Kingdom Hearts 3: Tetsuya Nomura Talks Relationship with Square Enix, Future of Franchise

Tetsuya Nomura and his team over at Square Enix are working hard on Kingdom Hearts 3, the next iteration into the ultra-popular franchise. The title is expected to see a 2014 release, though an exact date is unknown. Nomura sat talked to Hero Complex about the franchise, its future and his relationship with employer Square Enix.

Nomura was first asked about how he knew it was time to make Kingdom Hearts 3. In short, he says that it was just an amalgamation of things, but none more so than his dedication.

“First and most important, is the determination in my mind," said Nomura. "That will launch the project. It’s difficult to explain what kind of determination I am talking about. As you can imagine, expectations by the fans for franchise with sequels go up each time."

“Fan expectation for ‘Kingdom Hearts 3′ is extremely high,” he continued. “To respond to those expectations, I have to provide something really good. Technology is really important, as is the [Disney] world.”

Nomura was then asked about how the series will tie up all the loose ends created by games released over the past 10 years. He notes that Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix will be a key factor in preparing players for the third entry.

“As a core game, this is finally the third, and 10 years have passed. I couldn’t call this a trilogy. There have been so many spinoffs. In ‘Kingdom Hearts 3,’ the battles that the characters have been fighting for the past 10 years will come to a conclusion. That is the plan. But the series will continue. Only the particular enemy they have been fighting the past 10 years will come to an end.”

In closing, Nomura talked about his relationship with Square Enix and how their decisions affect him.

“Square Enix changes its philosophies pretty often,” Nomura said. “That’s something I can’t do anything with. I’m just one of the employees, so if the company decides to change, I have to follow. I’m a so-called ‘salary man.’ Of course, the creative policy I have stays the same. “