Kingdom Hearts is one of those crossovers that no one ever expected to work. Final Fantasy meets Disney was a 1-in-a-million shot in the dark - luckily for gamers, the formula was a huge success. Kingdom Hearts was one of the most refreshing RPGs in years when it was first released. While it's still a long ways off, Kingdom Hearts III already has people on the edge of their seats.
However, one burning question remains: now that Disney owns both the Marvel and Star Wars universes, is there a chance that Sora and crew could cross paths with the likes of Iron Man or Luke Skywalker? According to the game's co-director, it's definitely a possibility.
Speaking with Kotaku UK, Tai Yasue made it clear that Disney's latest acquisitions were anything but a limitation.
"Yeah, I can't go into specifics, but there's a LOT of new Disney stuff and we have our plates full...There's a lot to consider - we're looking at all of Disney, the new ones as well, they have a lot of pull and draw."
For those that haven't played the games, Kingdom Hearts' worlds are all based off of famous Disney licenses, such as Aladdin or The Lion King. These franchises all serve as an individual level, and are all relatively contained (unless the story calls for it), meaning that films with vastly different visual styles still feel consistent.
"We have to come up with a world that has a lot of originality. We want variety in our new Kingdom Hearts, so we don't want too many of one sort of world, that would look the same. For each world there has to be some meaning for it, in the plot; in Birth By Sleep, for instance, in the Cinderella scene, the characters learn something specific by relating to Cinderella. Also, gameplay-wise, is that world something that would make gameplay fun? There's a lot I can't say, but there's so much to consider."
So, does this mean that Star Wars and the Marvel Universe are headed to Kingdom Hearts III? It may sound strange, but Kingdom Hearts II featured a stage based on a live-action film (Pirates of the Caribbean), and Disney Infinity already proved that Marvel's heroes can mix with Disney's. Unfortunately, Yasue wasn't about to confirm or deny anything:
"Well, yeah. They're all under consideration...Nothing's off-limits, we're considering all of the worlds. There are so many wonderful concepts. We're happy about that, but at the same time it's really tough to choose."
If Sora ends up wielding a Keyblade-lightsaber, Kingdom Hearts III is going to be the best game ever.
