‘Kingdom Hearts III’ Release Date Won’t Be Revealed At E3 2017, Ansem Actor Says

Kingdom Hearts III hasn’t been seen in a significant way since E3 2015, so fans are hoping for some big reveals this year. If the tweets of Ansem actor Richard Epcar are any indication, however, we shouldn’t expect a release date.

The conversation began Monday when Logan, a team member of the Kingdom Hearts fan site KH13, tweeted “Guys. I can feel it. This time next week I think we’ll know KH3’s release date.” Without any prior provocation or even mention in the tweet, Epcar took it upon himself to reply with three simple words: “Uh ... no ... sorry.”

Read: Kingdom Hearts III Was Supposed To Release In 2017, Rumors Suggest

For those unaware of Epcar’s prior work, he’s perhaps most known to gamers as the voice of the Joker in Injustice and Injustice 2, as well as villains Ansem and Xehanort in the Kingdom Hearts series. Having been attached to the franchise as recently as last year’s Kingdom Hearts 2.8 and all previous titles, it’s assumed he’ll be reprising his role for the third main installment. In short, he’s someone that could potentially have inside knowledge about the state of Kingdom Hearts III, and he’s seemingly squashed all prospects of an E3 release date reveal.

Of course, as with most loose-lipped comments on the internet, there are reasons to take this one with a grain of salt. Not only are Epcar’s words far from an official announcement from Square Enix, but voice actors aren’t always in the tightest loop when it comes to their game’s development process. After all, in 2015, Goofy voice actor Bill Farmer said Kingdom Hearts III was set to release later that year. Now two years later, we can see how horribly wrong he was about that.

While Epcar’s tweet may be more accurate, it’s worth remembering his role is simply to provide vocal talent. In other words, someone like him assumingly wouldn’t have much say in the game’s larger promotion strategy. Those trappings are best left to the marketers at Square Enix. Quotes from voice actors are interesting in the absence of official news, but it’d be a mistake to take them as gospel all the time.

Read: Kingdom Hearts III Will Release In 2018 Whether It’s Ready Or Not, Insider Says

All that being said, based on how Square has approached Kingdom Hearts III over the past few months, we’re not expecting any E3 2017 release date reveals either. During recent investor meetings, sources inside Square suggested both Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy VII Remake will be released “within the next three years or so” with little to offer in the way of specifics. Rumors indicate that arrival is currently scheduled for sometime in 2018, but clearly, the game’s developers don’t seem ready to offer any firm projections at this time. This was the same company that held an entire event to announce that Final Fantasy XV would be available Sept. 30 only to delay it to Nov. 29 months later. It’s that kind of mistake the studio is likely trying to avoid with Kingdom Hearts III.

Kingdom Hearts III is in development for PS4 and Xbox One.

Do you think we’ll see Kingdom Hearts III at all during E3 2017? Will a release date be part of the equation? Tell us in the comments section!