for sensational headlines to spread rumors and allegation of things that have not been said.

He explained that he was asked about a Nintendo Switch version, but his answer was simply that the PS4 and Xbox One versions are top priority since they’ve already been announced. As for other platforms, they could be considered afterwards.

According to Nomura-san, the verb “considering” was interpreted liberally, leading people to believe that the game could be released on Switch. On the other hand, he did not single out Nintendo’s new console, but he simply mentioned that “other platforms” – All of them – might be considered after the PS4 and Xbox One versions are released.

The same article on IGN also mentioned that Nomura-san wasn’t sure on whether there would be a demand for an Xbox One port of the recently-released PS4 remaster of the past Kingdom Hearts games outside of Japan.

He clarified that point too, explaining that, like for the previous question, already announced games have priority. Due to that, he thinks that now that Xbox One X is coming, announcing remasters of the old Kingdom Hearts titles for Xbox One after the release of Kingdom Hearts III [in 2018] would be simply too late in timing, and it would be difficult to market, especially in Japan.