Disney has become one of the most powerful entertainment companies in the world, going from 'the house of mouse' into an empire of magical characters, superheroes and jedis. That growth is due largely to Disney’s purchase of powerhouse businesses like Marvel and Lucasfilm, spreading established properties into new markets.
Disney has worked tirelessly to promote these new intellectual properties among fans, with Marvel characters quickly integrated into Disney Infinity, and most recently, Minecraft receiving a Star Wars character skin pack. The next game to get the new Disney treatment may be Kingdom Hearts 3, as Tai Yasue – co-director and game designer on Kingdom Hearts 3 – recently revealed that both Marvel and Star Wars characters are being considered for the upcoming Kingdom Hearts game.
In a recent interview with Kotaku, Yasue explained that while a confirmation of new Star Wars or Avengers characters isn't going to be given, the possibilities are present:
“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.”
The addition of Marvel and Star Wars characters would be a good move for both Disney and Square Enix: the previous Kingdom Hearts games were widely praised by critics and gamers alike, and included several beloved characters Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy. Many Kingdom Hearts fans have been excited for a new game in the series to carry the story and franchise forward, and would hopefully include some additional unique characters.
Details have been pretty limited for Kingdom Hearts 3, but one thing looks to be set: the game will make it to both PS4 and Xbox One. That's good news for Xbox owners, as previous games in the series skipped the Microsoft console for PlayStation and Nintendo platforms.There may also be hope for Xbox gamers who haven’t played the earlier games.
Yasue has also confirmed to IGN that bringing Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.5 to PS4 and Xbox One prior to the launch of Kingdom Hearts 3 was possible. At this point that (like countless other plans) are being considered by the developer and publisher, but no solid confirmation has been given for that either.
What are your thoughts on Disney adding Marvel and Star Wars characters to Kingdom Hearts 3? Let us know in the comments.
Kingdom Hearts 3 is set to release on PS4 and Xbox One.