Speaking on Stage Saturday at Disney's D23 Expo, Nomura Addressed Online Doubts Directly

Kingdom Hearts 4 co-creator Tetsuya Nomura has dismissed fan skepticism about the game's late 2027 release window, insisting the action-RPG will launch next year as announced. Speaking on stage Saturday at Disney's D23 expo, Nomura addressed online doubts directly. "We announced that the game is going to be coming late 2027, and I saw online that some people were saying, 'Oh, you know, maybe the actual release date might still get pushed back, Nomura said through a translator.

"I just wanted to set the record straight: That is not happening. The D23 event also revealed that Kingdom Hearts 4 will feature Pixar's Coco, with Sora seen fighting alongside Hector in the new trailer. It was confirmed that Donald and Goofy will be playable characters for the first time in franchise history.

Kingdom Hearts 4 was originally announced over four years ago for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S during the franchise's 20th anniversary in 2022. In June, the game was also announced for Switch 2. The series is one of Disney's nine gaming franchises to generate over $1 billion. It has been over seven years since the last mainline installment in the Square Enix series.