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Kingdom Hearts 3 Leaked on Facebook Marketplace Six Weeks Before Release Date

Kingdom Hearts 3 Leaked on Facebook Marketplace Six Weeks Before Release Date

By Rishi Alwani | Updated: 17 December 2018 15:29 IST

Highlights

The game is out internationally on January 29
Square Enix claims to know how this leak occurred
What steps it will take to keep the game spoiler-free will be of interest

The Kingdom Hearts 3 release date is January 29 internationally and January 25 in Japan. However the game has leaked now. Yes, a full six weeks prior to release, copies of Kingdom Hearts 3 for the Xbox One have found their way onto the Facebook Marketplace. And while the listing is now defunct, that didn't stop Kingdom Hearts 3 from getting into the hands of eager fans. Some of whom have posted cinematics and screens of the game's opening moments. This isn't the first time we've seen a Square Enix game leak early. Previously, Final Fantasy XV was widely available a full week prior to release thanks to a street date break in Peru. Kingdom Hearts 3 on the other hand, doesn't seem to be as widespread with just Xbox One copies being made available and that too in select parts of the US alone.

For its part, Square Enix appears to know why this has happened. How it deals with it however, will be of interest. Most game companies usually resort to taking down videos and images prior to release by claiming copyright. Could Square Enix go the extra mile and track down the source of the leak?

"We're aware that a small portion of Kingdom Hearts 3 has been circulating online before its official release," Kingdom Hearts 3 director Tetsuya Nomura said on Twitter. "We are also aware as to how this has all happened. We're sorry to see this caused concern amongst our fans who are excited for the release."

He goes on to ask Kingdom Hearts fans not share any of the videos.

"The whole team has been working together since yesterday night (Japan time) to investigate what we can do to better this situation, but first we would like to ask that you do not share these videos," he said. "The game's epilogue and secret movie, which are the biggest spoilers in this game, are planned to be released at a later date just in case, so they will not be shown before the game's release. We want everyone to be able to equally experience the full game after its release, so we ask for your continued support on this matter."

Previously, Square Enix listed the Kingdom Hearts 3 download size on the Microsoft Store for Xbox One. If you plan to play Kingdom Hearts 3 on Xbox One, expect a 35.81GB download. Kingdom Hearts 3 on Xbox One X supports 4K and HDR. The Kingdom Hearts 3 PS4 download size is yet to be revealed though we won't be surprised to see it fall in the same range. This isn't too bad when you consider that the Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue download size on PS4 is 29.63GB while the Kingdom Hearts 1.5+2.5 HD Remix download size is 45.24GB.

With publisher Square Enix focussing on getting Final Fantasy XV out of the door, it's no surprise that Kingdom Hearts 3 took a back seat. It will be interesting to see if Kingdom Hearts 3 shows up in India on time. Reason being, Republic Day is three days prior and its during this national holiday that customs authorities needed to clear imports are not working. In the past games releasing around this time frame were delayed as well. Hopefully this won't be the case this time around given the popularity of Disney's franchises in India.

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