'Kingdom Hearts 3' Release Date, News & Update: Sequel To Have An Episodic Release; 'KH3' Marks The End Of The Hit Franchise?

Rumors mills have been churning speculations centering on the story treatment of "Kingdom Hearts 3" as game director Tetsuya Nomura hinted that the sequel will feature an episodic release for the game.

Nomura told Famitsu (via Gamepur) that the studio came up with the concept of an episodic style release citing the comprehensive scope of "Kingdom Hearts 3's" story that he is overwhelmed about.

He also opened up about his fear of having an episodic release as it might wreak havoc on the momentum of "Kingdom Hearts 3's" storyline. In addition, Nomura teased an online multiplayer feature as he has been hinting from past interviews; nevertheless, this is yet to be confirmed.

In other news, "Kingdom Hearts 3" could also be the last in the series of the hit action role-playing games as it symbolizes the end of Sora's quest into saving the world from the Xehanort and his new Organization XIII, and restrict them from spreading darkness into the light, GameNGuide reported.

A slew of other reports, however, revealed that Square Enix is likely to continue making more "Kingdom Hearts" games as co-director Tai Yasue hinted a "Kingdom Hearts" collection in the worlds for PlayStation 4 coming soon.

Yasue noted that "Kingdom Hearts 3" will not boast any "Final Fantasy" worlds and will introduce more Disney worlds in the near future. He added that having Disney worlds in the sequel can make it easier for players to relate and Square Enix will roll out an array of features for each world.

Three worlds based on Disney films such as "Tangled," "Big Hero 6" and "Hercules" are already confirmed, while other Disney films including "Zootopia," "The Jungle Book," "Toy Story," "Wreck-it Ralph," "Frozen" among several others are still being considered.

"Kingdom Hearts 3" is likely to feature Marvel and Star Wars worlds as several sources believe that the cancellation of "Disney Infinity" could pave the way for Square Enix to get the licensed rights of both franchises as they are owned by Disney.

The studio is reportedly testing out a slew of new features in the combat system of "Kingdom Hearts 3." Although Yasue confirmed that the magical point system worked out really well, he was not confident about reusing similar aspects in the near future.

Square Enix wants to have a totally different meaning into using magic spells, for instance; when casting Blizzard, it spawns a place where the player can ice skate from the ground. The studio planned to make the magic to interplay with the surrounding in "Kingdom Hearts 3."

The team behind the fan-favorite title is completely focused 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 the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles.

"Kingdom Hearts 3," on the other hand is rumored to be released next year for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles.