Where is Kingdom Hearts 3? Video game developer Square Enix fails yet again to deliver the once highly anticipated sequel to the Kingdom Hearts franchise.
Fans have anticipated the third game since 2004, giving many of them the time to transition into adulthood. Video game sequels rarely wait so long to release the next game in a franchise, but Kingdom Hearts 3 has proven to be the most elusive game yet.
The company released the first trailer for the game in 2015 at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), but it has lost most of the hype that it gained from the trailer. At this time, many fans had already become disheartened to the idea that there will be a final installment in their beloved franchise that would tie the knot on a cliff-hanger plot. When the trailer debuted the internet became a frenzy and the hype was regenerated after more than a decade of waiting for news of any form to emerge.
Typically when games are showcased at E3 they come out later that year or the following year. A game has never taken two to three years to be produced.
However, there has been no news or talk from developers about the game. The short trailer was enough to showcase that the game was far enough in production to be expected by Christmas 2016, but then came the next wave of news from the Square Enix developers.
The company announced that the release of the game would be postponed in an effort to focus on producing the 15h installment of ther their mega-franchise, Final Fantasy.
Square Enix is not treating their fans well. The company has not only delayed Kingdom Hearts 3, but they also unfairly teased their fanbase with Kingdom Heart trailers. To neglect their fans is not only a horrendous marketing strategy but is also stupid financially. It will drive their profits down.
Kingdom Hearts fans have waited long enough for their beloved series to conclude that they no longer believe they will get what Square Enix promised last year and are no longer excited for release. Without excitement or hype for a release, Square Enix can expect no own will show up for the pre-ordering whenever the time comes.
But not only is constantly delaying the game driving down the hype and excitement it is also the reasoning behind it that angers many fans, voice actor for the character Axel, Quinton Flynn, took to twitter stating that he hasn’t even started is voice recordings yet.
“Speaking of Axel, when is the new Kingdom Hearts going into production? Step it up. Quinton needs to pay his bills,” Flynn said on his twitter account.
With the developers shifting focus to the new Final Fantasy game, it’s almost as if they are dropping all development on Kingdom Hearts until Final Fantasy 20 game is released. The news about Kingdom Hearts continues to be negative to the point that fans are going to diminish. They will be left with no fans.
Enix states that the game may release in 2017, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. The company is not far enough in production, making me believe that Kingdom Heart fans are unimportant to the company.
Fans can only wait so long.
Collegian A&C Reporter Connor DeBlieck can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @CDeBlieck1995.
