An upcoming mobile game that has been promised to bridge gaps in the series’ lore, Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link has been anticipated since its 2022 announcement. In the wake of no substantial information about Kingdom Hearts 4 since its initial reveal, what appears to be a mobile companion to that title has been what fans have looked forward to in the interim. Now that it’s been confirmed that Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link has been delayed beyond 2024, however, even more pressure is mounting on this title as the next installment in years.
KH4 was announced at the same time, but Missing-Link has always been billed as a smaller game and was originally set to be playable in 2022. With 2025 approaching and its release nowhere in sight, the official news of Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link being delayed feels expected at this point. While it’s great that Square Enix would want to take more time to develop a solid experience, now being closer to the launch of the upcoming numbered entry has complicated the broader future of the KH franchise.
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An Ongoing History of Delays Has Left the Release of Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link Ambiguous
Being Pushed into 2025 Could Mean Three Years Between Announcement and Launch
After first being shown in April 2022 with news of a closed beta test later that year, the first test was delayed to early 2023 and held exclusively in Japan. Following betas in late 2023 and spring 2024 only made the title’s impending release this year seem more certain, but months of silence came after that most recent test. This didn’t come as much of a surprise to a fanbase that is used to waiting long periods, but it does seem to indicate some changing plans at Square Enix.
For a mobile game, even one with impressive visuals and GPS technology, this is basically an unprecedented development cycle. It’s been a strange business move on Square Enix’s part, as the company has found success in multiple other mobile releases like Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis, and this KH game would certainly do even better than Union X through its real-time combat system and more faithful art style when compared to the main series. Given the possibility that Missing-Link‘s fidelity is being increased behind the scenes, pushing it back may lead to more hype than previously anticipated.
Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link’s Status as the Next Game in the Series Has It Under Inevitable Pressure
Lore Reveals Expected to Rival Union X Dark Road
With the game’s title implying that it will provide connections between KH3 and the vastly different setting of KH4 set to come, Missing-Link has to deliver on the story if it hopes to be well-received. Now that the context provided by the likes of Xehanort’s arc in Kingdom Hearts Union X Dark Road has risen to prominence through a new saga that is being partially built on their characters, the next mobile outing could be one of the most narratively significant titles in the entire series.
If it helps to lay the foundation for a new future based on novel concepts in the Lost Master Arc, the importance of Missing-Link could ultimately be the reasoning behind its delay. In a Young Jump interview with Tetsuya Nomura translated by KH13, the series lead spoke about the new generation of KH being led by two titles that are intentionally disconnected from other games:
“…Kingdom Hearts Missing Link and Kingdom Hearts IV have been created with a stronger focus on being new titles rather than sequels…we have had staff who have not been involved in the Kingdom Hearts series before [participating] in writing the scenario… After all, Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link is better described as a [‘blank history’], so it is also based on the premise that there are things missing.”
Become a Keyblade wielder in the first KINGDOM HEARTS location-based action RPG! Embark on a new adventure uncovering the “blank era” of the KINGDOM HEARTS story. Experience epic 3D action battles, collect Disney character “Pieces,” and team up with allies to defeat Heartless through the power of friendship. Use “GPS-Mode” to play on the go or use “Touch-Mode” from the comforts of your home by teleporting to locations around the world!
