How Long Has Kingdom Hearts 3 Been in Development?
Kingdom Hearts III has been in development for at least five years. The long-running franchise born of the partnership between Square Enix and Disney Interactive will see its long-awaited third chapter finally released on Jan. 25 in Japan, with a worldwide release waiting until Jan. 29. It is currently available for pre-order.
Available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Kingdom Hearts III is the twelfth installment in the series and the final chapter in the Dark Seeker saga. Sora must join with Donald Duck, Goofy, King Mickey and Riku to search for the seven Guardians of Lights to thwart the plans of Xehanort to begin war. With new characters like Woody and Buzz Lightyear, Mike Wazowski, Wreck-It Ralph and Frozen's Elsa, Kingdom Hearts III will feature one of the largest casts in the series and contain plenty of familiar faces for Disney fans.
I'm proud to unveil an extended version of the trailer that's been playing in NA cinemas. And guess what? We've wrapped up development of #KingdomHearts III!
— KINGDOM HEARTS (@KINGDOMHEARTS) November 20, 2018
If you haven't had the chance yet, now would be a good time to prep by playing 1.5+2.5 & 2.8. See you next month! - Nomura pic.twitter.com/NvZYBut3WI
How Long Has Kingdom Hearts 3 Been in Development?
This gargantuan scale did not come easily; Kingdom Hearts III has been tossed about as an idea since before 2007. Early development began near the tail end of the seventh console generation (circa 2013), and was planned from the beginning to release in the eighth generation.
The game was first teased in 2013 at E3 by Sony, with another teaser at E3 2014. The latter sequence was made from the game's opening sequence. The first gameplay trailer was revealed in June 2017. Kingdom Hearts III was completed by November 20, 2018.
Images courtesy of Square Enix