Announced today during a 20th anniversary video Square Enix showed off several titles in development under the Kingdom Hearts name but none can hold a candle to the final announcement Kingdom Hearts 4.
In the video Sora wakes up from an apparent week-long nap to find himself in the Quadratum where a rather large Heartless appears the rest is the beautifully sequenced action you’d expect from a Kingdom Hearts game.
The video and press release for todays event is below:
Today, as part of the 20th anniversary celebration of the Kingdom Hearts franchise, Square Enix and Disney announced that Kingdom Hearts IV, the newest installment in the beloved RPG series, is in early development, and also revealed a brand-new mobile game, Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link.
In the announcement trailer, Sora makes a triumphant return with an updated look at the beginning of an epic new storyline titled the “Lost Master Arc.” Beginning with Sora facing off in a boss battle against a giant enemy, players are introduced to the Quadratum, a large, expansive city set in a gorgeous, realistic world unlike anything ever seen before in the Kingdom Hearts series. Fans will be excited to see the return of Sora’s well-known companions Donald and Goofy, in addition to the first appearance of Strelitzia, a mysterious new character who appears before Sora in this strange new setting.
Fans can also look forward to Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link, an all-new game for iOS and Android devices, which allows players to embark on adventures from the realm of Scala ad Caelum into the real world. Players will be able to engage in exhilarating battles against the Heartless and discover a new, original story. A closed beta test is planned for 2022*.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate the series’ 20th anniversary with the announcement of two new Kingdom Hearts titles,” said Kingdom Hearts series Brand Manager, Ichiro Hazama. “We’d like to thank the fans for all of their support over the years, and we can’t wait for them to experience all that’s to come for Sora.”
“Sora is an original Disney video game hero like no other, beloved by our team, and fans across the world. We’ve been honored to work with Tetsuya Nomura and his team for two decades to introduce these original stories of discovery, courage, and friendship,” said Nana Gadd, Director, Walt Disney Games. “This glimpse into Sora’s next adventure is just the beginning – we can’t wait to show more when the time is right.”
Additionally, the Kingdom Hearts team announced that the highly anticipated final chapter of Kingdom Hearts will be released in August 2022 as a free update to the Kingdom Hearts Union χ Dark Road app.
Square Enix and Disney hosted the Kingdom HEarts 20th Anniversary event in Tokyo, Japan where together with fans, they celebrated the past 20 years of the beloved franchise and provided a first look at what’s to come next. The event also featured a live music performance, a showcase of stained-glass artworks and on-stage appearances from Series Director, Tetsuya Nomura, series’ composer, Yoko Shimomura, and other development members. Fans can enjoy photos from the event on the official social channels and look forward to a recording of the event which will be shared at a later date.
Kingdom Hearts 3 was released in January of 2019 to positive reviews. One thing that makes the trailer for Kingdom Hearts 4 stand out is the upgraded graphics and lack of Sora’s iconic clown shoes.
Also in the trailers end we see Goofy and Donald searching for Sora only to find a mysterious stranger behind them(my money is on Hades). I hope they’re alright.
No date or list of platforms have been announced. Stay tuned for future Kingdom Hearts 4 updates.