Kingdom Hearts

Disney is finally taking Kingdom Hearts seriously after over two decades, with several announcements and reveals at D23

Disney is reportedly starting to take Kingdom Hearts seriously, with the franchise approaching its 25th anniversary next year and new releases on the way. According to the source, Screenrant, Disney has identified Kingdom Hearts as one of its billion-dollar franchises, and has made several announcements and reveals at the recent D23 Ultimate Fan Event.

Introduction to Kingdom Hearts The Kingdom

Hearts series has held a unique place within Disney, bringing together characters from Disney movies and Square Enix characters from Final Fantasy and The World Ends With You. Despite its huge potential, the franchise has struggled to receive appropriate attention from Disney, but this may be changing.

D23 Announcements and Reveals The D23

Expo featured a Kingdom Hearts "Deep Dive" panel, which delivered several announcements, major reveals, and surprise guests. The panel included Disney and Pixar Games Director of Product Development Nana Gadd, Kingdom Hearts IV co-director Tai Yasue, and series creator Tetsuya Nomura. New details were revealed about the upcoming Kingdom Hearts IV, including an expanded look at the game's original world of Quadratum and new traversal gameplay.

Disney's Understanding of Kingdom Hearts While the D23

Expo highlighted Disney's growing attention to Kingdom Hearts, it also showed a disconnect between the franchise's popularity and the attention it receives. The "Deep Dive" panel was held in a small meeting room, resulting in a long standby line filled with fans. This suggests that Disney may not fully understand the true scale of the Kingdom Hearts fandom.

Potential for Kingdom Hearts

The upcoming Kingdom Hearts anime series could be a significant development in elevating the franchise, offering a new entry point for fans who are not gamers. If Disney can use this anime to tell an easier-to-grasp Kingdom Hearts story while retaining the franchise's identity, it could fundamentally change how the franchise is viewed by the mainstream. Disney has spent too long squandering the potential of Kingdom Hearts, but there is evidence that the company is finally starting to understand its value.

Kingdom Hearts IV is set to release in late 2027 from Square Enix and Disney, with a new anime series in development for Disney+. The franchise's 30th anniversary is also being planned, with several new Disney worlds and characters teased. The game will feature online multiplayer and will be developed using the Unreal Engine 5.

Source: Screen Rant