'Kingdom Hearts 3' release date news update: Game sequel to be released late 2017? Kairi will become playable character

Miguel Salonga Saturday, August 27, 2016

Many fans tuned in to this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) to wait for the details regarding Square Enix's upcoming game project, "Kingdom Hearts 3." The latest installment in the successful video game franchise is rumored to be released in the coming months, although there is no confirmation from its game studio yet.

Much to the disappointment of the fans, the E3 event did not have important information released for "Kingdom Hearts 3." In spite of that, the rumors are still rife that the game will arrive, particularly in the final months of 2017.

Promotional image for the upcoming Square Enix game "Kingdom Hearts 3" | Facebook/Kingdom Hearts

It has been reported that "Kingdom Hearts 3" might be released in the last part of 2017. The online publication brought up the conversation of fans at the Reddit forums to discuss the possible release date of the game.

Many fans believe that Square Enix will be able to finish the game and release it during the last quarter of next year. However, there is also a chance that the game will be released at a much later date, possibly early 2018.

For now, "Kingdom Hearts" game director and creator Tetsuya Nomura said that it is important for the fans to have the prelude game for the much-awaited sequel. The said video game is called "Kingdom Hearts 2.8: Prologue Chapter," which will be released in December 2016.

Nomura said that the "Kingdom Hearts" game title that will be released this year is vital to the main story of "Kingdom Hearts 3." "Kingdom Hearts 2.8" is expected to give the fans an idea about the new world that will be introduced in the actual game sequel.

On the other hand, Mobile and Apps reported that a character already featured in the previous "Kingdom Hearts" installments will appear once again in "Kingdom Hearts 3." Moreover, the character will finally become playable. This character is no other than Princess Kairi, which made her debut in the game franchise in "Kingdom Hearts 2." She was only seen in a few scenes in the game, but the players were not able to use the character in missions.