Kingdom Hearts 2.8's Strange Name, Explained

When Square Enix announced Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue earlier this month, some fans might have wondered what exactly the number "2.8" meant in the title. Now, director Tetsuya Nomura has explained the reasoning behind the bizarre name--and his answer itself is tough to comprehend.

In an interview with Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu (translated by Kotaku and NovaCrystallis), Nomura said that because the games in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix are set before Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, that game is actually "2.6" in the overall franchise.

"Since Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover/Kingdom Hearts Unchained is supposed to be the first game in the mainline series, that is being represented as '0' in the collection," NovaCrystallis reports. "And lastly, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep is '0.1' and that then leads into Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep."

Thus, the 2.8 number comes from 2.6 plus 0 plus 0.2.

Got it?

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue includes HD remakes of Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, Kingdom Hearts X Back Cover, and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep 0.2. The game was announced at Sony's pre-Tokyo Game Show press conference.

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue arrives on PlayStation 4 in 2016. The announcement confirms earlier rumors of a Kingdom Hearts 2.9, although the final title of the game differs slightly.