Kingdom Hearts director teases potential sequel and 20th anniversary plans

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Sounds like Tetsuya Nomura is already planning the next game in the series

Kingdom Hearts 3
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Longtime Kingdom Hearts director and producer Tetsuya Nomura has revealed new details about a next potential game in the series.

Speaking to Dengeki Online (and translated by Gematsu) earlier this week to commemorate the launch of Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, Nomura commented on the future of the Kingdom Hearts series. "I intend to tie up remaining loose story ends but also want to change the format a bit," Nomura said, when asked about unsolved mysteries from Kingdom Hearts 3. "I want to drastically change the world and tell a new story, but also tie up the loose ends."

That sounds like confirmation that Nomura is working on a new Kingdom Hearts game. The producer adds to this, saying that "typically I plan one sequel ahead of whatever that I am working on." If he's wrapped up working on Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, this comment alludes to Nomura already working on the next successive game in the series.

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Of course, Nomura does his best to dissuade these comments as confirmation of a new Kingdom Hearts game. "If we make a Kingdom Hearts game for next-gen consoles, it’s going to be released after many other companies have already released their titles, so I believe we’d have to make something that could compete," he said, before adding that Square Enix absolutely hasn't revealed a new Kingdom Hearts game for the PS5 and Xbox Series X.

Nomura has previously commented a few times on the 20th anniversary of Kingdom Hearts, which is taking place in 2022. The producer has previously only teased information about plans for the anniversary, and he's very much up to the same old tricks here, saying "we’re working to deliver good news, so I hope you’ll keep on eye on us until then."

Considering how long Kingdom Hearts 3 took to release, and how far away the series' 20th anniversary is, it's safe to say we'll be waiting a fair while before hearing concrete details about the future of Kingdom Hearts.

If you're still playing through the latest mainline entry in the Kingdom Hearts franchise, check out our Kingdom Hearts 3 secret ending guide on how to unlock the epilogue.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.