Square Enix Admits It Reveals Games Too Early, Starting With KH4 Focus
Don’t stress, Kingdom Hearts fans—Square Enix says it knows it tends to show games far too early, and it’s now taking a hard look at how it handles announcements and marketing.
If Kingdom Hearts players have learned anything over the last decade, it’s that “eventually” is doing a lot of work. Kingdom Hearts 3 was first revealed back in 2013, then took until 2019 to arrive—an interval of roughly six years. Now that same pattern is creeping back in: Kingdom Hearts 4 was initially unveiled in 2022, and four years have passed since, with only two trailers so far.
Kingdom Hearts isn’t the only franchise caught in this loop. Square Enix has also developed a reputation for pulling the curtain on big projects from its major series long before release. Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest have both seen their share of long gaps between installments, but the recent signals from the company suggest it finally recognizes that its strategy can backfire.
Square Enix Admits It Has an Early-Announcement Problem
New Kingdom Hearts 4 Trailer Sparks Hope, But the Timeline Conversation Matters
Square Enix recently circulated a transcript from its yearly shareholders’ meeting, and the discussion included some notable answers related to game preservation. There was also a question that got sidestepped concerning Dragon Quest 12: Beyond Dreams and difficulties during development. As highlighted by Twitter user Stealth40k, the meeting also touched on the company’s habit of long development cycles and early reveals.
“I’m not coping, I’m just getting a new high score.”
The person asking the question pointed to the extended gap between announcement and release for mainline entries in both Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, arguing that this “long window” makes consumer excitement fade. They then pushed Square Enix to outline clearer timelines. In response, the company acknowledged that the current situation is both “an issue” and a “challenge.”
To be fair, Kingdom Hearts is arguably the clearest example of just how stretched Square Enix’s waits can get, so it’s a little surprising it didn’t come up directly in the question.
Even with that history, Square Enix says it has a direction to move in. The company stated it is currently “revisiting” its plan for announcements and marketing. It also argued that its decision to reveal Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World isn’t too far from its release, stressing that improving marketing is “vital” in order to keep player attention and sustain interest.
In other words, Square Enix seems to be acknowledging that it can’t keep announcing games and then go quiet for years without new material. The silver lining for fans is that both Kingdom Hearts 4 and Dragon Quest 12: Beyond Dreams have recently received fresh trailers, which could indicate they’re closer than the timelines alone would suggest—especially if the company is serious about avoiding long stretches of waiting.
With costs rising, fewer exclusives, and no physical media, it’s worth asking what the point is of something like the PS6.
