'Kingdom Hearts 3' Release Date Set For April 2017; Marvel, Star Wars Franchise To Be Introduced After 'Disney Infinity' Cancellation?

Several rumors are doing rounds centering on the inclusion of Marvel and Star Wars worlds in "Kingdom Hearts 3" following the cancellation of "Disney Infinity" video game a couple of months ago.

"Disney Infinity" features an array of characters from Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar and Disney, as several sources contemplated that the cancellation of the game could be an opportunity for Square Enix to get the licensed rights of both franchises as the two are owned by Disney, GameNGuide reported.

Square Enix hinted that two new worlds will be added in the highly-anticipated action role-playing game and it will most likely be from Marvel or Star Wars. Several years back, game co-director Tai Yasue teased that introducing characters from Star Wars and Marvel is quite possible; however the studio must follow a slew of procedures to gain the licensed rights.

Yasue clarified that Square Enix is only concentrating on the development and promotion of "Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue," which is slated to hit the store shelves in December for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles. He admitted that it was quite a difficult decision for the studio to not trot out any new details regarding "Kingdom Hearts 3" during the E3 2016 event, but added that they are working on both the titles this year.

In other news, it looks like a possible release date for "Kingdom Hearts 3" has been finally revealed as game director Tetsuya Nomura divulged in an interview that the much-awaited sequel will hit the store shelves in Japan prior to any other regions.

Nomura pointed out that the span will be brief and almost simultaneous and the global launch of the awaited sequel to "Kingdom Hearts II" will be announced soon.

Avid "Kingdom Hearts" fans speculate the game will likely launch on April 2017 following the cut-off of the fiscal year, however Sqaure Enix has remained tight-lipped regarding the matter, ChristianToday reported.

It was earlier reported that Square Enix is testing out recently added features in the combat system of "Kingdom Hearts 3."

Yasue affirmed that the magical points system worked quite well, but was reluctant to discuss similar facets moving forth.

Using magic spells, the studio intends to have different meanings into it; e.g. when casting Blizzard, it spawns a place where the player can ice skate from the ground. Basically, Square Enix wants the magic to interplay with the surroundings in "Kingdom Hearts 3."

"Kingdom Hearts 3" is rumored to launch next year for the PS4 and Xbox One consoles.