Wasbir Sadat
- Tetsuya Nomura confirms Kingdom Hearts 4 remains on track for a late 2027 release, while revealing major lore details, a mysterious character and an enormous script.
- Nomura also commented on his recent presence at the game's presentation.
- For newcomers, Nomura admitted that there’s a ton of lore in the mobile entries, which can make Kingdom Hearts hard to follow.
Tetsuya Nomura confirms Kingdom Hearts 4 remains on track for a late 2027 release, while revealing major lore details, a mysterious character and an enormous script.
Kingdom Hearts 4 fans have received another sizable update thanks to the latest interview with series director Tetsuya Nomura and Tai Yasue. The talk provided new info on the RPG under development, including how far along it is, several characters from the mobile games, the mystery Dandelions organization, and the size of the game's screenplay.
The biggest takeaway is that Kingdom Hearts 4 is still on track for a second-half 2027 release. Nomura confirmed the release date would not be delayed, despite concerns about production and the late arrival of the current Coco video. But the developers are still quite picky about the game's quality, and according to Nomura, the team is currently entering the final push.
Nomura also commented on his recent presence at the game's presentation.
He was apparently convinced to attend the event in person and was distraught after witnessing the audience's reaction firsthand. The occasion underscored just how much the show still means to its longtime creator and the viewers who have been with it for years.
Then the talk moved on to some deeper lore in Kingdom Hearts 4. A character getting a lot of attention is Sigurd, a character who had been previously seen in Kingdom Hearts Union X and Kingdom Hearts Dark Road. Nomura didn’t conceal his love for the character, and the crew said Sigurd's popularity has been building internally.
The devs have hinted that Sigurd is a different kind of character than the others we've seen in the series, and that he will be extremely important. The voice actor hasn't been announced yet, but Nomura praised the performance, saying the actor gave the character more than the team had imagined.
The interview also looked at the role of the Dandelions. The group is linked to the government of Quadratum, the bizarre realm where Sora awakens, in Kingdom Hearts 4. Sora and the other Keyblade wielders who enter Quadratum will deal with the Dandelions, possibly establishing another important group in the game's ever-growing, complex story.
For newcomers, Nomura admitted that there’s a ton of lore in the mobile entries, which can make Kingdom Hearts hard to follow.
To fix this, a staff member who worked on the X series has been brought in to Kingdom Hearts 4 as a scenario proofreader. His job isn’t to write the plot, but to make sure the new content meshes with the established history.
The unknown staff member apparently helps explain the combined Kingdom Hearts storyline to Disney using graphics and also examines the script for conflicts with previous games. His participation is especially essential as Kingdom Hearts 4 is said to borrow substantially from the events and characters of the mobile titles.
The interview's biggest surprise may be about the game’s script. Nomura said that the script for Kingdom Hearts 4 is just under double the size of Kingdom Hearts 3’s. That doesn't mean the game will take twice as long to complete, but it strongly suggests Square Enix has added a huge amount of dialogue, explanation, and story to the sequel.
This could mean Kingdom Hearts 4 finally resolves some of the questions posed by the previous installments while still adding even more characters, worlds, and concepts. With the Dandelions, Quadratum's administration, Sigurd, and the ongoing impact of the X-era games, the tale looks primed to get even more grandiose.
Nomura also said that information releases will now be less frequent. With trailers released through Nintendo Direct and D23, the team is putting a lot of energy into finishing development. Another appearance at events like Tokyo Game Show is still up in the air, but fans may get another look at the game at a big show later on.
For now, Nomura’s message is clear: Kingdom Hearts 4 is aiming for the latter half of 2027, with work moving into its final stages. With a storyline over twice the size of Kingdom Hearts 3 and a story that dives deep into the franchise's most convoluted lore, the next chapter might be the series' most ambitious yet.
