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Today’s deep dive into kingdom hearts panel in D23 It was a real treat for fans, with tons of exciting announcements, reveals, and updates.
It’s been a long time since Kingdom Hearts fans have eaten this well. We probably don’t need to remind you that the last few years have been pretty empty for the beloved series, with both Square Enix and Disney remaining silent about its future. That has finally changed in recent months, with Kingdom Hearts 4 returning to the spotlight.
As good as the Nintendo Direct from a few months ago was, D23 has proven to be the real star of the Kingdom Hearts news show. The series’ rare appearance at the event convinced everyone that big things were going to be revealed, and that actually started long before the Panel dedicated to delving into Kingdom Heartswhich had its own list of big news.
Every Kingdom Hearts announcement at D23 2026
The drought is finally over
Coco is the first confirmed Disney World for Kingdom Hearts 4, and we finally have a release window
Before we delve too deeply into the Deep Dive into Kingdom Hearts event announcements, it’s worth remembering that the first major Kingdom Hearts 4 announcement was made at the Entertainment Panel. A new trailer for Kingdom Hearts 4 confirmed that Coco will have her own world, as well as giving the game a release window of late 2027.
Kingdom Hearts: the series will soon arrive on Disney Plus
The other The biggest announcement of the Entertainment panel was for Kingdom Hearts: The Seriesan anime inspired by the game but that tells an original story in which Tetsuya Nomura participated. We don’t know much about this one yet, but it was certainly the cherry on top of the actual Kingdom Hearts 4 news. And with that, let’s move on to the dedicated KH panel!
We will update this article with each major announcement made on the panel as it happens.so follow us or enjoy catching up if you won’t stay up past midnight like me.
Mickey Mouse just opened the show
You read that right, the Kingdom Hearts panel finally started after a delay with none other than the voice of Mickey Mouse welcoming us all to the show. Let’s get on with this!
Tetsuya Nomura is on the panel!
If you needed any more convincing that this Deep Dive is going to be a big deal, Tetsuya Nomura just came on stage as a surprise guest. It’s confirmed that Kingdom Hearts 4 will be talked about, but first we’ll dive into the past with a question about which Disney franchise needed to be in the series, even if not in the first game. The answer? Nightmare before Christmas, of course. Nomura also mentioned “live-action movies,” which is probably a Pirates reference, but I’m hoping it’s a Star Wars hint.
4-Minute Coco Extended Trailer Shown, Revealing Riku and Playable Donald, Goofy, and Mickey
Gosh, there’s a lot to go through here. We got even more glimpses into Coco’s world, as well as a first look at Mickey’s playable segments. Donald and Goofy will also be playable for the first time in the main series. And to top it all off, we got our first glimpse of Riku in Kingdom Hearts 4 when he shows up to help Sora in Quadratum.
It was also confirmed that Donald and Goofy travel to the Coco world to find Sora, wearing their own unique outfits.
In later comments on the trailer, Nomura confirmed that Maleficent will play a key role in Kingdom Hearts 4. We haven’t seen her yet, but I imagine that means Pete will appear as well.
Nomura teases a feature that has been considered since Kingdom Hearts 3
While talking about the game’s design, Nomura noted that Kingdom Hearts 4 implements an idea that was thought of since Kingdom Hearts 3 but could not be realized due to “difficulties.” I have no idea what that means, but it’s certainly interesting.
Tai Yasue Promises Kingdom Hearts 4 Will Absolutely Release in 2027
If you were worried about Kingdom Hearts 4 being delayed, co-director Tai Yasue said that Kingdom Hearts 4 will be released “100 percent” in 2027 and that development is going very well. He also thanked fans for their patience. Nomura then solidified that release date, so it looks like it’s locked in!
Hopefully that means Kingdom Hearts 4 gets a proper physical release before PlayStation stops producing discs in early 2028.
Haley Joel Osment and David Gallagher are finally here
I was starting to worry that Haley and David weren’t going to show up, but they just took the stage as the second set of guests alongside Disney voice director Renée Johnson. Haley also confirmed that he and David never recorded dialogue together, which is a crazy thing to consider. We also got to see a sweet scrapbook showing David and Haley after the first Kingdom Hearts.
Miyu Irino, Sora’s Japanese voice actor, also recorded a special voice message for D23. What a union of everything important in the series!
David and Haley ended up performing the final scene of Kingdom Hearts 2, allowing them to film together for the first time. I’m not crying, you are. To complete the show, Mickey Mouse ended up making an appearance and taking a selfie with the crowd. Sadly, we didn’t get another world reveal, but the extended trailer and locked release window will certainly keep us fed.
JERS
my
Engine
unreal engine 5
Multiplayer
Online multiplayer
