Square Enix has been known to bide its time with all of its games, but especially with the Kingdom Hearts series. It’s a pretty well known meme among fans that at least two or three spin-offs need to release prior to the next mainline release in the franchise. Of course, that thought process wouldn’t have manifested were it not for the Kingdom Hearts series releasing six spin-offs (without even counting re-releases) between Kingdom Hearts 2 and Kingdom Hearts 3. Many expected Kingdom Hearts 3 was going to be a sort-of finality for the series, but it seems the franchise is still meant to go on rather quickly.
With the series’ 20th anniversary approaching in 2022, series director Tetsuya Nomura has teased some big game announcements are in store for 2022. However, things aren’t necessarily the same at Square Enix now, compared to the last decade. Kingdom Hearts is no longer in spin-off limbo, despite Melody of Memory releasing this fall. Many are expecting the 2022 announcement to be the next mainline Kingdom Hearts entry, in some form, and there’s a few reasons why that’s likely. Considering the ending of Kingdom Hearts 3 ties up a sizable amount of loose ends, there’s already a relatively clear direction for the series’ future at this point.
That being said, the most likely release date for the next game has to be mid-to-late 2022. Nomura explicitly stated that the Kingdom Hearts series would be going dormant for a while after Melody of Memory, leaving some of the story’s cliffhangers up in the air for now. He also stated he’s looking forward to the 20th anniversary to “deliver some kind of good news then,” perhaps hinting at a game reveal of some kind. That could take the form of something like Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, acting as an interquel based on what Kingdom Hearts 3‘s secret ending teased. Although it’s less likely, that could also mean a true mainline sequel as well.
Anecdotally, there’s also just less of a climate for releasing several different spin-offs in the Kingdom Hearts franchise, now more than ever. For one thing, the patience of Kingdom Hearts fans is at a strange middle ground at this point. Theoretically they’re more open to waiting a few years before hearing any substantial Kingdom Hearts news, but that’s under the impression that any subsequent entry would continue the story teased from Melody of Memory‘s ending. Other than the existing mobile games like Union X and Dark Road, there really isn’t much more room for another Kingdom Hearts spin-off, whether it releases in 2021 or later.
There is the tiniest chance that another spin-off game is in the works between now and Kingdom Hearts‘ 20th anniversary, but it’s far less than likely. It’s hard to say what that would even look like, especially after the release of Melody of Memory. Melody of Memory‘s ending directly ties into the teases from Kingdom Hearts 3 and ReMind‘s secret endings. While it’s certainly possible that there’s an angle that fans aren’t aware of yet (Foretellers, Master of Masters, etc.), that likely wouldn’t manifest in a completely different spin-off for next year. If anything, it would likely involve the already-existing prequels like Kingdom Hearts Union X and Dark Road.
It’s also worth mentioning that Square Enix, and more specifically Tetsuya Nomura, both have a lot on their plates for the foreseeable future. While Nomura is known for heralding the Kingdom Hearts series, he’s also the full-time game director on Final Fantasy 7 Remake. That means Nomura is in charge of two Square Enix triple-A sequels in the most popular JRPG franchises of all time. Splitting time and development between both franchises is certainly going to command more of Nomura’s time as the director for both, meaning a spin-off as early as next year just wouldn’t make sense.
Overall, a likely reveal date for the next Kingdom Hearts game would be on March 28, 2022, marking twenty years since the original Kingdom Hearts game released on PS2. From there it becomes a little iffy, but a potential fall 2022 release wouldn’t be too far off base, considering Kingdom Hearts 3 almost released in fall 2018 before being delayed into January.
A Kingdom Hearts sequel is reportedly in development.
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