Square Enix Kingdom Hearts 3 has arrived on Xbox Game Pass.
At long last, Kingdom Hearts 3 has finally launched.
It launched on just the PS4 and Xbox One, making it the first time a Kingdom Hearts title has appeared on a Microsoft console.
One console that is noticeably missing is the Nintendo Switch and it’s a little surprising given the history Kingdom Hearts has with Nintendo hardware.
Earlier this century when Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2 first released, the Game Boy Advance was given Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories which served as a bridge between the two titles.
Later, Kingdom Hearts re:Coded and 358/2 Days were both released on the Nintendo DS.
#KingdomHearts III is here! ✨
It’s all been leading up to this. The ultimate battle for Kingdom Hearts is upon us.
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Finally, we saw the release of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (get it, Dream Drop Distance, it’s 3D) and that was the last title to release on Nintendo hardware.
This doesn’t mean we won’t ever see Kingdom Hearts 3 on the Nintendo Switch but if it does happen, it probably won’t be happening any time soon.
In an IGN interview with Tetsuya Nomura, the director of Kingdom Hearts 3, he spoke on the possibility of a Switch port.
“The Nintendo Switch is definitely a very interesting piece of hardware, but if we lightly say, ‘Oh yeah, we’ll be on the Nintendo Switch,’ I’m sure people will come back and say, ‘But what about the PS4 and Xbox One? We want them out first. Don’t focus on other platforms,’” Nomura told IGN. “So for now, we want to focus on what platforms we’ve already announced we’re going to be releasing Kingdom Hearts 3 on. And so after, perhaps, maybe we can start thinking about other possibilities.”
The door wasn’t slammed shut but it’d be foolish to expect the Switch to run Kingdom Hearts 3 in its current state.
While ARK isn’t developed by a AAA studio, a look at its recent Switch port is a perfect example of what happens when you take a game that isn’t made for the Switch is put on the Switch.
The Switch isn’t the most powerful console by any means and cutbacks would very likely have to be made to even consider releasing it on Nintendo’s hybrid handheld.
We’ve seen games like DOOM (2016) work wonders and run on the Switch but that was due to Panic Button’s magic and a huge drop in resolution and textures.
With a game that relies on fluidity like Kingdom Hearts 3, you have to ask the question – would it even be worth it on the Switch?
Final Fantasy XV, another huge Square Enix RPG, forced to release on the Nintendo Switch as the Pocket Edition. This seemed to indicate the cutbacks were far too extreme, perhaps not even possible, to get Final Fantasy XV running natively on the Switch.
At this point in time, it’s far too early to say if Kingdom Hearts 3 will be on the Switch or not.
Square Enix would be foolish to at least not consider it but it might not be possible considering the changes and cutbacks that would need to be made.
The door isn’t slammed shut but it isn’t exactly wide open either.
Kingdom Hearts 3 is out now for PS4 and Xbox One.