The upcoming Kingdom Hearts game, Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link, is set to feature over 20 Disney worlds, marking a new record for the series.
This news comes after TheGamersJoint, a prominent figure in the KH community, and several dataminers uncovered a wealth of information from the May 2024 Data Build.
It might sound a bit wild at first, but it’s worth tempering expectations. Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link isn’t quite what you might think. It’s a mobile game inspired by Niantic’s Pokemon GO. With a Keyblade and your phone’s built-in pedometer, players can explore a fantasy world that’ll feel familiar to long-time Kingdom Hearts fans. We’ve covered Missing Link in more depth in a separate piece here.
There are no confirmed details yet on whether these 20 Disney worlds will include ones we’ve already seen in previous games, but it’s expected that some fresh ones will appear, and they could even serve as a teaser for Square Enix’s next mainline entry, Kingdom Hearts IV.
READ: Waiting For A New Kingdom Hearts Game Is Never Simple or Clean
Fans are already speculating about what new worlds might be unveiled. Some believe this could finally be when Disney and Square Enix introduce a Star Wars world to the series. The safest bet? Tatooine. Kingdom Hearts has tackled desert worlds before, Agrabah and The Pride Lands being prime examples.
In the YouTube video, TheGamersJoint didn’t outright confirm which worlds were found in the data leak. Instead, he hinted at potentially new additions and acknowledged references to content missing or cut from earlier Kingdom Hearts titles.
With this, Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link is shaping up to have the most Disney worlds ever included in a single KH game. For comparison, the original Kingdom Hearts launched with just a handful, though series creator Tetsuya Nomura had originally planned for over 20. Due to development limitations, several worlds, including Toy Story and The Lion King, were scrapped and only introduced in later games. Missing Link seems to be the next in line to receive a bounty of Disney-themed content.
While this may feel like just a small update for Kingdom Hearts fans, it does suggest something concrete: Missing Link is real, and it’s on the way. However, it may not appeal to everyone, as it’s currently limited to mobile. Some fans have already said they’ll likely just watch YouTube videos of the game, much like they did with Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ and Union Cross.
Kingdom Hearts IV is still years off, with no major development updates in sight. For now, players eager to stay caught up on the lore may have no choice but to dive into Missing Link.