Today Square Enix released the box art of Kingdom Hearts re:Coded. With this first fresh new update of Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded we can only wait for more news to come in, especially as we approach the Tokyo Game Show later this month.

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Official Press Release

“LOS ANGELES (May 17, 2010) — Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of SQUARE ENIX® interactive entertainment products in North America, announced today that KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep will be available at North American retailers on September 7, 2010. KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep brings to life unexplored worlds from everyone’s favorite Disney stories, and will be appearing exclusively on the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system.

A prequel to the mega-hit series, this pivotal installment takes players back to the beginnings of the KINGDOM HEARTS saga, long before Sora was chosen by his Keyblade. Players will explore iconic Disney worlds in a unique gaming experience that unfolds through the perspectives of three different main characters: Terra, Ventus and Aqua. Their journeys will take them through Sleeping Beauty’s Enchanted Dominion, the Dwarf Woodlands from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Deep Space from Lilo & Stitch. Additionally, KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep includes four all-new multiplayer modes that allow players to enjoy the action with their friends.

KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep is being brought to life through voice talents including Mark Hamill, Willa Holland, Jesse McCartney, Leonard Nimoy and James Woods. With an enhanced and action-packed battle system accompanied by stellar performances from pop-culture icons, KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep continues to push the franchise forward.

In celebration of the game’s launch, Square Enix and Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC are introducing a limited edition KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep PSP Entertainment Pack, which brings together the stunning visuals of KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep and the robust portable gaming experience only possible on the PSP system. Available in North America, this GameStop exclusive bundle will include a “Mystic Silver” PSP-3000 system, KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep on UMD® (Universal Media Disc), a movie (title to be announced; movie content will not be related to KINGDOM HEARTS series.) as well as a 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo™.

“The entire development team is extremely happy to announce the North American release date for KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep,” said Tetsuya Nomura, director of the KINGDOM HEARTS series. “We hate to keep fans waiting, but we’ve added some brand-new features for the North American version, so even those who have been following the Japanese version are sure to find a few surprises. In addition, we’ve put together an outstanding voice cast. We can’t wait for everyone to experience this game!”
With more than 14 million copies shipped worldwide, KINGDOM HEARTS is one of the most beloved video game series. Discover the origins of its captivating story on September 7, with KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep.”

New Screenshots!

KH Insider has compiled a great gallery of photos from the game, including many new ones, so thank you, thank you to them and we’ll share a few here.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep Arrives to the US and UK

The United States release to the PSP will be Tuesday, September 7, 2010. The game drops into stores in the United Kingdom just three days later on Friday, September 10, 2010. Birth By Sleep will be available in English for the US and English, French, Spanish, Italian, and German for the UK.

Trailers!

Along with these highly, highly anticipated dates, the American and European websites have trailers for the game in different languages, so the lovin’ that Kingdom Hearts not only deserves but desires from us, can now be shared across what was once language barriers!

Rejoice Everyone

How excited are you, on a scale of one to ten? So excited you just had an accident? Totally pumped but remaining sane? Freaking out because you still don’t have a PSP? Unsure how you feel about another game without Sora as the protagonist? Share with us!

You’re Killing us, Square!

Let’s hope it’s official! I’m sick of waiting, I’m sure you all are, too. What am I saying, I still don’t own a PSP! Horrible!

North American Quote

“LOS ANGELES (March 16, 2010) — Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in North America, announced today that KINGDOM HEARTS Birth By Sleep will be released in North America this Summer. Coming exclusively to the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, the game is a prequel that reveals the untold origins of the popular KINGDOM HEARTS franchise.”

PAL Territories Too!

Let’s not forget about European fans, though. One day after the confirmation for North America, Square Enix announced that Birth By Sleep will be in Europe, a relief I’m sure to thousands of fellow fans.

European Quote

“London (17th March 2010) – Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in Europe and other PAL territories and Disney Interactive Studios, today announces KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep will be released across PAL territories summer 2010, exclusively for the PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) system.”

Square Enix Is Rolling

With all of the websites being released for the new territories, it seems like Square is quickly approaching the most important news: A final release date!

Interview

– We’re anxious when it comes to the next title in the series.

Nomura: To start with, there is the overseas version of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. The general specifications for it have been settled. We intended to put in a “Critical Mode” in the battle system. The bosses we felt were a little weak have become stronger. We also thought that the attack “Mega Flare” was too strong so there are plans to regulate it as well. The various circumstances of the cut scenes will change too, they will return more to the original plan. They will be adjusted so that way the story is easier to understand and supplementary parts will be added.

– It seems like there are various changes being made. May we be expecting a Final Mix version?

Nomura: As for that, it depends on how much the domestic version changes. However, since we basically want to produce one title a year for the Kingdom Hearts series, I don’t plan on going several years without releasing news.

– In another 2 years it’ll be the 10th anniversary of the series. How about Kingdom Hearts 3?

Nomura: Haha I can’t talk about that, it’s a secret! As I’ve said before, the next release relates to the mystery of the series.

– Do you see the complete series concluding in KH3?

Nomura: Kingdom Hearts has been Sora’s story, but the series is currently expanding, it’s also the story of another person. Right now, you could say “that person is the center of the series”.

– The series is currently expanding!?

Nomura: I can’t say anymore than that. (Laughs)

– Are there any other titles in the works?

Nomura: With everything going on, I can say there is one title being prepared for public announcement; the advertisement department is already discussing it with me. Please look forward to more about it.

Who Is The Mystery Character?

Well, with the advertising groups already ramping up for a new Kingdom Hearts campaign, what are we fans to think? Many of us have already discussed our concerns about a new game every year, but not so much about this ‘mystery character’ who is getting to be a protagonist of the Kingdom Hearts universe.

One has to wonder where in the timeline this new game will be set. Back in the past like Birth by Sleep, or maybe after Kingdom Hearts 2? Who thinks the character will be someone that was previously introduced? Any logical choices?

I’m very excited to know that steps are being taken to do a public announcement of the game, even though I’m anxious in regards to too many releases and the series stalling out. I can’t help but be curious!

Another Spin Off Title

According to the most recent information, while Nomura has stressed that he and his team want to release Kingdom Hearts 3, knowing full well that is what their fans are looking for, it will not be the next video game to come out under the Kingdom Hearts title. In fact, the next game to hit stores will not star Sora at all, but another character of equal importance to the story, which will connect all of the tales together. No further news regarding the game’s title, characters or platform has been mentioned.

Yearly Releases

Nomura also said that ideally, he would like to release a new Kingdom Hearts game every year, in order to keep fans happy. Presumably, the next game would be this mystery title, coming out in 2011. When asked about Kingdom Hearts 3 being released in 2012, if a new game was to indeed come out every year, Nomura refused to comment.

Opinions?

Let us know what you think of this news. Personally, I’m a bit wary. Two spin off games is about my limit before I simply want to be reunited with Sora, Donald and Goofy, and frankly, a new RPG game every year sounds like bad news. Trying to put out a game so magical, like Kingdom Hearts, year after year will just burn Square Enix out and the last thing any fan wants is to see their hero fall to the enemy, ‘god-awful game.’ If something is going to be great, I can wait for it.

Net sales for this period were also up 30% at YEN 135bn.

Big Sellers

Games released during this period were Final Fantasy XIII, Dragon Quest IX and Batman: Arkham Asylum. (Square Enix was both a producer and distributor of the new Batman game in Japan.)

Future Plans

The company has announced it plans on consolidating its online and offline gaming operations by placing them under a single corporate ‘Games’ segment as well as forming a new merchandising segment.

Year End Predictions

The full year ends on March 31st and the publisher’s forecast has remained unchanged. The net sales are predicted to be YEN 180bn with operating income predicted at YEN 25bn.

Information provided by, MVC.

Nomura recently spoke with the Japanese magazine, Famitsu and was quoted with saying, “Regarding [Kingdom Hearts] 3, fans and partners alike are pressing us for it, so we’ll work to realize it as soon as possible.” (Quote according to Gaming Union)

The article can be found here, link provided by KH Insider, magazine translated by Tomogirl.

Let us all wish Nomura and his team the best of luck with their future work!

No official release date has been announced but I’m sure these two classic adventures will be a welcome to addition to the line up of games on the iphone.

New Features

• Optimised control system for iPhone/iPod touch interface, enabling users to play the game as intuitively as possible by simply touching the screen.
• Additional dungeons not available in the original 1987/1988 releases.
• Bonus content accessed once the main game is completed.

The Stories

Final Fantasy begins where four young warriors, each possessing a crystal, are summoned to bring the world back to a harmonious element balance. During their voyage, they discover a nefarious entity has created turmoil in the structure of time in order to take control of the world, causing the heroes to travel to places they never imagined possible.

In Final Fantasy II, a malevolent emperor has called upon monsters from a demonic realm to take over the world, ending what seemed to be an eternal period of peace. From the destruction rise four young survivors who will take it upon themselves to stop the merciless ruler and avenge the death of their parents

Screenshots