Midori has shared a batch of new rumors about several games, across different publishers and platforms. We’ll make sure to cover everything so that you’re caught up for the week.
First things first, if you hadn’t heard, Midori claims that the Kingdom Hearts franchise, including Kingdom Hearts 4, are all coming “to next Nintendo hardware.” This would be in line with what Square Enix has said about their multiplatform strategy, but it’s still a big deal for Nintendo fans.
For one, it’s absolutely certain that Nintendo fans did not get the cloud versions of the Kingdom Hearts remakes on the Switch. When Square Enix makes proper ports for the next Nintendo console, and perhaps even arranges for a physical release, Nintendo fans are sure to make it a sales success.
On Kingdom Hearts 4, the rumor is definitely an indication that the industry knows that that next console will be more than capable of running new games. It’s also wild that we are more certain of this becoming the first Switch 2 game over any of the rumored first party Nintendo games for it.
On the Dragon Quest end, Square Enix has been working too. The Dragon Quest III HD-2D remake that Square Enix announced all the way back in 2021 is still in development. This remake won’t look like the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, as Square Enix promised it will be in the style of Octopath Traveler. Midori claims that Square Enix will actually have a new announcement this year, hopefully, about its upcoming release.
And there’s more. Midori says Square Enix is actually working on several Dragon Quest titles. One of those games has a codename that references the late Akira Toriyama, as well as Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies. Midori believes this is actually the upcoming Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate, so it may be a tribute to Toriyama, and part of the Dragon Quest IX timeline.
Midori also refers to a “Nova project at BU2D3.” We aren’t sure which division BUJD3, but it looks like it refers to one of the Business Units, before they were reorganized into Creative Studios. Nova is likely a reference to Fabula Nova Crystallis, which are the Final Fantasy XIII games, Final Fantasy XV, and Final Fantasy Type-0. So, maybe Square Enix is planning to bring some or all of those games back too? It has been at least two console generations since they came out.
Finally, Midori drops information on Sega’s revivals of Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi. She confirmed that both will get new stories, likely a necessary change to appeal to younger audiences. In fact, Midori says that “there are multiple worlds based on different cultures. And one is cyberpunk inspired.”
There is so much going on in Japanese video games in the near future that it’s hard not to get excited. We all can’t wait to see Square Enix and Sega show us these projects in the near future.
