Next year marks a quarter-century since Kingdom Hearts first captured our imaginations. What began in 2002 as a daring experiment—blending the worlds of Disney with the narrative depth of Square Enix’s Final Fantasy—has blossomed into a global phenomenon. Disney is preparing to jumpstart the festivities early with a dedicated “Deep Dive into Kingdom Hearts” session at this year’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.
D23 serves as the grand stage for Disney’s biggest revelations. While this year’s schedule is packed with retrospectives on animation legends like Beauty and the Beast and highly anticipated glimpses at upcoming blockbusters such as Avengers: Doomsday, the gaming front has been relatively quiet. Despite the absence of updates regarding Skydance’s Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra or Motive Studio’s Iron Man project, the official D23 lineup confirms that Kingdom Hearts will command the spotlight.
The event description promises an immersive “journey through light and darkness,” offering fans an intimate look at the saga’s legacy. Attendees can look forward to insights from the creative visionaries and voice actors who breathed life into this iconic series, exploring how the franchise successfully united Disney, Pixar, and Square Enix.
While the panel appears framed as a nostalgic retrospective, there is persistent speculation that we might receive a fresh update on Kingdom Hearts IV. The title recently surprised the industry with an appearance during a Nintendo Direct, where it was confirmed for a simultaneous launch across PC and consoles, including the upcoming Switch 2. We won’t have long to wait for answers, as D23 is set to run from August 14 through August 16.
In the meantime, you can revisit the debut Kingdom Hearts IV trailer, learn about its development in Unreal Engine 5, or catch up on our comprehensive review of Kingdom Hearts III.
What are you most excited to see from the Kingdom Hearts panel at D23? Share your predictions in the comments section below!
