I'd like to address the uproar I've seen in a few different places over my comments regarding Kingdom Hearts III. This hasn't come up amongst my comments much, so this isn't so much directed there, as much as it is at a few forums where I've seen discussion about my statements.
Now certainly, I do not at all object to people questioning or disbelieving or even completely disregarding my statements. I don't expect to be believed unquestioningly by all because indeed, I am merely a humble blogger sharing info that I cannot rightly prove to be true. I rather encourage all of my readers to think for themselves, and to only believe me if they personally choose to do so. So, this not me being upset at people who don't believe my info. This is just a follow-up to and expansion of my original story, for those who want more info.
Let me begin by saying that what I was told about the plans for the game, I was told a number of months ago. Things may have changed since then, certainly. This game is a long ways off; it's only in the planning stages at the moment. Any and everything about it could change between now and the time it enters actual production. So could market conditions.
But I maintain that what I said is true. I was told, by an involved party, that the current target platform for Kingdom Hearts III (as in "III," and not a spin-off) is the Nintendo Wii. This is due to one thing, predominantly: demographics. Yes, Kingdom Hearts has most certainly attracted a considerable following of those who can't count their age on all of their digits combined. Yes, Disney and Square-Enix know this. But the fact is, this is still a franchise targeted most squarely at 9-to-14-year-olds. And at this moment, the Wii is far and away the top performer among this age group.
Disney (whose interest and investment in the property is at an all-time high) wants this game marketed to and targeted at the largest audience possible, while keeping it on one of the three new systems, and they've decided that the Wii is the system to do this on. Disney feels absolutely no loyalty whatsoever to Sony (or anyone else) or the PlayStation family. They know they've got a hot property here, and they are not letting anything stand in the way of taking it as far as possible. As of right now, they don't think that the PlayStation 3 is the platform that will facilitate this.
That so many found this such an outrageous idea really surprises me. This isn't about personal preference, or what system you personally think is the best, and most certainly, none of this story has anything at all to do with me or my feelings. This is about demographics and marketing, and what Disney feels will allow this series to go as far as it can. So, I repeat: I have been told that Disney wants Kingdom Hearts III on the Nintendo Wii.
Anyways, enough of this. We now return to our irregularly scheduled program...
- This all reminds me that plans for an animated Kingdom Hearts project are not necessarily permanently scrapped, just way on the back burner for now.
- For the few people out there who are wondering and looking for closure, it seems as though the long-dormant plans for a North American release of Nintendo's bit Generations series have completely disintegrated. Pity.
- Capcom does have plans for a North American release of Kabu Trader Shun; expect it to be branded as "Ace Stock Trader.
Twisted Metal PS3 is on PSN in 2009," which is rather obvious.
