After a mind-blowing 16 years, the epic saga that is Kingdom Hearts is coming to a close soon with the release of Kingdom Hearts III early next year. With the latest game confirmed as the end of the Xehanort Saga – and as such, likely Sora’s story – emotions will run at an all-time high when the game finally releases, as it will likely mean saying farewell to at least some of our favorite characters.

Of course, one cannot forget about the incredible team that has been working on the game for all this time. In a recent interview with US Gamer, Kingdom Hearts III game director Tetsuya Nomura was asked about the series, and how he felt about its conclusion. “It does come to an end, but I’m not fully swayed to one emotion,” Nomura said.

I’m not really happy. I’m not really sad. Although I do feel a little said when I think some characters will probably never appear ever again. Once I think about that, it makes me a little sad. But other than that I’m just more relieved that I was able to tell the full story.”

Nomura’s sentiments are certainly understandable. Many Kingdom Hearts fans grew up with the series, so to have it finally be coming to its natural conclusion can bring out many conflicting emotions. On the one hand, we will finally get a chance to play Kingdom Hearts III after waiting over ten years for the sequel. On the other hand, this is it folks, the train’s final stop. We can only hope that the wait was worth it, and that maybe Square Enix and Disney will continue on with the series in one way or another.

Kingdom Hearts III releases for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on January 29, 2019.

So, thoughts on the upcoming conclusion of Kingdom Hearts III? Are you surprised as we are that no Final Fantasy characters have shown up? Let us know in the comments section below, and as always, stay tuned to Don’t Feed the Gamers for all the latest gaming and entertainment news! Don’t forget to follow DFTG on Twitter for our 24/7 news feed!