'Kingdom Hearts 3' release date, character updates: Launch delayed?

Square Enix website

When the trailer for the third installment of "Kingdom Hearts" was unveiled at an E3 convention, fans eagerly waited for the game. That was back in 2013, and two years after, "Kingdom Hearts 3" is still nowhere in sight and fans keep on asking when the game will be released. 

Speculations arose when a tweet by Bill Farmer, the voice of Goofy in the series, was screengrabbed by Neogaf. In his tweet, he confirmed that the dubbing for the next game was already done, and he was told that the game would be released this year. 

However, in a report by Venture Capital Post, it was surmised that there would be no release for the third installment this year, owing to different game development problems.

First, two voice actors directly involved in the game passed away this year. The passing of Leonard Nimoy and Chikao Otsuka, both voice actors for Master Xenahort, might lead to either finding someone to replace Xenahort's voice dubs for the saga, or tweaking the storyline entirely. 

Also, director Tetsuya Nomura announced that Square Enix, the company behind the "Kingdom Hearts" franchise, will be using Unreal Engine 4 to achieve enhanced visuals. The game's development though is still full of job openings for the technical side of the title. It was also reported that the development itself is still in its infant stages, and it would be uncertain if the game would make it this year. 

Lastly, Square Enix might be too focused on easing the pressure in releasing "Final Fantasy XV." Most of the reports indicate that "FFXV" is already on its finishing stages, and it is speculated that only when the game is finally done can the developers shift their focus to "Kingdom Hearts 3."  

However long the title's release may be, an interesting rumor has it that the game will feature online multiplayer gameplay. Also, the character roster will get a boost with Star Wars and Marvel characters, as Disney owns the rights for the two franchises.