UPDATE: It's been confirmed. After eight long years, Kingdom Hearts 3 is coming to PS4!

[UPDATE June 11, 1pm]: It’s actually happening, people!

Kingdom Hearts 3 is coming to PlayStation 4!

Developer Square-Enix announced the long-awaited game during Sony’s E3 press conference today, setting nerd hearts aflutter all over the world.

Twitter users reacted to the announcement with all the restraint that the occasion demands.

The game will be the 10th instalment in the series, and the first console title since Kingdom Hearts 2 way back in 2005.

More importantly, it will be one of the key releases for PlayStation 4. The console doesn’t even come out until later in the year, but if Twitter is a reliable indicator, it’s going to sell gangbusters based on this one title alone.

There will be time for release dates and more careful E3 analysis later, but if you’ll pardon me, I’ll be over here weeping with joy because OH MY GOD YOU GUYS, KINGDOM HEARTS 3 IS FINALLY COMING!

PS: Thank you, Sony and Square-Enix! Let’s hug.

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How do you even explain the Kingdom Hearts series? The games mash up the best elements of the Japanese RPG genre – epic boss battles, hours of grinding and levelling – with locations and characters from Disney movies. But it’s so much more than that.

The game taps into a childlike sense of adventure, as the pointy-haired hero Sora and his companions Donald and Goofy battle their way through hordes of enemies in worlds like Aladdin’s Agrabah, and the castle from Beauty And The Beast.

But the cutesiness of the animation belies the depth of the gameplay. The visuals may come directly from Disney films, but the combat can be punishingly hard – anyone who’s spent hours trying to beat Riku at Hollow Bastion will know what I’m referring to.

Riku battle in Hollow Bastion

The original Kingdom Hearts was released in 2002. A PlayStation 2 exclusive, it was one of the most beloved and popular games of its era, and ranks among the top 10 bestselling PS2 titles. Kingdom Hearts 2, released in 2005, enjoys a similarly loyal following.

When Sony released its PlayStation 3 console in 2006, fans waited eagerly for news of a new title in the series.

Then they waited some more.

In the years that followed, several hand-held spinoffs appeared, but Kingdom Hearts 3 remained missing in action.

The hand-held titles delved into the labyrinthine back-story of the series, with names that grew more elaborate every time — Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. They were fun diversions, but smaller in scale than either of the main games.

Kingdom Hearts 3 began to seem like a lost cause. Developer Square-Enix threw their lot behind the popular Final Fantasy series, churning out sequel after handsome-looking sequel with nary a word on the fate of Kingdom Hearts.

It’s been eight years since gamers had their last fix of Sora, Donald and Goofy, but with Sony’s new PlayStation 4 console due for release at the end of the year, there may finally be some good news for fans of the series.

Rumour has it that Kingdom Hearts 3 will finally see the light of day as a PlayStation 4 exclusive title. A source close to Sony (gotta love those anonymous sources) spoke to STFU And Play, saying:

Apparently, both Kingdom Hearts 3 and Final Fantasy Versus will be next generation games and the word is that Sony has secured an exclusive deal with Square-Enix to keep these titles on the Playstation 4. We weren’t given any more details about this but from what was said, Sony has the titles locked. As with all rumors, take it with a grain of salt and patiently wait for Sony’s E3 press conference.

While this news is nothing concrete, it represents a faint flicker of hope that the neglected franchise may return in the next few years. Sony is planning a remastered HD rerelease of the original game later in the year, which also hints at a new lease on life for the series.

What could we even expect from a new Kingdom Hearts game? Disney recently purchased Lucasfilm for an insane amount of money – would Sora, Donald and Goofy hacking and slashing their way through The Death Star or Endor really be so much to ask?

We’ll have to wait until Sony’s conference at the Electronic Entertainmen Expo (E3) in LA to find out for sure. The conference kicks off on June 11 — just enough time to pull out the old PS2 and play through the original games again. If anyone needs me…