Ethan Crossfield 
Major game announcements at Disney’s D23 convention often connect the company’s film and television franchises with its interactive projects. This year, that crossover put Kingdom Hearts IV back in the spotlight: Square Enix confirmed a late 2027 launch window, introduced Pixar’s Coco as the game’s first revealed world, and announced a Kingdom Hearts anime for Disney platforms.
Coco Opens Kingdom Hearts IV’s World Lineup
The new trailer takes Sora into the Land of the Dead from Coco, where he encounters Miguel and Héctor. The sequence appears to follow the familiar Kingdom Hearts approach of placing Sora inside a Disney or Pixar story while adding an original action-adventure layer. The footage suggests players will revisit recognizable elements from the 2017 film, although the trailer does not confirm whether the movie’s original actors return for voice work.
Sora also wields a Day of the Dead-inspired Keyblade while fighting Heartless. That design gives the new world a distinct visual identity and shows how its cultural setting will influence the game’s combat presentation.
Quadratum and Familiar Heroes Return
Beyond the Coco material, the trailer expands on Quadratum, the modern city that has served as Kingdom Hearts IV’s central setting in earlier footage. It also introduces two previously unseen characters, though the supplied announcement does not identify them.
Mickey, Donald, and Goofy appear in gameplay scenes as they investigate Sora’s whereabouts. Their involvement places the classic trio back in the wider mystery surrounding the new game, while the trailer’s closing announcement establishes that the wait for the fourth mainline entry will continue until late 2027.
A Kingdom Hearts Anime Is Also in Development
Square Enix and Disney additionally revealed Kingdom Hearts, currently a working title, as an upcoming anime series. The project is planned for Disney Channel and Disney+, with Tetsuya Nomura and the game’s creative team involved in production.
No trailer or release window was provided for the anime. For now, the announcement confirms the project’s existence and its intended Disney distribution platforms, but leaves its story, format, cast, and relationship to the games undisclosed.
Key points
- Kingdom Hearts IV is scheduled to launch in late 2027.
- Coco is the game’s first announced world, featuring Miguel and Héctor.
- Quadratum returns alongside new characters and gameplay with Mickey, Donald, and Goofy.
- A Kingdom Hearts anime is planned for Disney Channel and Disney+, without a release date.
Confirmed Kingdom Hearts IV details
| Category | Confirmed information |
|---|---|
| Launch window | Late 2027 |
| Platforms | PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC |
| Revealed world | Pixar’s Coco |
| Main setting | Quadratum |
Expert View
The D23 update signals that Kingdom Hearts IV is moving from early concept reveals toward a clearer commercial rollout, even with more than a year remaining before launch. Coco gives Square Enix a fresh Pixar setting to showcase the series’ familiar world-hopping structure, while the anime announcement broadens Kingdom Hearts beyond games and places the franchise directly within Disney’s streaming and television ecosystem. The absence of an anime release window and the uncertainty around the film’s returning cast also show that important production details remain forthcoming.
