D23 Deep Dive Into Kingdom Hearts Panel: Everything Announced

Finally, Haley Joel Osment and David Gallagher took to the stage to perform the final scene from Kingdom Hearts II live for the panel audience in a touching moment. Mickey, dressed up like Sora, showed up to take a photo with the voice actors and the audience.

Kingdom Hearts IV to Launch in Late 2027

While no specific date was mentioned, Yasue confirmed that Kingdom Hearts IV will launch in 2027.

“Development is very smooth, it’s a 100% thing. We will get there for sure,” he said.

Nomura went on to say the game will launch in “late 2027,” reassuring fans that this date will not get pushed back.

“One last thing I wanted to share: we announced the game will come late 2027. Online. some people were saying the release date my get pushed back. I want to set the record straight: that is not happening,” Nomura said.

“There’s many things underway, many plans we have underway. Now that we are approaching the 25th anniversary, we’re thinking about what the 30th anniversary [looks like],” he added.

Nomura also confirmed that he is “deeply involved” in the Kingdom Hearts animated series, though admitted that he wasn’t allowed to say much else on the topic.

New traversal mechanics, mini-games, and gameplay segments

Nomura made specific mention of the villains in Kingdom Hearts’ world, saying that Maleficent plays a “very important role” in the story of Kingdom Hearts IV’.

Yasue said an original world in KHIV, DisneyTown, was inspired by the Disney Parks, specifically mentioning the many desserts included in an event called the ‘Dream Festival’ in the game, which features an ice-cream-themed mini-game.

Nomura also mentioned incorporating a “variety of different gimmicks” into the game, saying there was an idea they had since Kingdom Hearts III that they were finally able to realize in this upcoming title, calling it a “very, very exciting idea.”

Yasue went on to mention some unique traversal mechanics coming to Kingdom Hearts IV, specifcally in Quadratum. Players will be able to shoot their keychain to launch themselves forward over large distances, launch themselves off of buildings, slide down powerlines, and twirl down poles.

Getting Quadratum right was a big deal for the team, with Yasue explaining the lengths staff went to in order to translate the city’s lighting and overall vibe to the game, such as walking through Tokyo and taking photos everywhere they went.

Extended Kingdom Hearts IV Trailer Shown at D23 Panel

Nomura admitted that the trailer we saw at Friday night’s Honda Center showcase was a shorter, abridged version of the actual trailer. He showed the full trailer at the panel, which begins the same way as the previous one.

This trailer gives a better look at Quadratum, showing futuristic, flying vehicles, and Sora using a smartphone before throwing down with some heartless.

A Mickey gameplay segment is also shown off, with two-dimensional, Link Between Worlds-style gameplay. Players can also seemingly take control of Goofy and Donald or segments centered around those characters.

Riku was also shown off in the trailer, with Kairi urging Sora to “wake up” in a voiceover once the trailer was over.

Tai Yasue teased some seriously inventive gameplay, saying that Hector uses his bones as nunchucks and projectiles, with Miguel using his guitar to help fight enemies alongside Sora.

Yasue also dove into Mickey’s gameplay segment, where he dives into a book and navigates a paper world where he creates origami copies of himself. There are big, small, and even paper-thin Mickeys, and if you throw him, he turns into a paper airplane. “It’s sort of a puzzle-based game design,” he said.

King Mickey kicks off the Kingdom Hearts Panel with Khleo Thomas

King Mickey kicked off the event with a voiceover introduction for our host, actor Khleo Thomas, best known for his role in Holes. Thomas excitedly waxed poetic about his love for Kingdom Hearts before introducing the panelists: Director of Product Development at Disney and Pixar Games, Nana Gadd, Co-director of Kingdom Hearts IV, Tai Yasue, and Tetsuya Nomura himself!

“Thank you so much for inviting me today. It’s been seeral years, but I finally managed to get myself out here. I actually got here yesterday, but becayuse my apperance was a surprise, I couldn’t show up until now.,” Nomura said, via a translator.

Nomura admitted that he wants each Kingdom Hearts game to contain “at least one unexpected world, especially those based on live-action films.” He also revealed that The Nightmare Before Christmas was an early “must-have” world for Kingdom Hearts 1, with Gadd confirming that The Little Mermaid was also one of their first picks due to providing an underwater level.

“When it comes to worlds …I typically proioritize the gameplay experience above all else,” Nomura continued. “We think about what worlds and which characters would make those the most enjoyable for players. When I do have a chance that we absolutely need to inclued a certain world, I think about how it synergizes overall with Sora’s story, and when considering overall themes, we thought Coco would be the best to help us achieve that goal.”

Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.