Game-Changing: How the Kingdom Hearts Franchise Shattered Tradition

Highlights

The Kingdom Hearts franchise has consistently released games since its debut in 2002, but there has been a recent silence from Square Enix regarding new content.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the success of Kingdom Hearts 3 may have affected the lack of new releases or updates for Kingdom Hearts 4.

Fans anxiously await the launch of Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link, a mobile game that holds significant lore, but there is no information available regarding its release date. Updates on Kingdom Hearts 4 have also been limited, leaving fans longing for news to sustain the longevity of the franchise.

Kingdom Hearts may appear inconsistent to outsiders, especially due to the 14-year gap between the second and third main series entries. However, this does not accurately reflect the franchise's history. Since its inception in 2002, the Final Fantasy/Disney crossover series has consistently released a number of titles. While not all of them were numbered main series entries, the inclusion of important story content in many side games has led to ongoing expansion of the Kingdom Hearts universe. Recently, however, there has been a noticeable halt in new releases, and Square Enix has provided little explanation for this change.

The Longest Kingdom Hearts Release Gap

In 2023, it will be the first time since the Kingdom Hearts series began that more than two years have passed without a new entry being released. Prior to 2020, there were only four years where no Kingdom Hearts release occurred: 2003, 2006, 2011, and 2018. The reason for this unusually long gap has not been officially addressed by Square Enix or the Kingdom Hearts team, but it is likely that the COVID-19 pandemic has played a role in the absence of recent content. Additionally, the scale of Kingdom Hearts 3 and mixed reception towards its story may have contributed to the lack of new titles or significant updates on Kingdom Hearts 4. It is understandable that the team behind the series would want a break after such a large-scale project, and Square Enix may be considering new possibilities for the future of the series based on feedback from fans and critics.

What's On The Horizon For Kingdom Hearts

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Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link, a mobile game set to bridge the gap between Kingdom Hearts: Union X and Kingdom Hearts: Dark Road, is eagerly awaited by the Keyblade-wielding fanbase. However, as summer 2023 comes to an end, there is still no news of its release on iOS and Android, causing concern among fans. The game underwent beta testing in winter 2022, but since then, Square Enix has remained silent about its availability to the public.

Unfortunately, there is also a lack of news regarding Kingdom Hearts 4. While fans did not anticipate its release at this point, considering the long wait between previous main series entries, they do hope that the wait for KH4 will not be as lengthy and challenging as it was for Kingdom Hearts 3. The initial trailer for KH4 last year sparked excitement, but with no updates in 2023, it appears that the game may still be some time away from a full release. In the past, titles like Birth by Sleep and Dream Drop Distance kept the fanbase engaged and enthusiastic between Kingdom Hearts 2 and 3. Hopefully, new titles will be announced soon to bring fresh content and vitality to the future of Kingdom Hearts.

Kingdom Hearts 4 is in development.