Following its announcement in 2022, official updates for Kingdom Hearts IV have been few and far between. Though franchise fans are no strangers to waiting for information and, subsequently, game launches, Square Enix wanted to update fans on how development is progressing and provide a few new screenshots.
The update came via the official Kingdom Hearts X accounts. Both the English and Japanese accounts shared multiple screenshots combined into one image. The smaller screenshots are the same, but the large header screenshots differ depending on the account.
The screenshots were accompanied by a message from the development team. “To our Kingdom Hearts community,” the post reads, “We’re currently working hard on Kingdom Hearts IV and will continue pouring ourselves into the game’s development. We’re dedicated to making this an experience that lives up to your expectations!”
“We’ve seen how excited you are, and we are truly grateful from the bottom of our hearts,” the account continues in a subsequent post. “We are equally excited and can’t wait to share more about Kingdom Hearts IV when the time is right. Until then, we appreciate your patience. Thank you for your continued support.”
While the large screenshots are action shots of Sora in combat, the smaller visuals released by the Kingdom Hearts team tonight feature what appear to be cinematics and an enemy. However, one intriguing screen seems to indicate that Mickey could be playable, unless it’s just an unconventional camera angle.
Kingdom Hearts IV was initially announced via a franchise 20th anniversary trailer in April 2022, but outside of an exclusive interview with Game Informer two months later, series creator and director Tetsuya Nomura and his team have remained quiet regarding updates. The most recent numbered entry in the franchise, Kingdom Hearts III, arrived in 2019, garnering widespread critical acclaim, including a 9.5 out of 10 from Game Informer. We do not currently know when Kingdom Hearts IV will be released.
