Square Enix has announced another addition to the "Kingdom Hearts" franchise will be released in 2014.
In celebration of the original "Kingdom Hearts" game selling more than 20 million units worldwide, Square Enix will release "Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX."
According PlayStation's blog, the game will be exclusive to the PS3 and will include the following:
"Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix" - previously on PS2 and exclusive to Japan
"Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix" - previously on PSP and exclusive to Japan
"Kingdom Hearts Re:coded" (HD remastered cinematics)
Square Enix is most likely trying to hold fans over until the release of "Kingdom Hearts 3," which is currently in development.
Series producer Shinji Hashimoto spoke with IGN in September about the Disney, Final Fantasy mashup series. Hashimoto understands the attachment fans have to the series and the characters, since they have grown up with Sora.
"It's been 11 years since the original game was out and now we'll have Kingdom Hearts III at some stage in the future," he said. "The people who played the original game, at the time they were probably around 12 or 13...but now they're in their twenties.
"While fans of Disney are usually quite young and Final Fantasy players are much older, they come together to create a Kingdom Hearts audience that's very unique," Hashimoto added. "The feelings people have towards the series are so deep these days because they spent many of their teenage years, which is a very sensitive period of your personal life, with Kingdom Hearts."
Still, fans want "Kingdom Hearts III" to be released already, but the games producer said they will be rewarded for their patience.
"The fact is that the main focus of the series is Sora and Riku; how their friendship develops, but also how they grow up," Hashimoto told IGN. "After so many years, the players' personal growth is closely tied to the game's story at this point, so that's the most important thing about the series and what we want to put into the game. For Kingdom Hearts III, players will be able to resurrect the happy memories they have from being teenagers when playing Kingdom Hearts III. So it's very contemplative, and will match the personal experiences of much of the audience very closely."
