Latest news with #KINGDOMHEARTSMissing-Link
Digital Trends
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link cancelled, but there's a silver lining for fans
Kingdom Hearts fans are witnessing one door closing and another opening up — literally. Square Enix has announced that Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link, the mobile spin-off title that was being developed for Android and iOS, has been cancelled. The company made the announcement in a statement shared on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday explaining its decision to cancel the game, which was set in Master Xehanort's hometown of Scala ad Caelum between the events of Kingdom Hearts Union Cross and Kingdom Hearts Dark Road. Square Enix said it would be hard to serve up a Kingdom Hearts live-service game that fans would enjoy for a long time despite its best efforts to fine-tune its development and hold multiple closed beta tests, causing the game to be delayed more than once. The release of Missing Link was last delayed to the end of 2024, but that has since passed. Recommended Videos The statement reads in part, '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.' An important announcement regarding KINGDOM HEARTS Missing-Link. — Official KINGDOM HEARTS Missing-Link (@KHMLink_NA) May 14, 2025 The rest of the statement reveals a silver lining that Kingdom Hearts 4 is still in development. The sequel to Kingdom Hearts 3, which would kickstart The Lost Master Arc, was announced alongside Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link during the franchise's 20th Anniversary event in Japan on April 10, 2022. However, Square Enix only released the announcement trailer, which finds Sora taking on a real-world form (sort of) in a city inspired by modern-day Tokyo, and went radio silent on updates for the game for the last three years. Kingdom Hearts 4 has yet to receive a release date.
Newsweek
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
The Next Kingdom Hearts Game Just Got Cancelled
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors The next game in the popular Kingdom Hearts series has just been cancelled, after a lengthy development period and middling reception to early beta tests failed to yield a favorable outcome for the game. A player character pointing a keyblade at a slightly open door, light pouring out, in Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link A player character pointing a keyblade at a slightly open door, light pouring out, in Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link Square Enix In a post on the official Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link X (formerly Twitter) account, developer Square Enix revealed that it has cancelled the development and release of the mobile game. The developer said that it had been hard at work trying to adjust the game to account for player feedback, but ultimately concluded that it would be difficult to provide a product that lived up to the standards expected from players. 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. An important announcement regarding KINGDOM HEARTS Missing-Link. — Official KINGDOM HEARTS Missing-Link (@KHMLink_NA) May 14, 2025 The company ended its message by confirming that Kingdom Hearts 4, the next main game in the series, is still in active development, though it stopped short of giving any more details about the game. Kingdom Hearts 4 was first confirmed to be in development in 2022, and few details have been revealed about the game since its announcement. Spinoff game Missing-Link was supposed to introduce characters and concepts that would lead into Kingdom Hearts 4, and it's currently unknown whether or not that content will be incorporated into other games following its cancellation. Missing-Link itself was a game for Android and iOS that was split up into two sections, exploration and combat. The exploration aspect of the game would see players exploring real-world locations, which were represented with a map in-game like Pokémon Go, while combat sections played similarly to the main series. The game also featured loot boxes filled with character trophies based on Disney properties, which would give abilities to the player character and could be upgraded over time. No release date has been set for Kingdom Hearts 4.
Express Tribune
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Square Enix cancels Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link and shifts focus to Kingdom Hearts IV development
Square Enix has officially announced the cancellation of Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link, its GPS-based action RPG originally planned for iOS and Android. First announced in April 2022, the game underwent a closed prototype test in January 2023. Originally slated for a 2024 launch, the game was delayed indefinitely in November last year. An important announcement regarding KINGDOM HEARTS Missing-Link. — Official KINGDOM HEARTS Missing-Link (@KHMLink_NA) May 14, 2025 In a statement released by the development team and shared by Gematsu on May 14, Square Enix expressed regret over the decision, offering apologies to fans who had been anticipating the game's release. 'Although we worked hard on developing and adjusting the game… we determined that it would be difficult for us to offer a service that players would find satisfactory over a long period of time,' the company stated. The developers also extended thanks to players who participated in the closed beta testing phases and supported the project during its early stages. The cancellation comes despite extensive development efforts aimed at creating a mobile experience tailored for long-term player engagement. Despite the setback, Square Enix reaffirmed its commitment to the Kingdom Hearts franchise. Development on Kingdom Hearts IV remains ongoing. The company assured fans that the series remains a priority, stating, '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.' No new details or release timeline have been shared for Kingdom Hearts IV at this time.
