Kingdom Hearts 4 news likely at D23 anniversary panel

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A new look at Kingdom Hearts 4 may be imminent.

Disney has confirmed its plans for D23, a Disney-specific convention that covers movies, TV shows, and anything Disney related. While you can expect updates on a bunch of major projects, there is one project that gamers are particularly interested in: Kingdom Hearts 4. While Disney hasn't explicitly confirmed a new look at the game at D23, it did confirm that there will be an hour-long panel celebrating 25 years of Kingdom Hearts.

"Join us for a journey through light and darkness as we commemorate 25 years of Kingdom Hearts," reads the description for the panel. "Discover how this saga united Disney, Pixar, and Square Enix, with insights from the creative minds, character voices, and more behind the magic."

It would be pretty surprising if they let a celebratory 25th anniversary panel come and go without some news on Kingdom Hearts 4... but this is Square Enix we're talking about. It's not unheard of for this company or franchise to have a missed opportunity to promote a new game. However, it does seem like we're getting fairly close to its release.

Last month, Kingdom Hearts 4 got its first trailer in four years at a Nintendo Direct. While it didn't exactly set the world on fire with any mind blowing new reveals or release date news, it did show that Square Enix is revving up the marketing machine for the game. Perhaps this D23 panel will feature a glimpse at new content in the game or give us a 2027 release window. Either way, we will just have to cross our fingers and hope Square Enix doesn't let us down.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN's news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.