Square Enix Finally Breaks Silence On Kingdom Hearts 4, Shares Screenshots, Says It’s ‘Dedicated to Making this an Experience That Lives Up to Your Expectations’

Square Enix has reaffirmed yesterday’s roundabout confirmation that Kingdom Hearts 4 was still on the way in a brand-new message posted to social media that, complete with images, leaves no doubt.

Yesterday, Square Enix revealed Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link, the GPS-based action-RPG for mobile, had been canceled, but took the opportunity to assure Kingdom Hearts fans that the developer was still “hard at work” on Kingdom Hearts 4.

“We’re currently working hard on Kingdom Hearts 4 and will continue pouring ourselves into the game’s development. We’re dedicated to making this an experience that lives up to your expectations!” said the first of two posts alongside a collage of several screenshots that not only show us some of the characters you can expect to meet, but also a sneaky peek at some stills from cinematics, combat, platforming, and an intimidatingly large enemy.

You can check out the images in the slideshow below:

“We’ve seen how excited you are, and we are truly grateful from the bottom of our hearts,” the second post added. “We are equally excited and can’t wait to share more about Kingdom Hearts IV when the time is right. Until then, we appreciate your patience. Thank you for your continued support.”

This is the first official update about the highly-anticipated sequel fans have had in months, the last being a tiny, cryptic tease for Kingdom Hearts 4 back in January. Despite being revealed in September 2022 with a full cinematic trailer, developer Square Enix has since gone incredibly quiet. Until now, of course.

Kingdom Hearts series director Tetsuya Nomura has, however, previously hinted that Kingdom Hearts 4 will, after 22 years and a whopping 18 games, finally shift the Kingdom Hearts narrative towards its conclusion.

As for the aforementioned canceled action-RPG Missing-Link? Square Enix “convey[ed its] heartfelt apologies to everyone who have been looking forward” to it, but it canceled the project because it was “determined that it would be difficult […] to offer a service that players would find satisfactory over a long period of time.”

Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.