'Kingdom Hearts 3' release date, news, rumors: 'KH3' to adapt an episodic release? 'Big Hero 6,' 'Frozen,' 'Wreck-it Ralph' to be featured in game

Even if there is no official announcement from Square Enix, many fans are already anticipating the release of "Kingdom Hearts 3" in the near future. The Japanese game developer company talked about their plans to create the next installment of the "Kingdom Hearts" franchise, although nothing has been set in stone yet, particularly the game's release date. Nevertheless, people are predicting "Kingdom Hearts 3" to arrive sometime next year.

One of the most interesting parts of the "Kingdom Hearts" series is the familiar worlds introduced in each title. For the most part, the game series was known to include popular worlds and characters from Square Enix's other huge franchise, "Final Fantasy." However, in "Kingdom Hearts 3," there are rumors that the game will expand even more to include contents from well-known Disney titles. According to Game N Guide, Square Enix may include the worlds from "Frozen," "Big Hero 6" and "Wreck-it Ralph" in "Kingdom Hearts 3," although the process of acquiring the rights to feature these contents from Disney should be done first.

Aside from Disney's animated fantasy films, it is also possible that "Kingdom Hearts 3" will feature locations and characters from other Disney-owned film franchise, "Star Wars" and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, Square Enix and Disney have not yet confirmed or denied these rumors.

Meanwhile, it was earlier rumored that the upcoming "Kingdom Hearts" title will be huge that it may adopt an episodic style of release, just like the other "Final Fantasy" video games. However, Gamepur reported "Kingdom Hearts" creator and director Tetsuya Nomura saying that they are still not sure about this plan, as it may diminish the momentum of the game's storyline.

For now, the fans are advised to get "Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue," which will be released by Square Enix on January 12, 2017. "Kingdom Hearts 3" co-director Tai Yasue explained that the prologue chapter aims to lay the groundwork for "Kingdom Hearts 3," explaining the events that would eventually lead to the plotline of the next sequel.