Fans of Kingdom Hearts have been eagerly anticipating the release of the latest entry in the series, Kingdom Hearts III, pretty much since Kingdom Hearts II was released for the PlayStation 2 all the way back in 2005.
While Square Enix has debuted a few Kingdom Hearts titles since, including some recent compilations, none of them have been the true sequel that fans had been hoping for; that is until Kingdom Hearts III was finally revealed during the Sony conference in 2013.
After a long 5 and a half years, Kingdom Hearts III will finally be releasing on the 29th of January, and recently co-director Tai Yasue explained why the game was in development for so long, while also apologising to fans for the inconvenience that these delays may have caused.
"Our current engine is great in terms of developing a high end AAA title, but because there was a change in technology and work flows, it took some time for the team to adapt and adjust", said Yasue as he explained the reason behind the delays, which are more than understandable since the last Kingdom Hearts to be released on a home console came out in 2005; with later titles being released for portable devices like the Sony PSP and Nintendo 3DS.
Yasue then went on to apologise for the game taking this long to be developed, as he says that the team was really committed to creating a game that could meet fan expectations.
"I'm truly sorry to have kept everyone waiting for so long! It took a while, but we really wanted to make sure the game met everyone's expectations. I hope, more than I've hoped for anything else in my 20 years of making games, that you all enjoy it".
After everything we've seen about Kingdom Hearts III so far, there is little doubt that the game will meet fan expectations like Yasue is hoping. The game will be releasing in a matter of weeks and all fans have to do now is wait a little bit longer!
KINGDOM HEARTS III tells the story of the power of friendship as Sora and his friends embark on a perilous adventure. Set in a vast array of Disney and Pixar worlds, KINGDOM HEARTS follows the journey of Sora, a young boy and unknowing heir to a spectacular power.
Kingdom Hearts III will be available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on the 29th of January in 2019.