Kingdom Hearts 4 Directors Say Next Update Is a Wait Away — but Release Holds for Late 2027
Kingdom Hearts 4 directors Tetsuya Nomura and Tai Yasue have told fans to expect "a bit of a gap" before the next round of information on the long-awaited sequel, speaking in an interview with Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu VGC, 27 August 2026.
The gap is not a delay. Nomura confirmed that Kingdom Hearts 4 remains scheduled for release in late 2027 and that the development team has entered its final stages of production. The game, first announced in 2022, is the next main entry in a crossover action-RPG series that blends original characters with worlds drawn from Disney and Pixar films.
Nomura also teased that something is being planned for the Kingdom Hearts 25th anniversary in 2027, though he stopped short of promising a new trailer. A Kingdom Hearts anniversary exhibition is already confirmed to open in Roppongi, Tokyo, starting 5 February 2027 — a signal that the franchise's milestone year will be marked with more than just the new game.
For fans, that means the quiet period coming now is likely the calm before a busy 2027. The anniversary, the exhibition, and a late-year release window for Kingdom Hearts 4 could all converge.
Behind the scenes, the project is further along than the silence might suggest. Co-director Tai Yasue revealed that the game's Japanese-language voiceover has been entirely recorded, while English voiceover work is approximately 60–70% complete VGC, 27 August 2026. Voice recording tracking that far along is consistent with a game in its later production phase, where asset creation gives way to polish and testing.
The broader Kingdom Hearts lineup is filling out as well. Kingdom Hearts IV is scheduled for release on Nintendo Switch 2 in late 2027 Square Enix. Before that, Kingdom Hearts Collection [I~III] — a bundle compiling the first three mainline games — will launch on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on 8 October 2026 Square Enix.
Beyond games, the franchise is expanding into a new medium. A Kingdom Hearts anime series was announced during Disney's D23 presentation in August 2026 VGC, 27 August 2026. No release window for the anime has been given.
So the picture for Kingdom Hearts heading into 2027 is crowded: a legacy collection arriving in October 2026, an anime in development, an anniversary exhibition opening in February, the 25th anniversary itself, and a new mainline game targeted for late in the year. The directors are simply asking fans to be patient between now and the next proper look.
