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- A private event was held in Tokyo, Japan, in celebration of the series' 20th Anniversary
- Kingdom Hearts IV and Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link were announced
- Video recap of the event will be provided at a later date
Teased back in January, Square Enix hosted an event today in Tokyo, Japan to celebrate the series' 20th Anniversary. The event featured a public exhibit of artwork, merchandise, and more from the history of the Kingdom Hearts series. There was also a private event afterwards that was filled with major announcements for the future of the series, including the reveal of two new titles! If you missed the exciting news, we've got you covered!
20th Anniversary art revealed
Artwork from series directory Tetsuya Nomura celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Kingdom Hearts series has been revealed! The artwork, first teased on the series' actual anniversary in late March, features the main cast from the history of the Kingdom Hearts series, including characters from Kingdom Hearts Union χ. While it was revealed during the public exhibit, a completed piece, featuring Sora from the newly-announced Kingdom Hearts IV, was revealed shortly after the private event.
Kingdom Hearts Memory Locker website launched
A new website has been launched featuring comments from several members of the Kingdom Hearts series development staff. The website, called Kingdom Hearts Memory Locker features comments from fifteen staff members, including long-time executive producer Shinji Hashimoto, series composer Yoko Shimomura, and Kairi/Xion voice actress Risa Uchida.
Check out the interactive site here: https://www.jp.square-enix.com/kingdom/20th/event/message/
Kingdom Hearts Dark Road delayed until August
Kingdom Hearts Dark Road now has a new release window. The title, delayed once more in mid-March, will be releasing its final chapter in August 2022.
Kingdom Hearts Dark Road, as previously announced, will remain playable in an offline mode after its final chapter releases. It was original scheduled to release in September 2021, but has been repeatedly delayed since for unexplained reasons.
Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link announced
A brand-new mobile title has been announced for the Kingdom Hearts series, titled Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link. The new title, set to release on iOS and Android, will allow players to experience adventures from Scala ad Caelum in the real world, suggesting some sort of augmented reality-style game. A short announcement trailer featured scenes from Scala ad Caelum, as it was introduced at the end of Kingdom Hearts Union χ.
A closed beta is set to release later this year.
Kingdom Hearts IV announced
The latest major title in the Kingdom Hearts series has been announced in Kingdom Hearts IV. In a trailer released during the private event at today's anniversary event, the game was revealed to be in development. The trailer focuses on Sora as he awakens in Quadratum. The trailer features him fighting what appears to be a Darkside Heartless, though it looks different from how it's been portrayed in the past. The trailer also features Strelitzia, a character introduced in Kingdom Hearts Union χ who was believed to be deceased.
No release date or release consoles have been announced, but the game was revealed to be switching its development to the recently-announced Unreal Engine 5.
The Road Ahead
You can read Square Enix's press release on the event here: here.
Nomura has commented on the announcements with the tweet below:
We sure are excited for the future of the series! Be sure to follow us for more information! If you are interested in helping cover these and future events, be sure to join us by creating an account and joining our Discord!