Kingdom Hearts 3 leaks filled the internet at the end of 2017, and recent developments have forced fans to reconsider rumors originally believed to be fake. A 4chan post by IndustryInsiderBro from December contained seemingly incredible stuff, but some of it might actually be true.
This old rumor gained traction when Enzo-Unversed of the Kingdom Hearts subreddit reposted an image of the thread. Amongst its dozen claims were mentions of a Shibuya world, suggesting KH3's ties to another Square Enix property, The World Ends With You. In the spirit of the internet, however, the source was immediately labeled a fake. The account simply replied “you will see directly what I mean in January.”
The odd placement of the word “direct” is worth noting here. This is especially true considering The World Ends With You: Final Remix was recently revealed for Nintendo Switch during the company’s mini-Direct presentation last week. The suspicious verbiage implies the leaker may have been teasing that exact announcement. If that’s the case, it might prove the poster has insider knowledge of what’s happening at Square Enix. Either that or this is a very weird coincidence.
Since it may be awhile before we know the truth, fans have taken this moment of doubt to reexamine the post’s additional claims. Here’s a brief summary of what was said. Potential SPOILERS follow this break!
- Kingdom Hearts 3 release date is planned for reveal at D23 Japan in February and it will be sometime in Q3 2018.
- Worlds include Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Frozen, Big Hero 6 and Shibuya.
- The D23 trailer will feature a flashback to Eraqus, Xehanort and Yen Sid. The game begins with players taking control of Eraqus, and Xehanort continues to be tempted by darkness. Back in the present, Sid tells Sora and pals to go to the Monsters Inc. world. Mike and Sulley are in trouble, and Sora is there to help. We see the Unversed enemies shown in previous leaks and a new wind-focused Attraction Flow based on a Monsters Inc. car.
- The trailer also features Riku, Kairi, Roxas and Ventus.
- Frozen reveal is planned for E3 2018.
- Final Fantasy cameos include: Terra, Setzer, Cloud, Cid, Yuffie, Aeris, Sephiroth, Tifa, Squall, Selphie, Rinoa, Zidane, Vivi, Garnet, Tidus, YRP, Wakka, Auron, Lightning, Serah, Noctis, Ignis, Gladio and Prompto.
- Development of Kingdom Hearts 3 has taken so long because Unreal Engine 4 has been difficult for the team to learn.
There’s no denying that many of these claims read like the pie-in-the-sky dreams of a diehard Final Fantasy fan, but that World Ends With You “directly in January” comment mades us take a second look at some of the ideas. This post first appeared around the time the Monsters Inc. and world list leaks were made public, so it’s possible this author was trying to cash in on that previous hype with a few spurious claims. However, it’s also possible this list comes from the same seemingly qualified sources referenced in the past.
The good news is we won't have to wait too long to determine the accuracy of the rumors. The source was very descriptive about Kingdom Hearts 3’s next trailer, and predicts we’ll see it sometime between Feb. 10 and Feb. 12. If the above summary is correct, this initially ignored leak could turn into something very special. There’s no denying 4chan’s reputation as a site for garbage speculation, but every once and a while a speck of gold is found amongst the debris. Maybe this is one of those rare times.
Kingdom Hearts 3 is planned for a 2018 release on PS4 and Xbox One.
What do you think of this leak? Might there be something to thoughts of a Shibuya world and a Q3 release? Tell us in the comments section!
