Will Square Enix Announce Kingdom Hearts 4 Release Date This Summer?

It's been more than three years since Square Enix made Kingdom Hearts 4 public in 2022. The game's first trailer was stunning, showing off a realistic art style and a whole new world that started the Lost Master Arc. It has been very quiet since then, though, and fans all over the world, including those in Japan, are starting to worry more than ever. Even though fans are worried, Square Enix's popular series is still alive and well—they’ve just been very quiet. 

Kingdom Hearts has been without mainline content for the longest time. This is unusual for a franchise known for many spin-offs, mobile games, and experimental releases. Fans were looking forward to updates, trailers, or even a demo leading up to Kingdom Hearts 4. Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory came out in 2020, and Kingdom Hearts Dark Road ended in 2022. Instead, there hasn't been much or any official communication, just a few interviews and short promotional ads.

Fans are wondering what's going on with the game's development since Square Enix first teased it in a way that made it seem like it was further along in the making process. Recently, there was a lot of talk on social media about the third anniversary of the game's reveal. There were even jokes that a "reboot" was more likely than a release.

Even though Kingdom Hearts 4 hasn't been officially pushed back, its long absence from shows or news stories has made fans even more upset. It's especially noticeable that there have been no updates lately since even secret projects like Grand Theft Auto VI have been showing more signs of life.

Along with Kingdom Hearts 4, the location-based AR RPG mobile game Kingdom Hearts Missing Link, which is similar to Pokémon GO, has also been delayed. The game was supposed to come out in 2024, but now it has been pushed back, and there is no ETA for when it will come out. Even though some beta cutscenes have been leaked, most people still can't play the game.

Fans were hoping that Missing Link would serve as a story bridge between Dark Road and Kingdom Hearts 4. This delay has let them down. People in some parts of the world have only been able to access the beta, so most of the community, especially those in North America and Europe, have been left out.

It's not just English-speaking fans who are scared. Many Japanese fans have also used Twitter and news outlets to voice their anger and concerns. One post about the three-year wait for KH4 got over 1.3 million views, showing how popular and unhappy the topic is.

The comments left by Japanese fans reveal different opinions. Some say that KH4 needs a new battle system to attract new players, while others say that the real problem is that the story is getting harder to follow. People are worried that newcomers will feel out of place if they haven't played all the previous games.

Some fans even suggested adding a new main character to the story to make it easier for more people to understand. Longtime fans, on the other hand, said that Sora should stay in charge because she is the heart of the series.

Another opinion that is becoming more popular is that Kingdom Hearts 3 did not provide a satisfactory ending to the "Dark Seeker Saga." Even though the ending, in which Sora seems to disappear, was supposed to wrap up the story arc, it left more questions than answers. This lack of clarity has made fans even more impatient for KH4. They want to know where the story is going next.

As the wait goes on, the excitement is slowly giving way to tiredness. Fans all over the world are starting to say the same thing: just show us something. After the reveal, there was a lot of excitement, but now there is a lot of speculation, memes, and doubt.

It's not unusual for AAA games to have delays like this, but Kingdom Hearts hasn't had any before. The franchise is known for releasing spin-offs and story extensions almost every year, but it has never gone this long without any new content or trailers.

People in the business world have said that Square Enix's long wait may be a strategic choice. Some people think the company isn't going to release the next trailer until it's sure Kingdom Hearts 4 will come out within a year. If this is true, it would be similar to how developers like Rockstar Games do things, who like to reveal things closer to when they come out.

It's not the first time that a major franchise has gone years without talking. For almost ten years, there were no official announcements about Grand Theft Auto VI, which led to memes and worry. When Rockstar finally spoke up, the conversation took a different turn right away.

Kingdom Hearts 4 will likely do the same. When a new trailer comes out with updated gameplay, new worlds, or a firm release date, it might be enough to get people excited again after years of being frustrated. But until that time comes, the community keeps thinking about what might happen, missing the past, and being impatient.

The Kingdom Hearts series is not ending—not at all. However, the lack of information about Kingdom Hearts 4 and Missing Link is making even the most dedicated fans nervous. People all over the world—especially those who have grown up with the series—are waiting for signs that their favorite story will continue. What started as excitement is now on the verge of anger.

But in the end, most fans don't need an exact date or a big reveal. They want and ask for a trailer —a look into what's to come, proof that there is still magic.