If there’s one thing Square Enix fans know, it’s that veteran Tetsuya Nomura doesn’t work quickly. Work on Kingdom Hearts II began in 2005 before it was finally released in 2019, and Final Fantasy XV began in 2006 and premiered in 2016, and those are just two examples where the work took ages (sometimes so long that the projects had to be handed over to others).
So does that mean we should prepare ourselves to have the patience of an angel for his upcoming titles Kingdom Hearts IV and Final Fantasy VII: Remake – Part 3? No, not necessarily. During a stream called Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis 2nd Anniversary, which aired over the weekend, Nomura took the opportunity to give some news about his ongoing projects.
Regarding the remake, he said:
“…things are progressing really smoothly. I can’t really say more – if I suddenly went, ‘Well, actually…,’ everyone would be really surprised! So yeah, things are moving along really smoothly, and the release timing has already been decided. We’re moving forward according to that schedule right now, so please rest assured and be patient.”
He also had positive news about next Kingdom Hearts, concluding:
“Kingdom Hearts IV is likewise steadily moving forward according to schedule, so please look forward to it.”
We probably shouldn’t expect a release anytime soon, but it certainly sounds promising, and hopefully we’ll be able to enjoy both within a few years.