Kingdom Hearts 3 Release Date Latest: Not Available Until December 2015, Delay Explained

With no official release date yet for Kingdom Hearts 3, game aficionados have been relying on other sources to get more details about the upcoming game. One source that is being quoted by many is Amazon, as the online retailer currently lists it with a release date of December 2015.

Nine years after Kingdom Hearts 2 was released, there has been much speculation about the release of a sequel. In the interim, fans have had to make do with the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix.

Commenting on the reasons why the game has been delayed, IGN says one major factor was the game engine being switched to Unreal 4 when the game was half way through development. Then there were reports that Game Director Tetsuya Nomura was also working on Final Fantasy XV. Since he was splitting time between the two projects, the release of Kingdom Hearts 3 was delayed.

IGN reports that Nomura is now fully focused on Kingdom Hearts 3 after the Remix versions were released. He has reportedly handed over the Final Fantasy XV project to Hajime Tabata. Game Co-Director Tai Yasue confirmed that Nomura is now fully focused on the game although he does not oversee day-to-day work.

Another major question about Kingdom Hearts III surrounds it worlds. Many fans expect Disney, which owns the franchise, to include worlds and characters from Star Wars and the Marvel stable since the company currently owns rights to both.

Addressing this issue, Yasue stated that currently all characters are under consideration but no decision has been made yet on any inclusions. As avatars of Johnny Depp and Jeff Bridges have already been featured in past games, it won't be a surprise if some of the Avengers find their way into Kingdom Hearts II.