So it looks like it's going to be on PS4 and XBOne. I wonder if it'll be on the Switch as well.

Doubtful, but first we'd have to see what they have in mind. If it's anything like KH3, then that's a big nope for Switch.

Uh oh! Here we go again!

Could mean something! Could mean nothing! Could mean something! Could mean nothing!

Not surprising if they are already started to work in the next game. I believe the KH team is divided into two groups right now - Some stayed behind to work in KH3 DLC, while the others went ahead and are starting to work on the next game.

There are some things that make me positive about the development of the next game:

- It won't be the first time Osaka team is developing for a home console.
- If they keep UE4 engine it won't be their first time using it either, and there shouldn't be problems with changing engines like it happened with KH3, which made them lose one year of work.
- It won't be their first time dealing with Pixar.

If anything, KH3 should have been a big lesson for them. My worst fear is if the next KH game will be exclusive to Nintendo Switch. Seems like going backwards after all the work of putting all titles in PS4, but it's Square-Enix. Anything is possible.

Great news. I'm way more interested in the next game(whether DDD.2 or something else) then ReMIND so I hope an announcement comes soon after the DLC release

Maybe the development for the next game has already begun. But I wouldn’t mind if they released another KH3 DLC next year to be honest because I adore KH3. :D
I hope they release the new game on current and next gen consoles. :) Maybe next year’s E3 will tell us more.

Considering this series' tendency to never release their follow up games on the same console as the one that immediately came before (with the exception of 2.8 and KH3), I wouldn't be surprised if the next game ended up being a Nintendo release. Especially if it's some kind of sequel to DDD, as many theorize.

That said, it's still a toss what they're planning to do at this point, so who really knows.

I'm pretty sure that they learned their lesson and will keep things in the PS line from now on. Especially considering how much gaming technology has changed and how many issues they encountered developing KH3, I think they will stick to PS (maybe Xbox). I doubt they will do a Nintendo project again simply because the handheld titles like CoM/Days had gameplay specifically designed for handheld usage. The card gameplay wouldn't have worked if it was released right after KH1 on PS2, let alone the fact that the Disney worlds were so empty and meaningless.

I feel like the series has been forced into a position of less experimenting and more focus because of the current age of gaming -- which I don't mind at all.

You come off as a Playstation fanboy. I hope the next game comes to Switch and is exclusive just to see people whine about it more.

^ Sounds more like someone sick of this series' console spread trainwreck. The fact that the Playstation is KH's main platform rather than Nintendo is incidental.

^That's complete nonsense. KH has been with Nintendo for years. It's literally babies who cry about having to buy other platforms so that means others with those platforms shouldn't have their precious KH games. If you don't like how they've handled it and will likely keep handling it, then maybe you should have left the series a long time ago.

And it's funny how some of those who cry about KH going to Switch as an exclusive have the gall to wish for Sora to be in Smash.

You sound like a Nintendo fanboy. It's okay to want things and to also accept that what you want and what is happening aren't the same thing. There may be a KH game on the Switch in the future, but whatever these job listings are for are not that game.

Have you seen anybody in this topic even talking about Sora in Smash? Why are you bringing up irrelevant topics?

The job listings are for current gen systems with PS4 and Xbox One as examples. If you actually read it(which you didn't), you'd know this. So please spare me your drivel. It can be on either of these platforms including even next gen platforms but seeing comments on here crying about KH going to Switch is just pure comedy especially when they beg for him to be in Smash. I bet you're one of those people too.

Oooo get em Arielle get im good. Get his ass

You're exhausting.

Edit: Banned for hostile behavior.

I'm not a fanboy of anything lol (well KH fanboy). I'm not much of a gamer anymore and really only got a PS4 for KH3. I don't really care what console the next KH game comes out on, I mean like my original post was alluding to, it's basically down to PS4, Xbone or Switch unlike the past that had multiple portable devices and home consoles to choose from. My point was that the handheld KH games had gimmicks that were complimented by the handheld consoles. Now that such devices are no longer in use and Square had to deal with so much scrutiny over the years of the games being spread across different consoles, really there is no point in making one spinoff on one console, then another title on another. I get why COM/Days/BbS etc. were on handhelds, but the gaming industry has evolved and grown from back then -- experimentation/smaller titles are now mobile games (like KHUX) and side games/DLC can be featured on main consoles (like 0.2). The old days had the side games/experimentation titles as handheld games, but mobile games are the new handheld.

I imagine they're gonna start actual development of the next entry, seeing as how, if my memory does not fail me, Nomura said that the dev team was already working on the next title.

I recall him saying that too! Don't remember where he said it tho.

EDIT: I found it! It was in the Ultimania!

Nomura: At this point in time, I have given the staff a list of the battle elements I want to do, and they are investigating. As for additional story, I think it will mainly be expanding on the Keyblade Graveyard things I mentioned before when I talked about narrowing my aim. I do plan to complete it as soon as possible, but as we are working on it alongside preparation for the next project, I still can't tell you when to expect it to be released. For the time being, we are planning to present several pieces of content as one pack rather than release several separate things.

Me thinks preparation means Pre-Production.

I'm not convinced KH3 on Switch is impossible. The Witcher 3 of all games is playable on Switch now & runs fairly decently. UE4 is a scaleable engine with a native Switch version. & there are UE4 games that run worse than KH3 that still got Switch ports.

Hey so Anyone else here kinda hoping that we get the name of the new Kingdom Hearts title (confirmed name not just reconnect which is a word we have been seeing for way too long btw) and a small trailer for it at the end of the new dlc ReMind? i mean as stated previously that both projects were in development together. (dlc and new title)

I'm interested in seeing the new hype cycle start up again, I enjoy seeing people lose their heads over this series :P

That being said, I'm also interested in whether or not any of the plot criticism was heard by the devs, cos I know they've heard at least some of the gameplay ones. If it was I fully expect Nomura to steamroll over it all and do what he wants anyway out of "spite" or something. C'est la vie I guess

It's far too early.

If the new game is DDD Volume 2 at best I can see them expanding a bit on KH3's secret ending. Something like Riku confronting Gigas or seeing Sora start the Reaper Game

I know you're already banned, but, I'm gonna respond to this anyway.

It's not the fact that they're a fanboy, it's moreso the fact that in terms of KH, there's a clear sign of preference for PlayStation. Ask Xbox fans about how their experience playing 0.2 or The Story So Far is... Oh wait. They can't.

Even though they'll never come out and say it (and why would they lmao, that's a terrible business practice), it's clear that KH on PlayStation is the definitive experience. If you own a PS4, you're more likely to enjoy JRPGs anyway, so it makes sense.



The very last thing we need is them releasing a conceptual trailer right now, because then everyone's gonna have super high expectations for ideas that might not even make it in the final game. If there's one thing FFXV and KH3 (even FF7R to a degree) has shown, it's that showing trailers YEARS before a game is supposed to come out is never a good idea.

I can't believe I missed this news.

Didn't Nomura say that Square Enix plans on releasing a new Kingdom Hearts title each year? Assuming ReMind counts as a seperate title, I assumed this under-development title is going to be a 2021 release.

I have a gut feeling this is the X HD remake. Union Cross has too much canonical value to be stuck on a server dependant mobile game.

I don't remember him saying that.

There it is. Thanks!

Now that you mention it, you have a point. I imagine SE is satisfied with the sales of KH3. Adding it to the Switch would be some sort of pitch that would convince Square to accommodate the necessary manpower to make that happen.

Yep. Square Enix institutionalized a new policy where they're going to stop announcing games if they're too early in development.

That was the plan from like a decade ago. I don’t think they are going to go for the year plan anymore.

I dont even think that idea was a good at the time they bought some time with the remakes but it was putting more or a strain on the team to get things done faster to accomadate this plan. Id be happy with a late 21 - mid 22 release for the next game to be honest

Mmmm.... Now that I think about it, it was that one game a year plan that gave us the 358/BBS/Re:coded trilogy, as well as DDD, right? I'd say the game's might've benefitted, from a story perspective at least, because it gave Nomura less time to forget key information and plotlines from throughout the series (like he did with KH3, which obviously came out much later, and with a much lengthier development time). Then again, he is starting a new saga, so maybe it's best he takes this first one slow, and then have a quicker release schedule for the subsequent follow up games.

We can't rely on that statement anymore. It's been years since he said that and now we have to take two things into account:

1 - The current generation of consoles. Even if the next game was an exclusive for Switch, it would still take them years to make a proper game.

2 - Less "spin-off" games. The next games may be as ambitious as KH3 or close to that, regardless if they are a numbered entry or not.

The counterpoint to both of those points is mobile. There is no reason to assume there won't be more mobile KH titles in the future.

Why do you hurt me so

Like everyone else has already said, that was the plan leading up to KH3 so we had stuff to do. Now that the game's out, the only thing we really have to look forward to is ReMIND and Union X's story updates. Once the DLC releases we'll have an idea of where the story is gonna head next, but UX is going to be where the attention goes from here on until the next HD title comes out.

In an interview, Nomura mentioned something about a "double feature", so it very well could be a Union X title for PS4 and Xbox One, FFXIV-style. It would make more sense, since even though mobile games are a thing in Japan, it would be a good way to keep the franchise alive for quite some time until the next game comes out.

In fact, maybe that's why we ended up getting the Back Cover movie, and why the Foretellers even appeared in the Epilogue -- the assets were already made so they can just use that for a potential UX console game, a lot of Daybreak Town is already created. Plus, it being on HD consoles allow the story to expand in ways they probably can't do with a phone. I'd like to see it.

Either way though, I really wonder what the "double feature" could be.

I'm hoping for a KHx Re:Make for PS4/5 in their current cartoon graphics. OR maybe Switch.

I mean, they remade Coded for DS.

Read, people. They wouldn't be looking for people with experience developing games on PS4/X1 to make a Switch game. The project these hiring ads for is for PS4/X1 or maybe even next gen since those would be the closest approximation.

The listing references Unreal Engine 4, which was the engine used to make KINGDOM HEARTS III, and the same engine that has an optimization option for the Nintendo Switch. If the Witcher made it into Switch, there's no reason to quickly cancel it.

And this is coming from someone who doesn't think KHIII will come out for the Switch. I'd rather be surprised, since I am wholeheartedly convinced that we won't see a KH game on the Switch.

It's rather unprecedented for a non-main numbered sequel to launch on console. It seems so much more reasonable to start KH4 now and have smaller side games for Switch and mobile to lead up to it. Nobody wants to wait another decade for KH4 after all.

I honestly think the next KINGDOM HEARTS game will be a full console experience like KHII, but it'll be more of a bridge game than a full experience like KH3. I'm getting Dream. Drop. Distance. vibes from the secret ending.

The last thing people want to do is buy a new console again, only to have the main games on PlayStation/Xbox. Even if it made sense business-wise, they're gonna have to port it over eventually OR just make it multi-plat for all.

If they did something like Persona 5 Scramble, that's one thing because everyone can play. But a Switch Exclusive? Highly, highly doubt it.

There could be an argument for making a bridge game that the Switch could handle and make it multiplatform for the XBone and PS4 as well. There's also the argument that the Switch is selling like pancakes with the addition of the Lite. Any developer would be enticed to try and get those sales. I honestly think it's imminent that the Switch will get the entire KH collection and Sora on Smash.

But right now, I think we'll get a KH3.5 on the XBone and PS4, and KH4 might be PS4 and Xbone multiplat with PS5 and next Xbox, or just next gen exclusive.

Judging on how they release and develop KH games it varies, usually it's 1-2 or 3-7 years for a new KH game (depending of the KH title) to come out. For the first KH game, development started in the year 2000 and ended in late 2001/early 2002 (Jan./Feb. 2002) which means development lasted for 2 years. For Kingdom Hearts II, development started after the release of KH Final Mix in December 2002 and lasted until 2005 (2 1/2-3 years).

Not sure how long development for Chain of Memories, Coded, and 358/2 Days took.

Development for Birth By Sleep started since 2005 and lasted until late 2009 (4 years), Dream Drop Distance started since early 2010 following the release of BBS and lasted until late 2011/early 2012 (1 1/2-2 years).

Finally, Kingdom Hearts III had the most interesting development for a KH game, as development started since late 2012/early 2013 but due to a switch from Square's Luminous engine to the Unreal Engine 4 in October 2014, development for KH3 restarted under the new engine up until November 2018 (5-6 years of KH3 being in development (1-2 years under Luminous; 4.25 years under the Unreal Engine 4).

Regarding the II.8 Final Chapter prologue, I'm not sure when development started but I think development for that title started around the same time that KH3 switched into the Unreal Engine 4 (October 2014), even the Graphics from 0.2 Birth By Sleep seems to suggest it was the first KH title that the team were testing on and the graphics for this game looked uncanny when compared to the Unreal Engine graphics of the X Back Cover movie and Kingdom Hearts III.

They can still reuse the character models and assets from KH3 for the next KH game without restarting from scratch again as they are using the Unreal Engine 4, but when it comes to the new Disney & original worlds and characters they create, it may take them another year or two to develop. I do expect the next new KH game for the PS5 to come out around mid-late 2021 or 2022, mainly the latter as it's the 20th anniversary of the first KH game and the KH franchise.

Switch exclusive game with Nintendo worlds/characters. Data-Sora gets sent to Grand Central Station to find the missing Dandelions but has to go through a bunch of connected game worlds first for reasons.

EDIT: Possible reasons: Maleficent using her magic to reprogram the bad guys so they become legit enemies that Data-Sora has to purify with his keyblade.

Although I would like the next KH games to release on Switch too, I actually don’t care about it that much. I’m still going to play KH on a Playstation console. But it would increase the popularity if they released The Story so far + 3 on Switch and XBOX, which means more money, which also means more resources for future games.

I could be the technical artist. I’m great with MS Paint.

could this be for the port to XBox?

I don't think so. I imagine Square would partnership with Microsoft employees. And remember their team already has the abilities to deal with XBOne. I imagine they hired additional personnel in order to accomplish whatever it is they want with the next KH game.

No, that wouldn't require anybody for the jobs they were hiring (UI Designer, Effect Designer, and Technical Artist).

I'd like the record to state that I want the next game--that's apparently a side game--to be a Kairi game, where she goes on her own, fun Disney adventure (because she deserves it) to get stronger and finds and saves Sora. But since that won't happen, I hope the next game is just KHUX Final Mix and then we can move onto KHIV. For quite a few reasons, I don't want a DDD 2.0. Like, I'd be fine if KHIV STARTED as a DDD 2.0, I guess, but I don't want a whole game of it. Because I really don't want to jump into the "there are main games and side games...but the side games are important, so you need to play those to be able to understand everything" thing again (and, yes: with that idea, I should probably throw my bias away and admit that a Kairi side game would be problematic for the same reason, too). And because I want to get into everything as soon as we can: Subject X, the Master of Masters, Foretellers, Luxu, and Ven, Marluxia, Larxene, Demyx, and Luxord's past... Strelitzia, Verum Rex and Shibuya, Kairi and Riku without Sora, etc., and I feel a DDD 2.0 obviously wouldn't do all of that (because surely at least some of it is moreso IV stuff). So, really... Just give me some KHUX remake that gets everyone caught up there, and then give me KHIV, please:)

If they were to make a multi-plat title (Switch included) KH title, they'd have to port all the games onto the Switch. Whether they'd do it or not, who's to say. Xbox just got all the KH titles. But I just have a feeling that they're not going to do that any time soon. Eventually, I suppose, but this just reminds me of when people thought Joker in Smash = Persona 5 on Switch, and then it turned out to be Persona 5 Scramble (and surprise surprise, the game after getting torn apart initially actually looks really good lol).

It also depends on exactly what this next title actually is. If this is a Union X console remake, then depending on how much is going on, I'm sure the Switch can handle it just fine. But if it's going to be some crazy next-generation game that pushes the hardware to the limits (like say, FFVIIR), probably not. But who knows?

The Switch is a great console and could end up surprising everyone with just how much it can do, so I won't say never. And, KH on the go reminds me of the days of Crisis Core, Dissidia and BBS during high school, so there's a pretty good angle there. But maybe Square might be hesitant on making more handheld title spinoffs after everything and are thinking they're better off just staying on PlayStation and Xbox.

On the contrary, I'd wager ports will be announced the next time Nintendo has a direct and they'll release the same day as XB1 ports. It'll be like when FFXV Pocket and Crystal Chronicles HD got announced on PS4/XB1 a week before they were for Switch due to a delayed direct. The obvious intention was that the Direct was going to be where the announcements would be made originally but the timing got shuffled. That we don't have a date for XB1 beyond the vague 2020 definitely leaves room for an announcement before then.

The Switch is a great console and could end up surprising everyone with just how much it can do, so I won't say never. And, KH on the go reminds me of the days of Crisis Core, Dissidia and BBS during high school, so there's a pretty good angle there. But maybe Square might be hesitant on making more handheld title spinoffs after everything and are thinking they're better off just staying on PlayStation and Xbox.

On a side note, I'm surprised at how relatively little 3DS got from Square compared to PSP & DS. Sure, there was DDD, Theatrhythm, & Bravely Default. But they never really did another 'console-like' scale titles like DDD again. I'm particularly surprised at the lack of a Dissidia during that time.

Maybe they're hiring to re-create all the assets from previous games so they don't have to rely on flashbacks from the HD remasters whenever future games directly flashback to the past.

Square Enix already has a dedicated art style with the X games, I highly doubt they would abandon that even if a new Kingdom Hearts mobile game is in the works.

They had an established art style with KH Mobile, Theatrhythm, and Airborne Brigade. They didn't keep that one around.