When are we expecting news?

[Luminary]

The Osaka team started out making side games and ended up being the main team.

So they should have h.a.n.d. do the side games. They are the developers of Days and Re:Coded, who ended up making NEO: TWEWY, which was also developed in UE4.

Yeah I have thought the same about h.a.n.d. Loved NEO: TWEWY and I think they have a lot potential if they return to KH. (Of course, I’d love another TWEWY game, but I don’t think it will happen based on the sales.) It’s not impossible that they are already working on one. They don’t have any announced projects that I’m aware of. I wouldn’t be mad if they were creating the UX remake.

The new SE President is wanting to bring development back in house though, so another internal team is a possibility. Or maybe they end up buying h.a.n.d. to make them an internal team.

EDIT: Oh also, while people don’t think SaGa Emerald Beyond would impact KH marketing since it’s niche, it’s worth noting it is developed by CBU1 like KH and Rebirth. (It actually even has the same battle director as KH3.) Once it releases, KH4 and Missing Link will be the only announced games CBU1 has left on the horizon.

Again it’s less that they couldn’t market KH at the same time as these games. But rather once those games are finished, they won’t have anything but KH left on the horizon to focus on.

 

[MATGSY]

The Osaka team started out making side games and ended up being the main team.

So they should have h.a.n.d. do the side games. They are the developers of Days and Re:Coded, who ended up making NEO: TWEWY, which was also developed in UE4.

NEO was in Unity engine. As was MoM for that matter. I'm fine with Unity for side games, they don't have to be KH3 level visuals imo. Like a Days remake that just looks like Theater Mode is about what I would expect anyway.

 

[Liodin]

NEO was in Unity engine.

You are right, and I knew that. But since it came out on PC exclusive for a while for the EGS, I mixed it up.

I'm fine with Unity for side games, they don't have to be KH3 level visuals imo.

Depending on the ambition of the game I wouldn't mind either. But Missing Link has already set the precedent that even a mobile game can look close to KH3. So I guess they would most likely take advantage of everything developed for KH3.

 

[Chie]

I mean, Missing Link might have set the precedent that it can't look like that, considering.

 

[Luminary]

It’s possible they’re working on the UX remake and the reason we haven’t heard anything yet is because they are having to learn Unreal to use the KH3 assets. That leak was in 2021 after NEO released iirc. They haven’t worked on any released or announced titles since, so the timing would line up.

Also, Inside Out 2 will feature a “Final Fantasy-esque” video game character animated in a PS2 artstyle. Before anyone gets carried away though, his name is Lance. But I’m interested to see what the character looks like and if it nods to KH at all.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1778554566931538300

 

[KeybladeLordSora]

It’s possible they’re working on the UX remake and the reason we haven’t heard anything yet is because they are having to learn Unreal to use the KH3 assets. That leak was in 2021 after NEO released iirc. They haven’t worked on any released or announced titles since, so the timing would line up.

Also, Inside Out 2 will feature a “Final Fantasy-esque” video game character animated in a PS2 artstyle. Before anyone gets carried away though, his name is Lance. But I’m interested to see what the character looks like and if it nods to KH at all.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1778554566931538300

Another tweet says the character is 16-bit so...

Also I wouldn't trust the NVIDIA leak completely. It has Injustice 3 on there with a fan name and it's clear Netherrealm has been more focused on Mortal Kombat the entire time.

 

[Luminary]

Another tweet says the character is 16-bit so...

Also I wouldn't trust the NVIDIA leak completely. It has Injustice 3 on there with a fan name and it's clear Netherrealm has been more focused on Mortal Kombat the entire time.

That’s the only person I’ve seen saying 16-bit. I’m wondering they’re mixed up. Other outlets have described Riley as having a crush on this character when she was younger, which seems a little weird if it’s a 16-bit sprite. I think the bigger outlets would have made that clear if it was the case, but we’ll see.

Of course not everything from the leak is going to see the light of day. This is just a possible explanation for what h.a.n.d. could be working on.

 

[celebi]

Kitase confirmed in the Rebirth Ultimania that development only took about three years since about a year was spent on Intermission. They want to stick to that schedule for Part 3, so we’ll likely see it in 2027 if everything goes according to plan. That’s the 30th anniversary of FFVII too.

So maybe we get KH4 early next year, DQXII early 2026 at the latest, and VIIR Part 3 early 2027. If they can develop a game like Rebirth in 3 years, I don’t think KH4 should be taking more than 4-5 even factoring in its engine change.

It also makes me hopeful that once KH4 releases, we could see a similar dev time for KH5 and onward if they keep the same team and engine for a while. Then if they just create one more team to develop side games that release about halfway through those 3 year gaps, we could get a new game every 1-2 years again.

Damn 2026 sounds hellish.

 

[Luminary]

Damn 2026 sounds hellish.

For DQXII? It’s possible it could actually be their big summer release next year. There’s starting to be a pattern of a big release around January/February and another in the summer like Forspoken/FFXVI and Rebirth/Dawntrail. Next year could be KH4/DQXII. They also probably want DQXII to launch on the Switch successor.

But with the recent leadership changes and reported development issues with the game, I’m just being cautious by saying 2026 for that one.

 

[celebi]

For DQXII? It’s possible it could actually be their big summer release next year. There’s starting to be a pattern of a big release around January/Feberuady and another in the summer like Forspoken/FFXVI and Rebirth/Dawntrail. Next year could be KH4/DQXII. They also probably want DQXII to launch on the Switch successor.

But with the recent leadership changes and reported development issues with the game, I’m just being cautious by saying 2026 for that one.

My bad fam, I read KH IV in 26, I do not care about this Dragon Quest stuff, so yeah mb mate.

 

[Luminary]

Glad to see someone at Square Enix remembers KH4 exists. Lol. Sunil is their Social Media Director for those who don’t know. If you can’t see the tweet, he says he hasn’t stopped thinking about Quadratum along with pictures of it and KH4 Sora.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1779496797796290942

 

[KeybladeLordSora]

If he had any sort of information I WOULD BEG

I AM A NEEDY FUMO

 

[Luminary]

If he had any sort of information I WOULD BEG

I AM A NEEDY FUMO

People over on Twitter definitely are begging. Lol. Per his replies, he knows nothing and was simply tweeting as a fan. Obviously that’s what he would say regardless, but wouldn’t read into it too much.

 

[HakaishinChampa]

We can only hope this is a hint we'll get news within the next few months

 

[Luminary]

SaGa is out now in Japan, which means Dawntrail is the only SE game left with a release date. (If you consider an expansion a new release.)

Visions of Mana, Missing Link, and Octopath II Xbox port have release windows. KH4, DQXII, and DQIII are announced, but no release window.

I think VoM will get a release date in the next few weeks. Maybe at the rumored PS showcase. Then Missing Link will hopefully get one at SGF. Octopath will be at the June Xbox showcase most likely since it is only relevant to that platform.

I think DQIII is likely to release in the the fall, so I could see that popping up at any one of the events or they could do their own thing for DQ Day on 5/27. Maybe show both DQIII and XII that day and then focus on KH at SGF with ML and KH4?

 

[Phoenix]

It's 24/4/24 in the US. 2+2? 4. So there are... 4 4's in that date.

We're getting an announcement today, guaranteed.

 

[Chie]

The next clue is at the White House!

 

[Luminary]

HMK provided a screenshot of DanielRPK’s Patreon post claiming KH4 is next year. Not going to link it since it’s probably just a guess on Daniel’s part, but you can look up the HMK video if you want to see it.

 

[Launchpad]

HMK provided a screenshot of DanielRPK’s Patreon post claiming KH4 is next year. Not going to link it since it’s probably just a guess on Daniel’s part, but you can look up the HMK video if you want to see it.

I can think of few things worse than watching an HMK video, I'm afraid. HMK could make a video about the exact whereabouts of my long lost son and I still wouldn't watch it.

2025 is such an easy guess right now. If it comes to pass, it's not like it's evidence of some big scoop

 

[Luminary]

I can think of few things worse than watching an HMK video, I'm afraid. HMK could make a video about the exact whereabouts of my long lost son and I still wouldn't watch it.

2025 is such an easy guess right now. If it comes to pass, it's not like it's evidence of some big scoop

Yeah that was the unspoken reason I didn’t link, but you said the quiet part out loud. He was just the only person I’ve seen actually show any proof RPK made the statement.

And yeah, I said the same in the thread about the series. It’s most likely just a guess he can make some quick money off of and pretend he has credibility if it comes to pass. We haven’t seen anyone corroborate it yet, which makes me think that’s probably what is happening.