Kingdom Hearts 4 Development Moves to Final Fantasy VII Remake Studio

Kingdom Hearts IV is being developed within Square Enix’s Creative Studio 1, the division led by Final Fantasy VII remake director Naoki Hamaguchi. Hamaguchi confirmed it in an interview with Deadline published on September 11, 2026, saying that both Kingdom Hearts IV and Final Fantasy VII Revelation “are being developed in my own studio, Creative Studio 1.”

What Hamaguchi confirmed

The comment is short but significant. Creative Studio 1 is the part of Square Enix responsible for the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy, including Remake, Rebirth and the upcoming Revelation, which launches on April 8, 2027. Placing Kingdom Hearts IV in the same division puts two of Square Enix’s biggest action RPG projects under one leadership structure.

Hamaguchi did not say he is directing Kingdom Hearts IV, and he did not describe changes to the game’s creative team. Tetsuya Nomura, who created the series, has led Kingdom Hearts IV since its reveal, and nothing in the interview indicated a change to that role. The confirmation is best read as clarity about where the game sits inside Square Enix rather than a change of director.

Kingdom Hearts IV so far

Kingdom Hearts IV was announced in April 2022 during the series’ 20th anniversary event. The reveal trailer introduced Quadratum, a realistic city inspired by Tokyo, with Sora waking up in an apartment there. It marked a clear visual shift from the Disney-inspired worlds of earlier games, and Square Enix confirmed the game is being built in Unreal Engine 5.

The game follows Kingdom Hearts III, which released in January 2019 and closed the long-running Dark Seeker saga. Since the 2022 reveal, updates have been infrequent, which has led to fan frustration, although the game has remained in active development. It is currently expected to launch in 2027.

What Creative Studio 1 brings

The remake trilogy showed that Hamaguchi’s division can deliver large, high-budget action RPGs on a steady schedule, with Remake in 2020, Rebirth in 2024 and Revelation set for 2027. Its work on real-time combat that still supports party tactics, detailed character animation and large explorable areas maps closely onto what Kingdom Hearts needs, especially with Quadratum’s more realistic setting.

Why it matters

For Kingdom Hearts fans, the news offers reassurance that the game sits inside one of Square Enix’s most productive teams, rather than being an isolated project. After years of long gaps between updates, knowing where the game is being made is a useful signal about its priority.

For players following both series, it also means the Final Fantasy VII and Kingdom Hearts teams share leadership as Revelation nears release. Square Enix has not yet given a firm release date for Kingdom Hearts IV, so the best next step for fans is to watch for new footage and official platform and date announcements through 2027.