Sora gets skull paint, a marigold Keyblade, and a firm launch window as Disney and Square Enix finally deliver big news at D23.
Fans waited four years for real movement on Kingdom Hearts IV. On August 14 and 15, 2026, D23 delivered it in one surge: a Coco-inspired world, a late 2027 release window across major platforms, and the greenlight for an original anime series.
Coco Brings the Land of the Dead
The new trailer opens in the colorful afterlife of Pixar’s Coco. Héctor warns Miguel about the “Final Death” that claims the forgotten. Heartless crash Miguel’s performance of “Un Poco Loco.” Sora appears in Día de los Muertos skull face paint, joins the fight, and claims a new Keyblade styled with guitars, bones, and marigolds. He teams with Miguel and Héctor in the Plaza de la Cruz.
Benjamin Bratt is confirmed to reprise Ernesto de la Cruz. The world follows more of the film’s story than some earlier Pixar entries, a first for the series.
Late 2027 Confirmed — And Firm
The trailer ends with the long-awaited window: late 2027. Platforms are PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, Microsoft Store). Wishlist pages are live.
At the follow-up Deep Dive panel, co-director Tai Yasue stressed development is “100 percent” on track. Series creator Tetsuya Nomura shut down delay talk: “That is not happening. We are launching in 2027.”
An extended trailer adds more: Donald and Goofy searching the Underworld (including a chat with Hades), Mickey exploring a paper world in Scala ad Caelum, and Sora interacting with Strelitzia and Sigurd in the realistic Tokyo-like hub of Quadratum.
Anime Series Joins the Party
Disney also greenlit Kingdom Hearts (working title), an original anime series for Disney Channel and Disney+. Developed with Nomura and the Square Enix team, it will tell a brand-new story that expands the universe rather than adapt the games directly. No studio, cast, episode count, or premiere date was given.
The timing lines up with the franchise’s 25th anniversary in 2027. After years of sparse updates, the series suddenly has a clear path forward — and a vibrant new world that feels like a perfect fit for Keyblade combat and emotional stakes.
Kingdom Hearts fans finally have dates, footage, and more stories on the way. The wait just got a lot more colorful.
AI Disclosure: This article was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools and was reviewed and edited by the Glowls News editorial team before publication.