'Kingdom Hearts 3' release date still unknown; game won't feature 'Final Fantasy' characters, worlds

While Square Enix has yet to announce the official release date for its long-awaited action role-playing game "Kingdom Hearts 3," some major details about the upcoming game were revealed during this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).

In an interview with GameSpot, "Kingdom Hearts" co-director Tai Yasue said that the highly anticipated installment in the long-running video game franchise won't be featuring any worlds from the "Final Fantasy" series, as it previously has.

"A lot of the original [to 'Kingdom Hearts'] worlds [Hollow Bastion, Traverse Town, etc.] had 'Final Fantasy' characters in them," he said. "At this moment, we are not really coming up with any plans for that, we're making original worlds and Disney worlds."

The "Kingdom Hearts" games feature Sora, the protagonist, and his friends as they visit worlds from popular Disney movies, game franchises, and other Disney properties. Characters from the "Final Fantasy" series have appeared in many of the games. Moogles, small creatures from "Final Fantasy," are a common sight in the "Kingdom Hearts" titles. To date, 21 characters from "Final Fantasy" have shown up in "Kingdom Hearts."

Nevertheless, Square Enix will not be introducing "Final Fantasy" elements in "Kingdom Hearts 3," supposedly because they don't fit the gameplay the developers have in mind for the upcoming game.

"The best thing would be to have Disney worlds every recognize and are famous, but that are also distinct and unique," Yasue explained. "We want the difference and variety, we don't want a lot of the same thing."

Meanwhile, E3 2016 also saw the unveiling of "Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue," which acts as a preview of sorts for the upcoming "Kingdom Hearts 3."

"I think for 'Kingdom Hearts 3' we want the player to leap into an action-packed game right away," Yasue told IGN.

"Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8" is intended to set the stage for "Kingdom Hearts 3," with characters and storylines from the latter appearing in the former.