Sorry Kingdom Hearts Fans, Now is Not the Time to Show More KH 4

However, anyone that has been regularly paying attention to the gaming industry, and specifically what is happening at Square Enix, should know that now would not be the time to show off more of Kingdom Hearts 4. It would be in poor taste to celebrate Square Enix’s future with one of its highly anticipated games, as the company is also forced to face a hash reality of the industry right now.

Last week, Square Enix announced major layoffs across its American and European divisions. Square Enix President used the terms lean and agile to describe the outlook for the company moving forward, but what that means in workforce terms is that a lot of its Western employees lost their jobs. The focus now is on Japanese game development, which likely includes Kingdom Hearts 4, as well as the final chapter in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy.

This is the second round of layoffs for Square Enix in two years. In 2024, the company made cuts to all areas of its Western business, once again prioritizing Japan. Layoffs in the gaming industry have become a regular and frequent occurrence, and a sobering reminder of the instability surrounding an industry that, based on financial numbers, appears to be flourishing. Crystal Dynamics, which was once owned by Square Enix but eventually bought by Embracer, suffered its own round of layoffs just this week, cutting 30 employees.

So, considering the state of Square Enix would have been in poor taste for Square Enix to put a spotlight on Kingdom Hearts 4. Yes, there would have been a ton of excitement, but it also would have felt like a low blow for those employees that just recently lost their jobs.

Admittedly, Square Enix was not a complete no-show for the State of Play Japan, showing off a new trailer for Dragon Quest VII Reimagined. But we know that the game is slated for a release in 2026, so its inclusion in any form of future-facing promotional event makes sense. Looking at the State of Play as a whole, it also felt smaller in scope, and perhaps not the best place for an update on a game as big as Kingdom Hearts 4.

What is the latest news on Kingdom Hearts 4?

As mentioned, there hasn’t been any concrete announcements about Kingdom Hearts 4 since its big debut in 2022. Director Tetsuya Nomura mentioned that development was on schedule just two months ago, but there is no way of knowing what that schedule might entail. At one point, there was a Kingdom Hearts mobile game in development called Missing-Link that was said to connect to the story of Kingdom Hearts 4, but it was cancelled earlier this year.

There have been some major Disney acquisitions in the time since Kingdom Hearts 3, and the expectation is that the worlds in KH 4 will refect those new IP. From Star Wars to Marvel, there is a ton of possibility for the highly anticipated sequel, which also seems to be incorporating real world elements as well. The reveal trailer was made using Unreal Engine 4, but the plan is to use UE 5 for the game, which should bring an even greater visual fidelity to the series.

Square Enix will eventually show more of Kingdom Hearts 4 – it must. With the focus shifting to Japanese development, KH 4, Final Fantasy, and the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy are the major properties that the studio has under its umbrella that have the potential to generate massive sales and right the ship, so to speak.

There have been some questions about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s sales and if they met Square Enix’s expectations. Regardless of if they did or not, Square has said that it is breaking tradition and now making the third title in the Remake trilogy a timed PlayStation exclusive. That news alone suggests that Square Enix wants to shake things up in the hopes of boosting revenue. We’ll see if Kingdom Hearts 4 also follows suit.

For now, though, our hearts are with the former Square Enix employees who lost their jobs this month, many of whom had been with the company for years or decades. It has been a seemingly never-ending cycle of layoffs in the video game industry over the last few years, and there is little sign of things letting up.

Systems

ESRB

e

Engine

Unreal Engine 5

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Franchise

Kingdom Hearts