Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Kingdom Hearts 3 Development Status Outlined by Director

Development continues on two of Square Enix's most highly anticipated games, Kingdom Hearts III and the Final Fantasy VII remake. One or both may be shown off in some capacity this year, but the two "still have a way to go" before they're released, according to director Tetsuya Nomura.

He discussed the state of both games in a recent interview with Famitsu (translated by Gematsu) in which he indicated we'll still be waiting a while for them.

On the subject of Kingdom Hearts III, he said, "While I can't make a sweeping statement because the development process is different from what we've done so far, there are still worlds untouched. Production is progressing on unannounced worlds, in a state that we cannot show them off. In terms of the state of development, there is still some way to go.”

As for Final Fantasy VII Remake, he said, "We're steadily progressing on production. While we are making them, I apologize that the wait will be be a bit longer for Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy VII Remake. I am very sorry, but to that degree I will make a game that will meet your expectations."

He did offer some glimmer of hope for those who simply want to see something new from the games, saying, "Last year, I didn't put out much information on either title, but this year I want to show our progress at an event somewhere. The release of the titles themselves have still have a way to go. But there are many titles releasing this year, if you can wait for any 'surprises.'”

As Nomura said, there hasn't been much information to be had about either game as of late. That makes sense, given there have been more immediate games from both series--November's Final Fantasy XV and the upcoming Kingdom Hearts 2.8 and Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix--for Square Enix to focus on. There's also the matter of Remake's sheer scale; it's episodic, but Square Enix has described it as multiple full games, not small episodes. Producer Yoshinori Kitase also previously said 2016 would be a "year of preparations" for the project, which further explains why we've seen so little of it.

The two games, which are scheduled for release on PS4 and Xbox One, do not yet have release dates.