Kingdom Hearts III

Amongst other postings for a Tech Artist (who work on things like physics and environments) and a UI Designer, the Osaka Studio -- aka the people developing Kingdom Hearts III -- also seem to be interested in some online capabilities after a posting for a Network Programmer. Square-Enix is also recruiting for a new studio focused on console RPGs, so it's really been a week of job openings!

The posting for the Osaka team is in Japanese, but Dualshockers reports:
Fans of the series have lamented that the upcoming Kingdom Hearts II.5 HD Remix will not include the Mirage Arena, a special world in Birth by Sleep where up to six friends can team up for a variety of battles and challenges. Interviews with Tetsuya Nomura and Tai Yasue have remained open to the idea of multiplayer for Kingdom Hearts III but have not confirmed anything.

Given Dualshockers' evaluation of the posting, it seems unlikely that the ad pertains to Kingdom Hearts III. However, we'd love to hear what you all would like to see in KH3 multiplayer. It's worth noting that the Osaka Studio is responsible for the Dissidia series and other spin-off titles, so it's entirely possible that the posting has nothing to do with Kingdom Hearts at all -- but maybe a Kingdom Hearts Dissidia?

It's up in the air right now, but we'd love to hear your best speculations!

As E3 continues, Kotaku was able to catch up with Kingdom Hearts co-director, Tai Yasue, who provided some words on Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD ReMix and Kingdom Hearts 3, which can be read below:

via Kotaku

Despite Square releasing a teaser for Kingdom Hearts III in the newest trailer for the Kingdom Hearts 2.5 collection, do not expect any more new information regarding the game at this year's E3. In an interview, Shinji Hasimoto had this to share about Kingdom Hearts III and it's presence at the expo:

via Square Enix

If you all missed it, Square released a pre-E3 Kingdom Hearts II.5 HD Remix trailer a few hours ago. The nostalgia and emotion no doubt gripped us all as we saw some of our favorite scenes in their full HD glory, and I'm sure many of us would have been happy just with the December 2nd (NA) and December 5th (EU) release dates confirmed.

Square Enix decided to take an extra step and tease some information about the in-development Kingdom Hearts 3. Announced at E3 last year, we've had precious few updates on it since. Unsurprisingly, the teaser was short and rather cryptic, fitting for the Kingdom Hearts series. Let's take a look, shall we?

General warning: spoilers up to and including Dream Drop Distance are fair game for this post! We can of course only speculate on Kingdom Hearts 3, but if you're not quite up to date on the series & don't want to be, don't read ahead!

Recently, an internal Square-Enix Europe document (pictured below) has been circulating on the internet, containing information about their soon-to-be-released titles (like Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII) and titles still in development (notably Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III).


No doubt in impatience for said titles, The Game Inquirer took the change from a TBC release date to 2014 as confirmation that the game may out sooner than anticipated. Square replied to these rumors shortly after:
Suffice to say, Kingdom Hearts 3 won't be hitting the shelves anytime soon. From interviews and appearances, it's safe to say that the final chapter of the Xehanort Saga is still in very early development -- it's far too early to consider a release date, but that won't stop us from speculating! Anyone have predictions for a more realistic time frame?

Sources: The Game Inquirer, Siliconera