According to The DisInsider, development is currently ongoing for an animated Kingdom Hearts movie. The project was said to have been originally conceived for Disney+, but it was then pivoted to be something made for a theatrical release.

Before you get too excited about seeing Sora, Donald, and Goofy in the big screen though, it’s said that ‘these are just rumblings and nothing has been greenlit.’ For now, Disney doesn’t seem to be too interested in adapting things from video games, but seeing as how The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Sonic the Hedgehog have been doing so well in theatres, they could be changing their tune.

The lore for Kingdom Hearts is admittedly too complicated, but essentially it boils down to a Final Fantasy crossover with Disney characters. The game follows Sora, the master of the Keyblade, as he goes on a journey through different Disney-themed worlds to fight against an enemy called The Heartless.

With the game’s story being as complicated as it is, this could be the best time for Disney to swoop in and give new fans a cliffnotes version of Sora’s story; but maybe they should just go the Fallout route and give fans an expansion of the story with the same Final Fantasy meets Disney aesthetic.

I’m sure KH fans would eat that film up if they managed to release it alongside the upcoming game, but that’s just speculation on my part.

A Kingdom Hearts movie has not been officially announced. Kingdom Hearts IV is yet to receive a release date.

The game has been undergoing its final marketing push, with the release of all these reviews, but PlayStation has now given us their final trailer for the game. Check this out:

The Unknown Journey Continues…

After escaping from the mako powered city of Midgar, Cloud and his friends have broken the shackles of fate and set out on a journey into untracked wastelands. New adventures await in a vast and multifaceted world, sprinting across grassy plains on a Chocobo and exploring expansive environments.

The story pretty much picks up where Remake left off, with Cloud and friends off to the desert to have all new kinds of adventures. We should expect to meet some more familiar characters from the FFVII lore, and then some.

One of the biggest hooks of this Remake franchise is that it will likely tell a different story from the one that was told in the original FFVII—which prominently features the death of one of the game’s main waifus. But even if the story could change, is the game really going to allow players to rewrite the timeline?

This is just the second game in a planned trilogy, so we don’t know where they plan to end things with this one; but I am eager to see Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and the rest go through some new adventures with some familiar faces along the way.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launches for the PlayStation 5 on Feb. 29.

Check this out:

The world will be saved, but will you?

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launches February 29th. Play the free demo on PlayStation 5 today. #FF7R pic.twitter.com/I6SV9Eqbbo

— FINAL FANTASY VII (@finalfantasyvii) February 7, 2024

Fans of the original game will immediately recognize the image as it’s pretty much the same pose and location that Aerith was in before she gets shanked by Sephiroth. Her death was also pretty much teased in Remake.

What’s interesting is, though everyone is expecting Aerith to die in the trilogy at some point, some are suggesting that the Remake title of the game could mean that Square Enix is going to try and retell the story in a way that Aerith could make it out alive; but I imagine someone else would have to die in order to pay that price.

I’ll admit, alternate timelines and multiverses are starting to feel pretty stale now, but as long as Square is able to deliver a great subversion of the story which new fans can also enjoy, I’m willing to see where this trilogy is going as it moves forward.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is expected to release for the PlayStation 5 this Feb. 29. The free demo is now available for PS5.

Just in, a new trailer has been dropped for the game and it confirms the release for Feb. 29, 2024. Watch this:

The official description reads:

The Unknown Journey Continues…

After escaping from the dystopian city of Midgar, Cloud and his friends set out on a journey across the planet. New adventures await in a vibrant and vast world – sprint across grassy plains on a Chocobo and explore expansive environments.

Though the original FFVII may have closed Cloud’s arc in one game, Square Enix is planning an entire trilogy which was kickstared by Remake. What’s more, they are promising a whole twist to the story, which is why some believe that some characters who famously died in the original game have a chance of surviving in the sequel.

Plus, we see a change in some character relationships when it comes to this new timeline. Sephiroth is famously Cloud’s rival in the original game, but it looks like players will also be able to control him as part of Cloud’s party in Rebirth. What’s more, we also have some more characters that didn’t manage to make it to the first game.

With FFVII being touted as one of the most beloved games in the franchise, it’s great that Square has found a way to update the story and give newcomers a chance to discover the world of Midgar through Cloud’s eyes.

Watch out for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth when it launches for the PS5 on Feb. 29, 2024.

As per Bloomberg, EA has struck a new agreement with Marvel to develop three games set in the Marvel franchise, and Iron Man marks the beginning of the deal. We don’t have many details on the other incoming games, but EA COO Laure Miele did have this to say:

“We have an intentional, deliberate strategy to have a balanced portfolio… There will be Marvel fans who don’t play other EA games.”

Though Marvel’s success in the box office has been unrivalled, the studio is yet to find that sweet formula to be able to break ground in video games. Square Enix had tried and failed with their Avengers game, but they did generate some good buzz with Guardians of the Galaxy. Some think that the franchise should go in the direction of story-driven, third-person platform shooters—much like The Last of Us or the Uncharted games.

This is just my own pitch, but I think a lot of fans would love an Overwatch-style hero shooter where they can pick characters and go up against others in teams. DC is yet to have that kind of property, and Marvel would have the luxury of not having to come up with an explosive, huge, narrative. Plus, the non-canon nature of the game could allow them to generate some MCU skins without the complexity of having it make sense.

I’m just saying, Paladins and Valorant have been doing pretty well despite being dubbed Overwatch clones.

No release date has been announced for EA’s Iron Man title.

This April 10 in Tokyo, Square will be holding a Kingdom Hearts event that will include a mini concert (most likely with artist Utada Hikaru) as well as a Q&A with developers from the Kingdom Hearts team. There is also a tease of “much more” coming to the anniversary, and one can’t help but wonder if we’re going to be seeing a new generation of KH videogames incoming.

On April 10th we're hosting a Kingdom Hearts 20th anniversary event in Tokyo!

We'll kick off the 20th anniversary celebrations with a mini concert, a chat and Q&A with the development team, an exhibition and much more. A video of the event will be made available at a later date. pic.twitter.com/gNLAs2waV6

— KINGDOM HEARTS (@KINGDOMHEARTS) January 18, 2022

Ahead of the anniversary is also the announcement that the entire Kingdom Hearts collection will be coming to the Nintendo Switch. With Sora being the last hero to enter the fray with Super Smash Bros., it looks like Nintendo was also gearing up for this reveal. An open beta is actually available to check it out, and the collection comes to the Switch via cloud on Feb. 10.

Going back to the future of the videogame franchise, I wouldn’t be surprised if they decided to make a new title for the new-gen with characters besides Sora. With the original games pulling in from very unique Disney IP like Tron, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, I wouldn’t be surprised if the next games actually draw from Disney money printers like the Avengers films or Star Wars.

Then again, that’s only speculation on my part.

The Kingdom Hearts 20^th Anniversary takes place on April 10. The complete KH collection comes to the Nintendo Switch on Feb. 10.

According to Eurogamer, Dimensional Ink Studios, the same developers behind DC Universe Online, are making a “Marvel IP based massively multiplayer online game.” We don’t have any details about the game so far, but the information had come out during an investor presentation. Here’s the post:

EG7 (DCUO/Everquest devs' parent company) released their Q3 '21 financials, and confirmed the unannounced AAA Marvel MMO that appeared in the GeForce Now leak and which had previously been cancelled in 2018 as the studio faced financial hardships has officially been REVIVED!! https://t.co/ho2gZcipa5 pic.twitter.com/jjVlMLHn1u

— Miller (@mmmmmmmmiller) November 26, 2021

At the helm of the project is said to be Jack Emmert, who is currently the lead of DC Universe Online. Emmert had also co-founded Cryptic Studio and had also helmed and designed City of Heroes.

Though you can imagine that some fans are already excited for the release of a Marvel MMO, we shouldn’t expect this game to come out anytime soon. Wishful thinking suggests we could get our first look sometime around 2023, at best we could get a release date around that time.

Despite Marvel dominating the box office, the IP has been having a hard time making it big in the video game market. Despite the hype, Avengers A-Day managed to flop spectacularly, and the only Marvel hero that seems to get the video game treatment right is Spider-Man. Are Marvel vs. Capcom games counted?

A Marvel-based MMO has not been officially announced and has no release date.

Check out our first look at Spider-Man in the Avengers hero event:

https://twitter.com/PlayAvengers/status/1458494704484438018

No story has been revealed for Spider-Man’s expansion yet, but it’s possible that this could be exclusive to the continuity of the Avengers game. While some are hoping that it could tie-in with Insomniac’s Spider-Man titles, it’s possible that both studios don’t want to be tied down by any established lore.

We don’t have a look at gameplay yet, but Square is likely to drop a trailer as Nov. 30 draws nearer. My guess is we could have a look sometime next week. Seeing that Spider-Man is a Sony property, the character is exclusively coming to PlayStation. With PS exclusives hitting PC though, some fans are hoping that Sony changes its practice with exclusives, and maybe Spidey can release on other consoles in the next few years. That’s just me being optimistic.

Avengers has come out to be one of the most disastrous launches for a Triple A game, but despite that, the developers are still trying to bring in players with promises of new content and playable characters.

While Avengers may not have redeemed itself yet, there could be hope for the future. Star Wars Battlefront II was able to save itself from a terrible launch; and with the success of the Guardians of the Galaxy game, there is still a lot of potential for Marvel properties when it comes to video games.

Spider-Man joins the Avengers on PS4 and PS5 on Nov. 30. Avengers is now playable on Xbox One, PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS4|PS5

Here’s his post on Twitter:

In my incredibly subjective & admittedly often odd opinion, we'll be introducing one of the greatest MCU characters of all time. #GotGHolidaySpecial https://t.co/CipO64ZpoC pic.twitter.com/qnVkVr7w10

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) October 2, 2021

We don’t know which characters Gunn is expecting to introduce, but I think some people are already anticipating the live-action debut of Adam Warlock. Seeing that this is just a holiday special though, I think we could be meeting some smaller characters (albeit that doesn’t make them any less ‘great’). We’ve seen Cosmo the space dog in the first Guardians movie and he had a small cameo in the end credits of Vol. 2, so maybe this time we can actually watch Cosmo take center stage and become a full-fledged member of the Guardians.

In the comics, Cosmo was a dog with telepathic abilities and “spoke” with a Russian accent; he’s also in constant odds with Rocket Raccoon. While they haven’t delved into the character in live-action, he does make an appearance in Square Enix’s upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy game.

Catch the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special when it hits Disney+ sometime around December 2022. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on May 5, 2023.

According to Variety, Atwell has been cast as Lara Croft in an upcoming animated series based on Square Enix’s Tomb Raider reboot. The story is said to pick up after the events of the Tomb Raider trilogy and is expected to feature all the classic tropes of the franchise like intricate tombs and adventurous treasure hunting.

Since this is a continuation of a trilogy, it’s curious that the show wouldn’t bring back the original voice actress of the reboots Camilla Luddington, but I guess the show wanted someone with a bit of star power to boost interest in the series; and I guess Alicia Vikander would have been too expensive to get. Though a sequel to 2018’s Tomb Raider is said to be in the works, I think a lot more fans are familiar with Lara’s story in the games.

25 years after its debut, the Tomb Raider franchise manages to keep its pop-culture status, and Lara Croft is a household name. Though we’ve gotten several iterations of the character over the years, some things never change, like Lara’s use of double handguns, her long brown hair in a ponytail, and her British accent. Let’s wait and see what the upcoming Netflix anime series adds to the iconic character. It’ll be interesting to hear Atwell voice the character in the upcoming show.

No release date has been set for Netflix’s anime-inspired Tomb Raider series, but hopefully we can get a first look before the year ends. Catch Atwell in Marvel’s What If…? now on Disney+.

Check it out the gameplay video down here:

I have to admit, for a tactical game, Midnight Suns does have some very upbeat previews. With Avengers and the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy looking to be AAA action/adventure titles, maybe this change in genre is just what the franchise needs.

In Marvel’s Midnight Suns, not only will players be able to take control of popular characters from the Avengers, they’ll also be able to use some more obscure characters from the comics like Nico from Runaways and Magik; we also get non-MCU (or rather, yet to be MCU) characters like Blade, Wolverine, and Ghost Rider.

One new character created specifically for the game is Hunter, who’ll be completely customizable from appearance to powers. They’re essentially the gamer’s avatar as they fight alongside more established heroes in the game.

When Hell awakens, only they can stop it. Rise up and join a darker order of heroes to defeat Lilith before the Darkhold is complete in this tactical RPG set in the darker side of the Marvel Universe.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns is set for a release on March 2022 and will be available for PS4|PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Check Hellbender out:

Meet Lady Hellbender: leader of the Hellraisers, queen of Seknarf Nine and monster collector. In this scene, the Guardians try to con her by pretending to sell a “rare monster”, either Rocket or Groot, depending on the player’s choices. This is the start of a great love/hate relationship. (Mostly hate )

This looks to be a continuation of the opening scene which was revealed earlier this year, and it gives a great look at the creatures in-game as well as the choices that you have to make as a player when it comes to interactions.

Though fans are still reeling from the poor performance of the Avengers game, I’m actually getting more interested in this Guardians title. The interaction between the characters is fun to watch, and it looks like Square wants to bank in on the Lady Dimitriscu hype by introducing another giant, provocative woman.

While I do have irks about characters designs, I think Guardians definitely has its own unique feel to Avengers. Hopefully they’ll manage to get the heart and humor that made the movies so popular in the first place.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy will come out for Xbox Series X|S, PS4|PS5, and PC this Oct. 26.

Watch the deep dive video for Guardians of the Galaxy down here: 

Get an inside look at Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy with the development team at Eidos-Montréal, their creative collaborator Bill Rosemann (VP, Creative at Marvel Games) and a special guest: award-winning comic book artist Dan Abnett.

Though the game is named Guardians of the Galaxy, players will only be able to take control of Star-Lord. Even if that is the case, players will also have a chance to use the special skills of the other Guardians and make decisions that would affect the course of the story.

If anything, the game is designed in a similar way to SE’s Avengers, where the look is original, but clearly based off the MCU counterparts. Even if that’s the case, it would be great if we could get a different bunch of cosmetics, even skins that are accurate to the Marvel films.

Fire up Star-Lord’s jet boots for a wild ride across the cosmos in this third-person action-adventure game, a fresh take on Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. With the unpredictable Guardians at your side, blast your way from one explosive situation to another, with original and iconic Marvel characters caught in a struggle for the fate of the universe. You got this. Probably.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is set to come out for the PS4|PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC this Oct. 26.

As per Jeff Grubb’s Game Mess (via The Gamer), Square Enix is set to make a reveal for a Guardians of the Galaxy game. We don’t know if this will actually be announced at E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) 2021, but seeing as the studio may want to keep building hype for their Marvel games, a preview would probably be better if it was released sooner rather than later.

While Avengers may still be getting flak despite its DLC releases, some (specifically myself) are giving Square the benefit of the doubt when it comes to a Guardians game. Though the studio wasn’t able to translate their style into a franchise like the Avengers, Square’s penchant for colorful visuals and characters could fit right in when it comes to a property like Guardians of the Galaxy. Heck, they can model it after Kingdom Hearts with the Guardians being able to travel from planet to planet. It would also be great if we could take control off different characters and switch between them in battle (just like in Final Fantasy VII Remake). Top that off with a 70s soundtrack, and you may have a hit Guardians game.

Then again, these are just thoughts off the top of my head. I’m sure any person with more experience with game development would have a better idea. Let’s also take note that this news of a GOTG game is just a rumor. I guess we’ll just have to wait until E3 2021 to find out.

Watch out for E3 2021 which takes place from June 12—June 15. Square Enix’s Avengers is now playable for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4|PS5, and PC.