Kingdom Hearts fans awoke to some bittersweet news today as Square Enix announced it has canceled the Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link mobile game that has been in development for the past couple of years. The good news is the studio is committed and "hard at work" on Kingdom Hearts 4.
Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link was a mobile action RPG first announced by Squae Enix in April 2022 at the same anniversary event that Kingdom Hearts 4 was also announced. The game was designed as a GPS-based experience where plaeyrs would explroe the world through their mobile devices. It was set in the world of Scala ad Caelu and was intended to fill the narrative gaps between previous games in the series.
The game was originally slated to launch in 2024 which obviously didn't happen. Now Square Enix has officially canceled it.
"We have made the decision to cancel the development of KINGDOM HEARTS Missing-Link," Square Enix wrote on the game's official website. "We wish to convey our heartfelt apologies to everyone who has been looking forward to the start of service."
The statement goes on to explain: "Although we worked hard on developing and adjusting the game in the hope that it would be enjoyed by lots of players, we determined that it would be difficult for us to offer a service that players would find satisfactory over a long period of time, leading us to the decision to cancel development."
Square also thanked everyone who participated in the multiple closed beta tests.
It wasn't all bad news for fans though. In the same statement, Square Enix confirmed that Kingdom Hearts will continue as a series and that they are "hard at work on Kingdom Hearts IV." The developer urged fans to keep an eye out for further updates, but did not offer a timeline for when we will see or hear more about the highly anticipated game.
Kingdom Hearts 4, also announced back in 2022, has been described by Square Enix as a brand new adventure that will kick off the "Lost Master Arc." The game will once again follow Sora and his friends Donald and Goofy. The first trailer for Kingdom Hearts 4 was revealed more than three years ago, but we haven't seen or heard much about the game since then. Square teased the following synopsis at the time of the game's reveal:
After the climactic events of KINGDOM HEARTS III and its Re Mind DLC, fans have wanted to know: ‘What’s next for Sora?’ As the trailer reveals, the Keyblade wielder is back - and in a new setting we’re all excited to learn more about.
What we do know is that Kingdom Hearts 4 will be set in Quadratum, a large, expansive city that resembles the realistic world, or more specifically, Tokyo. Beyond that, all we know is that the game could serve as a narrative reset, making it more accessible to new players who may not have played the previous games in the series.
Kingdom Hearts 4 has not official release date, but many believe it could launch in 2026.