Kingdom Hearts 4 gets its biggest update in 4 years

Kingdom Hearts fans have become very good at waiting. Square Enix announced Kingdom Hearts 4 in April 2022, only to leave Sora (Haley Joel Osment) stranded in Quadratum for years with very little indication of when we would see him again. Thankfully, the long silence finally broke earlier this summer when the highly anticipated sequel returned with a new trailer.

That footage gave fans another look at Kingdom Hearts 4's combat, its more realistic setting, and the mysterious new chapter awaiting Sora. It still left nearly every major question unanswered, including which Disney worlds will appear and when the game might actually be released. Now, fans officially have another date to circle, and it could bring the franchise's next major update.

‘Kingdom Hearts’ Is Getting Its Own D23 Deep Dive

Kingdom Hearts will have a dedicated presentation at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event on Saturday, August 15. “Deep Dive Into Kingdom Hearts” is scheduled to take place from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. PT at the Anaheim Convention Center. According to Disney's official description, the panel will take fans on “a journey through light and darkness” while commemorating 25 years of the franchise. The presentation will explore how Kingdom Hearts brought together Disney, Pixar, and Square Enix, with appearances and insight from the creative minds and character voices behind the series. Disney has not announced which developers, actors, or other guests will participate in the panel. It also has not explicitly confirmed that Kingdom Hearts 4 will be featured.

Still, holding a full Kingdom Hearts presentation at D23 immediately after the sequel returned to the public eye makes the timing difficult to ignore. The event has also delivered major news for the franchise before. Square Enix revealed the Big Hero 6 world for Kingdom Hearts 3 during D23 Expo 2015, proving that Disney's fan convention can be more than a place for retrospective conversations. The presentation could easily focus on the series' approaching 25th anniversary, which arrives in 2027, along with its music, voice cast, development history, or merchandise. However, Kingdom Hearts 4 remains the franchise's biggest upcoming project, and fans will understandably enter the room hoping for another trailer, a Disney world reveal, or even the release window that Square Enix has so far refused to provide.

D23 will run from August 14 through August 16 in Anaheim, California. The event will also include Disney's larger Entertainment and Experiences showcases, both of which promise new looks and announcements from across the company's biggest franchises. Whether Sora appears during one of those presentations or only during the dedicated panel remains unknown. For now, August 15 is officially the next major date on the Kingdom Hearts calendar.

Kingdom Hearts 4 is in development now. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.