Kingdom Hearts Is a Billion-Dollar Franchise, Disney Declares Ahead of Hotly Anticipated D23 Panel

Kingdom Hearts is 1 of 9 billion-dollar franchises Disney has nether its video crippled banner.

The quality comes up of a hotly anticipated sheet astatine D23, wherever Disney is expected to speech astir Kingdom Hearts 4.

In a blog post, Disney said its Disney Games Group portfolio “spans 9 billion-dollar franchises including Kingdom Hearts and Marvel Strike Force.” More than fractional of these billion-dollar franchises person travel retired successful the past 12 years.

Disney games person driven an estimated $3.5 cardinal successful user walk annually for the past 4 years — and crossed $4 cardinal this past fiscal year, Disney said. That includes each Marvel games, each Star Wars games, so each games based connected immoderate Disney IP, of which determination are many.

Upcoming Disney games see Marvel’s Wolverine, from Insomniac, the Iron Man crippled from EA’s Motive, and Star Wars Eclipse from Quantic Dream, though determination is simply a unreality hanging implicit the latter. Meanwhile, Disney is besides the rights holder for Respawn’s Star Wars Jedi 3, Creative Assembly’s Alien: Isolation 2, and Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra.

Kingdom Hearts’ sanction connected Disney's billion-dollar database possibly comes arsenic a surprise, fixed however fewer mainline entires person been released since Kingdom Hearts released successful 2002 for the PlayStation 2. It suggests Kingdom Hearts games truly bash merchantability well, and goes immoderate mode to explaining the anticipation for Kingdom Hearts 4.

Speaking of which, a livestream of the ‘DEEP DIVE into KINGDOM HEARTS sheet astatine D23’ volition beryllium disposable connected August 15 astatine 4.30pm PT / 7.30pm ET / August 16 astatine 12.30am UK time. Disney said it volition connection a “behind-the-scenes look astatine the making of the games,” but it’s who’s connected the sheet that has fans excited for what is present expected quality connected Kingdom Hearts 4.

The sheet guests are Nana Gadd from Disney & Pixar Games, Tai Yasue from Square Enix, Haley Joel Osment, who voices Sora, David Gallagher, who voices Riku, and Renée Johnson, who is down the Disney quality voices. With a sheet similar that (Yasue is believed to beryllium co-director of Kingdom Hearts 4), you’d similar to deliberation we’ll get something on the hotly anticipated sequel.

Kingdom Hearts 4 made a astonishment quality astatine the June 2026 Nintendo Direct to uncover a archetypal look astatine gameplay years aft the crippled itself was announced. In a abstracted post, Square Enix confirmed that Kingdom Hearts 4 volition motorboat simultaneously for PC via Epic Games Store and Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, arsenic good arsenic Nintendo Switch 2.

"A caller installment successful the enactment role-playing bid developed and published by Square Enix, Kingdom Hearts 4 gives fans a look astatine immoderate of the characters that protagonist Sora volition conscionable successful the mysterious metropolis of Quadratum," an authoritative statement for the crippled said. "Sora volition erstwhile again travel to realms, wherever caller figures transverse his way and caller powers awaken his adjacent chapter. Kingdom Hearts 4 volition beryllium disposable astatine motorboat connected Nintendo Switch 2."

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].