**Kingdom Hearts 4 and Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3: Square Enix’s “Great Progress” Signals a Transformative Era for JRPGs**  ## **Kingdom Hearts 4: The Return Feels Surprisingly Close** It’s not every day that a vague update from a beloved director can send a surge of excitement rippling across the gaming community. Yet, in recent days, Tetsuya Nomura’s assurance that both **Kingdom Hearts 4** and **Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3** are advancing “smoothly” has done just that. Nomura’s comments, conveyed through a Eurogamer interview, were strikingly well-timed—anecdotes of progress have been sparse, so new details land with exceptional weight. Remember that breathtaking Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer from April 2022? The one with Sora awakening in the ultra-realistic city called Quadratum—an aesthetic shift that startled even longtime fans? That dazzling preview, powered by Unreal Engine 5, hinted at a bold vision: a franchise unafraid to evolve past its playful, “cartoony” legacy. Now, nearly three years later, Nomura’s notably optimistic tone suggests the project is not only alive but inching ever closer to center stage. If industry chatter is to be trusted, a major reveal could steal the show at next year’s PlayStation Showcase or Tokyo Game Show. This subtle transformation—shedding some familiar Disney whimsy in favor of a darker, more cinematic narrative—could mark the series’ most ambitious leap yet. By integrating modern technology and a more grounded art direction, Square Enix appears intent on expanding the emotional palette, dramatically raising player expectations for what an action RPG can express. ## **Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3: An Accelerated Journey Forward** Running in parallel, **Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3** is also surging ahead, with Nomura describing development as “great progress.” That phrase, while modest, feels loaded. For context, the second entry, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, left us reeling with plot twists and cliffhangers—fans are understandably eager for resolution. Behind the studio’s carefully drawn curtain, Square Enix is reportedly reusing environments, assets, and core technology from Rebirth, creating a highly efficient pipeline. This approach, reminiscent of how a master chef might build multiple courses from shared ingredients, is particularly beneficial for speeding up sequential projects. The hope is that fans, myself included, won’t be waiting another half-decade for the next chapter. Looking ahead, it’s almost certain that Part 3 will whisk us to the mythic Forgotten Capital, plunge through the Northern Crater, and ultimately resolve Cloud’s and Sephiroth’s fates in dramatic, possibly genre-defining fashion. While Nomura remains exceptionally coy on specifics, his approach to narrative direction and creative risk-taking leaves space for remarkable surprises. ## **A Parallel Renaissance in Storytelling** There’s a strikingly similar pattern running through both Kingdom Hearts 4 and FF7 Remake Part 3: a willingness to reexamine, reinvent, and elevate the core of their respective stories. In a world where nostalgia can sometimes feel stifling, Square Enix is showing that it’s possible to honor the past while charting an untested course. By offering Sora’s odyssey in a more “real” world and reimagining Cloud’s journey with alternate timelines and profound meta-narratives, they’re not just preserving legacies—they’re rewriting what those legacies mean for a new era. For longtime fans, this is particularly thrilling. It feels as though Square Enix is quietly laying the groundwork for a modern-day creative renaissance—bold, risk-embracing, and rooted in both technical mastery and emotional nuance. ## **Square Enix’s New Playbook: Smart, Staggered Development** If you’ve followed the rhythm of Square Enix’s release cycles, there’s a pattern that’s becoming remarkably clear. By staggering production and overlapping development teams across massive projects, the company is mitigating risk, reducing wasted effort, and allowing for a nimble response to both fan feedback and evolving tech. This tactic is highly efficient—and, by borrowing strategies from AAA Western studios, allows buzz and anticipation to flourish through deft use of social media, drip-feeding updates, and orchestrating anniversary events. Through this approach, the fanbase remains energized and engaged, eagerly piecing together rumors and official hints. Having watched this community ebb and flow over the years, I find it particularly innovative—Square Enix has transformed what might otherwise be frustrating silences into an ongoing, interactive conversation with its audience. ## **Eyes on the Future: What Comes Next for Both Franchises?** Nomura’s reassuring update leaves the most essential question unresolved: when, exactly, will we have Kingdom Hearts 4 and the final act of FF7 Remake in our hands? The consensus among insiders is that Kingdom Hearts 4 could arrive in 2026, with Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 closely following either at the end of that year or early 2027. In an industry often plagued by protracted delays, this significantly reduced gap between announcements and releases is outright refreshing. If both games meet expectations—and perhaps, as some quietly hope, redefine them—2026 could become a historic year for Japanese gaming, with Square Enix reasserting its role as a world-class curator of ambitious, emotionally resonant experiences. — | Game Title | Current Status | Expected Release Window | Key Development Notes | |———————————-|————————|———————————|———————————————————————| | Kingdom Hearts 4 | In active development | Estimated 2026 | Using Unreal Engine 5, realistic art style, new world: Quadratum | | Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 | Great progress | Late 2026 to early 2027 | Re-using Rebirth assets; faster turnaround with improved pipelines | — > “Development is going smoothly on both titles. The team is leveraging what we’ve built previously to move forward faster with much more richness in design and storytelling.” > — Tetsuya Nomura, Director — By embracing smarter production strategies and daring creative choices, Square Enix is not only pushing its franchises forward, but charting a fresh template for the entire genre. As the world leans more towards cinematic, emotionally bold storytelling in games, these next chapters might stand as new benchmarks. Frankly, “great progress” isn’t just reassuring—it’s invigorating. For every fan still rewatching those trailers and daydreaming about what’s to come, the message is clear: keep your hopes high. The future, astonishingly, is closer than it appears. *For more official details and the latest updates, you can read the original Eurogamer report [here](https://www.eurogamer.net/kingdom-hearts-4-final-fantasy-7-remake-part-3-are-making-great-progress-confirms-director).* **Written By: A Top-Tier Magazine Journalist**
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