Tetsuya Nomura acknowledged he is facing a decision about retirement and the future of the Kingdom Hearts franchise, saying he is developing Kingdom Hearts IV with the intention of completing its story.
The comments came during an interview published in Young Jump and reported by industry outlets.
Nomura, who co-created Kingdom Hearts and has served as director on entries across the series since the franchise launched in 2002, described a limited personal time horizon and the need to choose whether to retire before bringing the overarching narrative to a conclusion.
In journalistic terms, Nomura said he believes he has only a few years left before retirement and is weighing whether to step away first or finish the Kingdom Hearts saga; he added that Kingdom Hearts IV is being made with the aim of delivering a story he will complete.
Kingdom Hearts is an action-RPG series developed and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney.
The original Kingdom Hearts debuted on PlayStation 2 in 2002 and established a long-running, multi-platform franchise that includes mainline entries such as Kingdom Hearts II (2005) and Kingdom Hearts III (released January 29, 2019 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One), as well as numerous handheld and spin-off titles across Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS and other systems.
Nomura’s role as a central creative lead across those projects is a well-established part of the series’ development history.
The announcement that Kingdom Hearts IV is in development comes against this broader context of Nomura’s long tenure at Square Enix and his deep involvement in the franchise’s story planning.
As with all major updates to the series, official confirmation, release windows, and platform details will come from Square Enix through its own channels.
Fans and industry observers should look to official Square Enix statements and major events such as company broadcasts or presentations for verified release information.
Nomura’s comments underscore both the personal stakes for a creator closely identified with a long-running franchise and the practical considerations studios face when a series’ lead creative signals an approaching retirement.
Square Enix’s future communications will determine how the company intends to steward Kingdom Hearts and any plans for completing its narrative arc.
The comments came during an interview published in Young Jump and reported by industry outlets.
Nomura, who co-created Kingdom Hearts and has served as director on entries across the series since the franchise launched in 2002, described a limited personal time horizon and the need to choose whether to retire before bringing the overarching narrative to a conclusion.
In journalistic terms, Nomura said he believes he has only a few years left before retirement and is weighing whether to step away first or finish the Kingdom Hearts saga; he added that Kingdom Hearts IV is being made with the aim of delivering a story he will complete.
Kingdom Hearts is an action-RPG series developed and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney.
The original Kingdom Hearts debuted on PlayStation 2 in 2002 and established a long-running, multi-platform franchise that includes mainline entries such as Kingdom Hearts II (2005) and Kingdom Hearts III (released January 29, 2019 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One), as well as numerous handheld and spin-off titles across Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS and other systems.
Nomura’s role as a central creative lead across those projects is a well-established part of the series’ development history.
The announcement that Kingdom Hearts IV is in development comes against this broader context of Nomura’s long tenure at Square Enix and his deep involvement in the franchise’s story planning.
As with all major updates to the series, official confirmation, release windows, and platform details will come from Square Enix through its own channels.
Fans and industry observers should look to official Square Enix statements and major events such as company broadcasts or presentations for verified release information.
Nomura’s comments underscore both the personal stakes for a creator closely identified with a long-running franchise and the practical considerations studios face when a series’ lead creative signals an approaching retirement.
Square Enix’s future communications will determine how the company intends to steward Kingdom Hearts and any plans for completing its narrative arc.
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