At the ongoing D23 convention in Anaheim, a highly anticipated panel dedicated to the beloved Kingdom Hearts series has taken place. IGN is providing live updates from the event, offering a comprehensive look at the latest announcements, reveals, and updates from the Kingdom Hearts team.

The panel, titled ‘Deep Dive into Kingdom Hearts,’ features a star-studded lineup of guests, including Nana Gadd, director of games at the Walt Disney Company’s Japan branch, Tai Yasue from Square Enix, and voice actors Haley Joel Osment and David Gallagher. The event promises to offer a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the games, with insights from the creative minds, character voices, and more behind the magic.

Kingdom Hearts 4, the highly anticipated sequel, is expected to launch in 2027, with development reportedly progressing smoothly. Tai Yasue confirmed that the game will feature new traversal mechanics, mini-games, and gameplay segments, including an original world inspired by the Disney Parks, DisneyTown. This world will be centered around the ‘Dream Festival,’ which features an ice-cream-themed mini-game.

Nomura, the mastermind behind the Kingdom Hearts series, expressed his desire to incorporate ‘at least one unexpected world, especially those based on live-action films,’ into each game. He also revealed that The Nightmare Before Christmas was an early ‘must-have’ world for Kingdom Hearts 1, with Gadd confirming that The Little Mermaid was also one of their first picks due to providing an underwater level.

The extended Kingdom Hearts IV trailer shown at the panel offers a better look at Quadratum, showcasing futuristic, flying vehicles, and Sora using a smartphone before throwing down with some heartless. A Mickey gameplay segment is also featured, with two-dimensional, Link Between Worlds-style gameplay. Players can seemingly take control of Goofy and Donald in segments centered around those characters.

Riku was also shown off in the trailer, with Kairi urging Sora to ‘wake up’ in a voiceover once the trailer was over. Tai Yasue teased some seriously inventive gameplay, saying that Hector uses his bones as nunchucks and projectiles, with Miguel using his guitar to help fight enemies alongside Sora.

Nana Gadd, director of product development at Disney and Pixar Games, and Tai Yasue, co-director of Kingdom Hearts IV, were among the panelists, along with Tetsuya Nomura himself. Nomura expressed his excitement about the upcoming game, stating that it will be ‘a very, very exciting idea.’

King Mickey kicked off the event with a voiceover introduction for the host, Khleo Thomas, who excitedly waxed poetic about his love for Kingdom Hearts before introducing the panelists. Nomura also revealed that The Nightmare Before Christmas was an early ‘must-have’ world for Kingdom Hearts 1, with Gadd confirming that The Little Mermaid was also one of their first picks due to providing an underwater level.

The panelists shared insights into the development process, with Yasue explaining the lengths staff went to in order to translate the city’s lighting and overall vibe to the game, such as walking through Tokyo and taking photos everywhere they went.

Overall, the D23 Kingdom Hearts panel has provided a wealth of information about the upcoming game, including new traversal mechanics, mini-games, and gameplay segments. Fans of the series are eagerly awaiting the launch of Kingdom Hearts IV in 2027.