Kingdom Hearts 4 is interesting. Originally revealed two years ago during the franchise’s 25th anniversary, the title has since gone dark.
However rumors have surfaced, implying the anticipated sequel is closer than any think.
Images provided by Square Enix, 2022
What is Kingdom Hearts 4?
Kingdom Hearts 4 is the next major mainline installment in the franchise, starting a new ‘saga’ for the long-running series. Sora is in a new world, separated from his allies after events from the third installment. The new world is a location teased in both the post-credits sequence from Kingdom Hearts 3 and its DLC ReMind.
In addition, his allies are all looking for him, confirmed both through the trailer’s ending and events from Melody of Memory. Regarding Disney worlds that could appear in Kingdom Hearts 4, Star Wars could potentially join the franchise.
2025 Release Rumor
Insider Gaming recently came across the rumor that Kingdom Hearts 4 would be released in 2024.
It has been claimed that Kingdom Hearts 4 will be released in 2025. This news comes via DanielRPK on Twitter, who published the claim through his Patreon platform – but the news was quickly circulated on social platforms. Since Square Enix revealed Kingdom Hearts 4 in 2022, everything has gone relatively silent, so it seems like if it is to be released in 2025, the first major trailer for the game will drop soon.
DanielRPK is a trusted insider, so this has the potential to be correct. In addition, development on Kingdom Hearts 4 began in 2020. When the game was revealed, Square Enix said that they were transitioning to Unreal Engine 5 from the start. The trailer was running on Unreal Engine 4, so the engine change was very early in development.
Could This Happen?
Considering the Final Fantasy franchise has been in full swing since the release of Kingdom Hearts 3, this is a real possibility. As of writing, 2025 has no major Final Fantasy games locked in.
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Final Fantasy XVI and Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth were released in the past two years, with a major FFXIV release in June 2024. One has to wonder what would be the next ‘pillar’ for Square Enix while their main series takes a small break.
Kingdom Hearts might be up for that, alongside a rumored Final Fantasy IX remake.
Concerns for Kingdom Hearts 4
I may be called Lord Sonic but one franchise I used to love was Kingdom Hearts. I played all the games, across multiple platforms and genuinely loved my time with Kingdom Hearts 3. Story-wise, it felt satisfying seeing all the narrative threads I’ve followed get resolution. And on a gameplay front, it was the best in the entire series.
The mixture of large open levels, worlds in some cases, with a combat system that took everything from what came before… It was such a good adventure.
Where the narrative left off, however, I am not confident they can capture the same magic again. In many ways, I personally felt the series got hijacked by Tetsuya Nomura’s desire to realize his vision for Final Fantasy Versus XIII with a new character and world he introduced in Kingdom Hearts 3.
In addition, major narrative threads from mobile releases like Kingdom Hearts: Unchained X and Missing Link will be the starting points for this new era of the series. Games that most people have not played at all. Hard-core fans might have played these titles or watched story recaps on YouTube, but that’s simply too much of a barrier.
The Disney Effect
Disney is another matter altogether. I used to love their animated output growing up and really enjoyed the Marvel Cinematic Universe through Endgame and Spider-Man: No Way Home. However, in recent years I’ve grown disenfranchised by them, with only minor exceptions like the recent X-Men 97 and Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur being works from them that I genuinely find impressive.
Every Kingdom Hearts title has always used Disney to great effect. And I could make the argument that Kingdom Hearts 3 utilizes the brand most effectively. The Pixar worlds having full-on original narratives, created in conjunction between the KH team and the original storytellers, ensured they felt like organic inclusions into the world of Kingdom Hearts.
And even if the narrative was lackluster, the Pirates world impressed. It took the combat mechanics from the core experience and melded it with fantastic underwater combat and ship combat.
With the first Disney-owned world hinted at being Star Wars, I am concerned that the focus on the Disney content is live action. Live Action for the MCU and Star Wars content is fantastic, but I do not want to retread old ground with Lion King and Aladdin using the lesser iterations of those franchises.
What Platforms Will It Release On?
When Kingdom Hearts 4 was announced, there was no mention of platforms. The only confirmed platform we know of as of this writing is PC since the game was mentioned in the GeForce Now Leak.
Square Enix’s relationship with Microsoft has improved greatly since the initial reveal, so the potential for Xbox SKU is possible. But with the Final Fantasy series still largely exclusive to PlayStation platforms, it is not a safe assumption to assume it will be released on Xbox just yet.
Hopefully, when re-revealed, we will learn the platforms Kingdom Hearts 4 will release on.
Closing Thoughts
As a former die-hard fan, I want nothing but the best for the Kingdom Hearts series. But as it stands right now, I can’t help but be slightly concerned about the series’ future. Hopefully when the game is revealed again, this time utilizing Unreal Engine 5, the game will show itself better.
But will you join Sora on another adventure? Let us know in the comments below.
