Kingdom Hearts 4 was announced in 2022.

Tetsuya Nomura, the director of Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy 7 Remake, has revealed that he’s contemplating retirement and that he intends to bring the Kingdom Hearts saga to a close.

Nomura, who turns 54 next month, spoke with YoungJump about his career and what lies ahead. When asked about the future of Kingdom Hearts, Nomura chuckled, saying, “I only have a few years left until retirement, so I need to decide whether to retire first or finish the series first.”

He continued, “I’m working on Kingdom Hearts 4 with the aim of wrapping up the story.”

Kingdom Hearts 4 was announced during the 20th anniversary celebration of the franchise in 2022, but little has been revealed since then.

According to Square Enix, Kingdom Hearts 4 will kick off a new storyline called the ‘Lost Master Arc’. This seems to contrast with Nomura’s remarks about his potential retirement, especially considering he’s also managing the ongoing Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy.

In the reveal trailer, players were introduced to Quadratum, a city Square Enix described as “a sprawling, realistic metropolis unlike anything seen in the Kingdom Hearts series before.”

Later in the interview, Nomura discussed this new setting.

“I prefer worlds that are slightly detached from reality, rather than being too fantastical. It’s the same with movies; if a world is too fantasy-based, it’s hard for me to get invested.”

“I like settings that resemble places like Shibuya but are not the actual Shibuya. Instead of pure fantasy, I think ‘unrealistic within reality’ fits the fantasy genre better.”

Source: VideoGamesChronicle