Nomura Reconsidering Future Simultaneous Worldwide Releases Due To Kingdom Hearts III Leaks

Kingdom Hearts III just released in Japan but director Tetsuya Nomura says he still has some work to do, including reconsideration of simultaneous worldwide releases of his next games due to its recent leak.

Here’s a highlight from an interview with Famitsu:

Famitsu: Now that we’re approaching its release, tell us about your current state of mind.

Tetsuya Nomura: “I thought I’d feel relieved, but I haven’t been able to get any rest at all. We also had some trouble with the illegal ROM acquisition overseas.”

Is there anything you can share about that?

Tetsuya Nomura: “As for the whole story of the incident, it is no longer an issue for us but I can’t share too many details… I believe there was misinformation that made it seem as though it ‘leaked in massive quantities from multiple sources,’ but in fact only four copies made it out there, and we confirmed that though the leak came from a single source, it seemed like multiple due to how the copies were scattered. That being said, the only thing that really disappointed me about everything is that it brought sad thoughts to people who were looking forward to Kingdom Hearts III. The risk is higher with simultaneous worldwide releases, and because of this incident I can’t help but reconsider what I’ll do for my next games, including simultaneous worldwide releases of physical copies at the very least.

It was an unfortunate happening for the fans, but I believe they know better to not judge based on rumors. And now that the release is here, they can enjoy it to their heart’s content.

Tetsuya Nomura: “I hope you guys all get to play and judge it for yourselves. Kingdom Hearts III was made with ‘being fun’ as its number one priority. Each element and staff effort was made for the purpose of being fun. So, by all means, please play through every nook and cranny of Kingdom Hearts III, which was made as a bundle of all kinds of fun things.”

Kingdom Hearts III is now available in Japan for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It releases worldwide on January 29, 2019. Check our previous report for more from Nomura who went into detail about doing most of the series’ writing since Kingdom Hearts II.