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News ► KINGDOM HEARTS III remains the best-selling game of 2019 YTD for the fourth consecutive month



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Oracle Spockanort

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I just can't see a Switch exclusive happening. Any game that can run on Switch can just as well be multiplatform on NS/PS4/XB1 so why not just do that? Even if there was a game that's Switch exclusive, everybody would be counting the days until it inevitably gets ported to Playstation like the handheld games before it.

I didn’t say it’d be exclusive.
 

NoWay

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I just love this. Hopefully this will mean that we will get more KH games and faster. (Of course only if the game does not suffer for that)
Actually, I think that now it’s easier for SE to release a new KH game because they have the new assets from KH3 and don’t need to rebuild everything from the scratch. Also, KH3 looks stunning in UE4. I really hope they use this engine the whole next console generation.

And because of the structure of the PS5, it doesn’t seem that far fetched for SE to use KH3’s assets for new games as the PS5 supports PS4 games and Sony keeps supporting the PS4 the next three years. Cross releases seem very likely. :)
 

FudgemintGuardian

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KH3 be like
tenor.gif
 
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Ehhh, I really doubt it. KH3 was very unique because of the monumental amount of hype that was created over the last decade, and it’s hard to recreate that kind of hype in an organic manner. KH3 ended on a cliffhanger (one that has upset casual and long-time fans) and while I’m sure because of that people will be eager to find out what happens, it isn’t an eagerness born of hype but of necessity to see the story through. I’m confident in thinking 7m was the ceiling for the series unless it is called the “final game” or something.

Anything following would require a massive shift in SE and Disney’s marketing strategy to make it reach that level again.

While I do agree that the next Kingdom Hearts game probably won’t sell as well as Kingdom Hearts III, I do think there is a possibility it could come close. The reason I say that is because I do believe the amount of people who express their opinions online for Kingdom Hearts doesn’t necessarily represent the majority of people who bought and played the game. Sure, there are some people complaining online, and some people complaining offline too, but that doesn’t mean the majority of people hated the ending so much that they won’t support any future Kingdom Hearts games. I do think the numbers of units sold will drop again, which is very normal for a franchise and doesn’t mean it’s the end of the franchise either, but I do think the next Kingdom Hearts game, whether that be Kingdom Hearts IV or a non-numbered title, can still sell very well and be very successful.
 

Twilight Lumiair

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While I do agree that the next Kingdom Hearts game probably won’t sell as well as Kingdom Hearts III, I do think there is a possibility it could come close. The reason I say that is because I do believe the amount of people who express their opinions online for Kingdom Hearts doesn’t necessarily represent the majority of people who bought and played the game. Sure, there are some people complaining online, and some people complaining offline too, but that doesn’t mean the majority of people hated the ending so much that they won’t support any future Kingdom Hearts games. I do think the numbers of units sold will drop again, which is very normal for a franchise and doesn’t mean it’s the end of the franchise either, but I do think the next Kingdom Hearts game, whether that be Kingdom Hearts IV or a non-numbered title, can still sell very well and be very successful.
I think what she meant is that it stifled many fans' long-running passion for the series, and so they comparatively ended up with less investment in the series future than they had before KH3. As for why, some felt the ending lacked the finality and a strong enough conclusion to justify the several years of waiting they had to do for it (and thus would naturally be hesitant about placing that much investment in the future of the series all over again), and others just vocally don't like the route the story's headed based on the overly abundant amount of set up in KH3 (despite Nomura's claims about things being a "blank state", which they're objectively not). In any case, this is only one reason to think the next KH game won't perform as well. In general, for me, it's just hard to picture the team managing to accumulate as much hype as they did for KH3. I guess by that same token you could say "Well they did it once, they can do it again", but that fundamentally depends on how much faith you place in them. And some have more faith than others.
 

Oracle Spockanort

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While I do agree that the next Kingdom Hearts game probably won’t sell as well as Kingdom Hearts III, I do think there is a possibility it could come close. The reason I say that is because I do believe the amount of people who express their opinions online for Kingdom Hearts doesn’t necessarily represent the majority of people who bought and played the game. Sure, there are some people complaining online, and some people complaining offline too, but that doesn’t mean the majority of people hated the ending so much that they won’t support any future Kingdom Hearts games. I do think the numbers of units sold will drop again, which is very normal for a franchise and doesn’t mean it’s the end of the franchise either, but I do think the next Kingdom Hearts game, whether that be Kingdom Hearts IV or a non-numbered title, can still sell very well and be very successful.

I’m not saying it will underperform at all or that it will be the end of the franchise. I haven’t implied that at all, only that it won’t reach KH3’s numbers because it was such a unique situation that is near impossible to replicate without either a huge shift in direction for KH that is appealing to the mass audience, a shift in marketing that is known to be effective and appealing to audiences, or a new approach to expanding the series through other forms of media like TV and film. You just can’t replicate 13 years of hype and anticipation and 8 games of storytelling.

I didn’t even say that a majority disliked the ending, only that it is something that has affected both casual and core fan investment in the series. I think it is safer to say that the game is divisive and for as many people who liked it, there are likely as many people who hated it. The sales in the next numbered will reflect this.
 

Sign

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Man, you are annoying. That’s not even a fair comparison. Do you even post good content anymore?

Seems perfectly fair to me? 'Another Side, Another Story' and 'The Gathering' didn't have a hint of Disney either. 'Yozora' keeping in line with that trend in no way confirms that the next title won't include it.

Maybe the ReMIND DLC will add an extended secret ending with the obligatory Mickey cameo.
 
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Ballad of Caius

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Oracle Spockanort's analysis of the mobile gaming panorama is spot-on. I can really see Nomura pulling one last season out of KHUx with a relaunch, for the sake of utilizing the mobile game and a KINGDOM HEARTS III.5 to build-up towards KHIV.

And no, I also do not think that the bridge game between KH3 and KH4 will reach KH3's sales number, but it could come close. Nor do I think KH4 will reach KH3's numbers, but it'll certainly come closer than the bridge game. Like Spockanort mentioned, the level of organic hype this game had was unbelievable. That is certainly that Square nor Disney could hope to achieve, even if the game is promoted as the end to the Foretellers' saga.

With that said, I do think that Square should be aware of KH4 not reaching KH3's numbers, but investors will just have their expectations high, meaning that Square should up their Marketing game with the KH franchise, and keep working on their business plans. Including the Nintendo Switch on the bridge game's release is certainly a good strategy to mitigate the decline in sales from KH3 to KH3.5. Especially how the Switch is present in a lot of households alongside the PS4, and the fact that it's selling like pancakes.
 

Zettaflare

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Seems perfectly fair to me? 'Another Side, Another Story' and 'The Gathering' didn't have a hint of Disney either. 'Yozora' keeping in line with that trend in no way confirms that the next title won't include it.

Maybe the ReMIND DLC will add an extended secret ending with the obligatory Mickey cameo.
Oh shoot that's right. They gotta shoehorn Mickey somehow in the next game as well if he is to appear on the Box art. Only problem is Riku seemed to be by himself in Shinjuku. Guess it could be a quick cameo like 358 2 Days
 
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I’m not saying it will underperform at all or that it will be the end of the franchise. I haven’t implied that at all, only that it won’t reach KH3’s numbers because it was such a unique situation that is near impossible to replicate without either a huge shift in direction for KH that is appealing to the mass audience, a shift in marketing that is known to be effective and appealing to audiences, or a new approach to expanding the series through other forms of media like TV and film. You just can’t replicate 13 years of hype and anticipation and 8 games of storytelling.

I didn’t even say that a majority disliked the ending, only that it is something that has affected both casual and core fan investment in the series. I think it is safer to say that the game is divisive and for as many people who liked it, there are likely as many people who hated it. The sales in the next numbered will reflect this.

I actually didn’t mean to make it sound like that’s what you were saying. I’m sorry that it came across that way. I actually just meant to express why I thought the next Kingdom Hearts game could still be successful, even if it didn’t reach Kingdom Hearts III’s level of success. I’m sorry if it sounded like I was putting words in your mouth. That’s not what I was trying to do. You have very good points too, and I do agree with you that Kingdom Hearts III’s level of hype helped generate its sales.
 

saintfighteraqua

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It is possible the nest one will outsell 3.
3 did have a lot of hype because of the wait. (let's please never do that again...)
But because so many new players came on board with 3, it could mean we'll have a larger install base.

I've worked in a game store since 2 came out, and the launch turnout for 3 surprised me a lot. Some had never even played the game and I've since talked with people who went back and tried 1 & 2 because they liked 3.

If the next one is not 4, then maybe not. Especially if it's a spinoff on just the Switch or something. (I have a Switch and I would prefer it on PS4 or 5.)
 

FudgemintGuardian

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Seems perfectly fair to me? 'Another Side, Another Story' and 'The Gathering' didn't have a hint of Disney either. 'Yozora' keeping in line with that trend in no way confirms that the next title won't include it.

Maybe the ReMIND DLC will add an extended secret ending with the obligatory Mickey cameo.
I save good content for people with good points.
I'm confused here. I'm pretty sure Recon intended what he said as a joke. It's the only way I can read it as.
 
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