Square Enix announced on November 19, 2014 that a launch event for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX would be held in London, England on December 3, 2014 and I attended the event to report for KH13.com. Approximately 170 people were at the event. A few people were dressed in Kingdom Hearts cosplay like Sora, Christmas Town Sora, Roxas, Aqua, Hayner, Kairi etc). Photos can be seen at bottom under Kingdom Hearts III footage description.
STRUCTURE
5:30 – People queuing outside for the event
6:00 – People were let into the venue
6:15 – People were allowed into the presentation room
6:25 – PRESENTATION STARTED
- Host (Dan Seto, Square Enix Europe community manager for Japanese titles) taking scroll from a green bottle and reciting Kairi’s message “Thinking of you wherever you are…”
- Introduction and welcome; and no film/photography during any of it!
- Launch trailer from around the world; had secret project footage from Disneyland Paris in it.
- Q&A with Tai Yasue (co-director of the Kingdom Hearts series) and Rie Nishi (producer of the Kingdom Hearts series). Dan Seto asked questions about their previous work and their opinions about questions like they’re favourite game, key moment in games that stood out to them most, the best part of working with Kingdom Hearts, have they ever gone to Disneyland/world to ‘research’ for Kingdom Hearts games, etc
RAFFLE:
- 5 framed drawings of Roxas and Sora (out of 50 in the world)
- 2 Roxas figures and 2 Sora figures
- 3 Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX Collector’s Editions with signatures from both Tai Yasue and Rie Nishi
- 3 manga storylines of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX
- Kingdom Hearts III footage (same as the North American launch event; see my description of video below)
- Dan Seto ending with “The heart may be weak and sometimes it even give in, but I’ve learned that deep down there’s a light that never goes out!”
7:00 – PRESENTATION ENDED
10:00 – EVENT ENDED
FEATURES AT EVENT
- Twilight Town Clock Tower platform for people to pose and get photos and free prints. Photos are available to view on the Square Enix official Kingdom Hearts Facebook page.
- 4 screens to play demos; 2 for Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix and 2 for Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix. Same demos as other events.
- Lots of merchandise selling out quickly. With most purchases, people got a Kingdom Hearts Roxas Avatar Mascot Strap free.
- Pies and drink supplied by ‘pieminister’ inclusive with the event.
- Green screen for people to be filmed and create a flip book out of it. Choice of 3 backgrounds, one from each game. Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix: 1000 heartless at Hollow Bastion; Birth by Sleep Final Mix: Keyblade Graveyard; and Re:coded: in Hollow Bastion where you fight Riku (Where you fight Maleficent in Kingdom Hearts)
- Choose either to get signatures on free A4 poster (HD 2.5 ReMIX game cover design) or get photo with Tai Yasue and Rie Nishi.
- Pose with Keyblade for photos.
- Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX wall where people can write their comments on.
- A lot of cameras (photography and film camera so could be a video soon of the launch event)
UK COMMUNITY LAUNCH EVENT RECAP
https://youtu.be/TYpZDlKe2ZY
KINGDOM HEARTS III FOOTAGE
During the presentation at the European Launch Event in London for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, the logo for Kingdom Hearts III was displayed on the screen. The host Dan Seto (Square Enix Europe community manager for Japanese titles) was ‘confused’ at seeing the logo appear, but then Tai Yasue (co-director of the Kingdom Hearts series) and Rie Nishi (producer of the Kingdom Hearts series) intervene and say they put it in. We were all reminded that we could NOT take photos or film at all throughout the presentation and especially for this. Then the Kingdom Hearts III teaser began…
It starts off with sketches and 3D models of different new Heartless. One is like the ‘Solider’ Heartless with wings and another Heartless looked like a bull with the body of a human.
A clip appears with a white background and Sora in his Kingdom Hearts II outfit, but changes to his Valor and Wisdom from outfits through out the clip. He is using one Keyblade and it transforms into the gun-like and canon-like weapons similar to ones seen in the 2013 teaser. Large angelic wings also appear on Sora.
Concept art of ‘Cable Town’ fades in; the town has little buildings situated on 3 hills with a big tower situated on the centre hill. It zooms slightly in and a library/study picture fades in. The static picture of the library/study then fades into a clip; there is a large window at the centre which has curtains flowing from the breeze and soft lighting which is realistic as it glows into the room from outside. It cuts to and plans across a table (next to the central window) with a chess board and chess pieces (one of which has a Mickey Mouse head on top). It then cuts to Sora, in his Kingdom Hearts II outfit, walking towards the table with the chess board and picks up one of the pieces. The clips with Sora show his hair reacting more realistically to his movements from the swinging in the fighting clips and him walking in the library/study.
At the end, a message appears promising fans that there will be more news about Kingdom Hearts III in 2015.
PICTURES
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