Sorry Kingdom Hearts fans, now is not the time to show more KH 4

When Sony announced the state of the game aimed at Japanese developers and partners, expectations were high that we would finally see more Kingdom Hearts 4. Over 5 years since the game began development and 3 years since it was formally announced, little has been revealed since the first trailer.

However, anyone who pays regular attention to the gaming industry, and specifically what's going on at Square Enix, should know that now is not the time to show off another Kingdom Hearts 4. It would be tacky to celebrate Square Enix's future with one of its highly anticipated games such as the company is also now forced to face the hash reality of the industry.

Last week, Square Enix announced major layoffs across its US and European divisions. Square Enix's president used the terms lean and agile to describe the company's outlook going forward, but what that means in terms of the workforce is that many of its Western employees have lost their jobs. We now focus on Japanese game developmentwhich probably includes Kingdom Hearts 4as well as the last chapter in Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy.

kingdom-hearts-4-world-maybe-cheque-cashing-kh3-couldn't-earn

This is it the second round of layoffs for Square Enix in two years. In 2024, the company made cuts in all areas of its Western business, 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, according to financial numbers, appears to be booming. Once owned by Square Enix but eventually bought by Embracer, Crystal Dynamics suffered its own round of layoffs just this week, laying off 30 employees.

So given the state Square Enix is in, it would be in bad taste for Square Enix to point it out Kingdom Hearts 4. Yes, there would be a lot of excitement, but it would also feel like a low blow to those employees who just recently lost their jobs.

Granted, Square Enix wasn't a complete no-show for State of Play Japan, showing off a new trailer for Dragon Quest VII Reimagined. But we do know that the game is slated for a 2026 release, so including it in any form of future promotion makes sense. Looking at the state of the game as a whole it also seemed smaller in scope and maybe not the best place to update a game as big as Kingdom Hearts 4.

What's the latest news on Kingdom Hearts 4?

As mentioned, there have been no concrete announcements Kingdom Hearts 4 from its big debut in 2022. Director Tetsuya Nomura mentioned that development was on schedule just two months ago, but there's no way of knowing what that schedule might entail. At one point there was The heart of the kingdom a mobile game in development called Missing-Link that was rumored to tie into the story Kingdom Hearts 4but it was canceled earlier this year.

Since then, there have been several major Disney acquisitions Kingdom Hearts 3, and the worlds in KH 4 are expected to reflect these new IPs. From Star Wars to Marvel, there are plenty of possibilities for the highly-anticipated sequel, which also appears to include real-world elements. The reveal trailer was created using Unreal Engine 4, but the plan is to use UE 5 for the game, which should bring even greater visual fidelity to the series.

Square Enix will eventually show more Kingdom Hearts 4 – must. With a focus on Japanese developments, KH 4, Final Fantasyand Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogies are the major properties under the studio's umbrella that have the potential to generate massive sales and right the ship, so to speak.

There were some questions about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's sales and whether they met Square Enix's expectations. Regardless of whether they did or not, Square said it was breaking with tradition and now making the third title in the Remake trilogy a timed PlayStation exclusive. This news alone indicates that Square Enix wants to shake things up in hopes of increasing revenue. We'll see if Kingdom Hearts 4 also follows.

For now, though, our hearts go out to the former Square Enix employees who lost their jobs this month, many of whom had been with the company for years or decades. It's been a seemingly endless cycle of layoffs in the video game industry for the past few years, and there's no sign of it slowing down.