Square Enix has announced Kingdom Hearts 4, revealed in a new trailer to commemorate the series’ 20th anniversary celebrations held in Tokyo earlier today.
The reveal came as part of a compilation video that charts “the future of the Kingdom Hearts series,” with Kingdom Hearts 4 – starting at 4 minutes 5 seconds in – coming after segments about the upcoming mobile games Kingdom Hearts Union x Dark Road and Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link.
“The 20th Anniversary Event has just wrapped up,” explained Kingdom Hearts series director Tetsuya Nomura. “We’ve collated the videos revealed today, so if you weren’t able to come to the event, then please take a look. We’ll be providing more information at a later date. Thank you very much for today.”
He reportedly stated to those who attended the anniversary event that the trailer was made in Unreal Engine 4, but the game’s development was planned to be moved to Unreal Engine 5.
Referred to as The Lost Master Arc, the trailer sees Sora wake in Quadratum since he arrived in the world seven days ago. He is greeted by a red-haired female character – believed to be Strelitzia from Kingdom Hearts Union X – who introduces him to the world that she describes as being “full of life” but a place that is “similar to an afterworld.”
The trailer closes with Donald and Goofy searching for someone that can presumably help reunite them with Sora, who disappeared to close Kingdom Hearts 3. Soon, a small blue flame appears in the darkness, which, after the character speaks to Donald and Goofy, turns red. It is believed that this is Hades, who fans will know from Hercules as well as the earlier Kingdom Hearts games.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate the series’ 20th anniversary with the announcement of two new Kingdom Hearts titles,” enthuses 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.”
Walt Disney Games director Nana Gadd adds: “Sora is an original Disney video game hero like no other, beloved by our team, and fans across the world. We’ve been honoured to work with Tetsuya Nomura and his team for two decades to introduce these original stories of discovery, courage, and friendship. This glimpse into Sora’s next adventure is just the beginning – we can’t wait to show more when the time is right.”
The publisher has not disclosed which platforms Kingdom Hearts 4 is destined for, but it recently made strides to bring the beloved series to Nintendo Switch with the Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece Cloud Version.
This bundled Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX Cloud Version, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue Cloud Version and Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind (DLC) Cloud Version in an “all-in-one” cloud version collection. However, this has been met with widespread criticism as not providing an optimal way to experience each game.
Kingdom Hearts 4 Screenshots
