A Kingdom Hearts 3 Idea Is Finally Coming to Kingdom Hearts 4, Nomura Says
The series lead did not identify what the idea involves, but said the team can now realize it in the upcoming sequel.
Kingdom Hearts 4 will bring an unused idea from the development of Kingdom Hearts 3 into the upcoming sequel, series lead Tetsuya Nomura said during D23. The team had considered the idea for the earlier game but could not realize it because of unspecified difficulties.
The comment came during the Deep Dive into Kingdom Hearts panel, where developers discussed building worlds from broad concepts rather than following one movie’s plot. They used Disney Town as an example, describing it as a setting inspired by the general feel of Toontown at Disneyland. Working from that kind of concept gives the team more room to define a world’s layout, flow, gameplay gimmicks, and story.
Nomura’s explanation and tease appear in an archived recording of the panel.
Nomura offered the clearest description of the unrevealed idea: “When it comes to the overall game design, for Kingdom Hearts 4 there’s actually an idea that we had since Kingdom Hearts 3, that we weren’t able to realize just because of certain difficulties. But we were able to realize that with this installment. For us, we think it’s a very, very exciting idea and so I do hope people look forward to it.”
The mystery remains open
Nomura did not name the idea or say whether it concerns a new world, a gameplay system, or a story element. The panel’s discussion about concept-driven worlds provides context for the tease, but it did not connect the unrevealed idea to Disney Town or any other particular setting.
Kingdom Hearts 3 launched in 2019, so the idea has remained unused since that release. Kingdom Hearts 4 remains planned for late 2027, and Nomura has addressed delay concerns in separate comments on the launch window. For now, the idea itself remains another part of the sequel that the team has not explained.
What do you think the unrevealed idea could be? Share your thoughts in the comments, and keep up with future coverage through X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
Kingdom Hearts IV
Developed by Square Enix Creative Studio I
