"Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link" Cancelled After Development Struggles, New "Kingdom Hearts IV" Screenshots Revealed
After years of development, beta testing, and a delayed launch, Square Enix has announced that their Kingdom Hearts: Missing-Link mobile game has been cancelled.
May Your Heart Be Your Guiding Key:
- On Tuesday, the official Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link X account shared that the troubled mobile game has officially been cancelled.
- Announced back in April 2022 during Square Enix’s 20th anniversary celebration for the Kingdom Hearts series, the mobile game was intended to serve as a bridge between Kingdom Hearts III and Kingdom Hearts IV.
- Kingdom Hearts IV was also announced during the same event.
- Originally, the game was expected to release in 2024, with a private beta test held in January of 2023.
- The game was delayed from an unannounced date during 2024 to November 2024 before being delayed a second time without a clear release timeframe.
- In the post, the game developers shared a statement announcing the cancellation. The statement can also be found on the official Kingdom Hearts website.
“We have made the decision to cancel the development of Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link.
We wish to convey our heartfelt apologies to everyone who has been looking forward to the start of service.
Although we worked hard on developing and adjusting the game in the hope that it would be enjoyed by lots of players, we determined that it would be difficult for us to offer a service that players would find satisfactory over a long period of time, leading us to the decision to cancel development.
We would like to take this opportunity to express our thanks to everyone who gave us their support and assistance with the multiple closed beta tests. We are truly sorry to have to make this announcement.
The Kingdom Hearts series will continue. We are hard at work on Kingdom Hearts IV, and hope you’ll continue to support the series as you keep an eye out for further updates."
- While Kingdom Hearts fans were incredibly disappointed by the game’s cancellation, Square Enix didn’t wait long to treat fans to some new images of Kingdom Hearts IV.
- Also shared to X, the new screenshots are the first pieces of media released for the game since the first teaser trailer in April 2022.
- In the post, they reiterated that Kingdom Hearts IV is on its way, with developers working incredibly hard to meet fans’ expectations.
- While Kingdom Hearts III was an incredible game, many fans who had waited over 13 years for the mainline saga entry were let down by the game’s strong focus on Disney-themed worlds rather than the integral Final Fantasy tie-ins and storylines.
- Complaints about the combat also flooded through the fandom, claiming the game was far too easy.
- As of now, the only real hints players have for what Disney worlds will arrive in the game series’ fourth mainline entry can be found in the game’s first teaser trailer. So far, it looks like we may see Star Wars enter the Kingdom Hearts universe for the first time.
- With Sora now separated from Donald, Goofy, Riku, King Mickey, Kiari, and the rest of his friends, it will be exciting to watch this game come together.
Read More Video Games: