Tetsuya Nomura Hints at the Series’ Culmination with Kingdom Hearts 4Kingdom Hearts 4 Will Feature a Story Reset, Said Nomura
The future of the Kingdom Hearts series appears both captivating and potentially definitive, according to a recent interview with series creator Tetsuya Nomura. As fans eagerly anticipate Kingdom Hearts 4, Nomura offered insights suggesting the next chapter could be a significant turning point for the franchise.
In an interview with Young Jump, translated by KH13, Nomura disclosed that Kingdom Hearts 4 is being developed "with the intention of it being a narrative that leads to the conclusion." While this doesn’t guarantee the series will end with this installment, it positions the game as potentially the final saga in the Kingdom Hearts story. The upcoming game initiates the "Lost Master Arc," a fresh narrative that will enable both new and veteran players to engage without needing extensive familiarity with prior intricate storylines.
"If you recall how Kingdom Hearts III concludes, you'll understand that Sora ends up that way because he's ‘resetting’ the narrative," said Nomura. "So Kingdom Hearts IV should be more accessible than before. I believe that if you enjoy the series, you'll feel like 'this is it', but I also hope that as many new players as possible will experience it."
"Both Kingdom Hearts Missing Link and Kingdom Hearts IV have been developed with a heightened emphasis on being novel installments rather than continuations," Nomura informed Young Jump. "For instance, as a novel endeavor, we've included personnel previously uninvolved with the Kingdom Hearts series in scenario writing. Naturally, I will oversee the final product, but I don't envision it being framed as a project requiring completion in the sense that a writer unfamiliar with the 'Kingdom Hearts' series is establishing a new foundation."
However, while Nomura’s creative vision has been essential to the series’ success (and often, bewilderment), he has confirmed that he is considering retirement in a few years. Before retiring, though, he poses a challenge to himself: "If this isn't a dream, then I only have a few years left until I retire, and it's looking like: will I retire or will I complete the series first?"
New Arc, New Beginnings
"From each perspective, perceptions differ," Nomura stated, per VGC's translation. "To Sora, Quadratum's a fictional underworld, unlike reality. Yet, to Quadratum's residents, it's reality; Sora's world is the fictional realm."
Nomura, in a recent Young Jump interview, clarified that this Tokyo-esque world, possessing a dreamlike aura, isn't entirely novel; he conceived it during the first game's development.
"With regards to Kingdom Hearts IV, players are definitely going to see a few Disney worlds in there," Nomura told GameInformer back in 2022. "Since each new title, the specifications have been really increasing, and there’s so much more we can do in terms of graphics, it kind of limits the number of worlds that we can create in a sense. At this time, we’re considering how to approach that, but there will be Disney worlds in Kingdom Hearts IV."
While it’s a shame to see a reduction in the number of Disney worlds Sora will explore in the next entry—a core element of the series since its inception—Nomura’s decision to simplify the worlds could lead to a more concentrated narrative, which would help alleviate the complexity that has occasionally overwhelmed players in previous installments, even if legal considerations aren’t the main factor.
