2022 marks the 20th anniversary of the Kingdom Hearts series, celebrating the unlikely video game union of Square Enix and Disney IPs into the well-known JRPG franchise it is today. Even more recently, fans have been able to revel and remember all of the highs of the Kingdom Hearts series with Melody of Memory, which came out just a few weeks ago. However, with the various endings of Melody of Memory, ReMind, and Kingdom Hearts 3 presenting all sorts of cliffhangers, the future of the franchise presents a lot of questions. With a new Kingdom Hearts project planned to release in 2022, the anniversary may bring more than just a celebration.
Recently in an interview, Kingdom Hearts' series director Tetsuya Nomura spoke on the future of the franchise. In the wake of the ever-anticipated Kingdom Hearts 3 and now Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory, it's going to be a long time before the next entry in the series releases. However, Nomura's comments during the interview suggest that a lot of the dots placed within Kingdom Hearts 3 and ReMind's secret endings may be connected. Melody of Memory's ending seemingly confirmed a lot of what players expected, but Nomura seems to infer that subplots in the overarching Kingdom Hearts canon will be resolved.
Even More Kingdom Hearts Canon May Be Coming to an End
Specifically, Nomura intends to use the next mainline entry in the series to "tie up loose story ends" alongside a completely new story, some of which was teased at the end of Melody of Memory. Those loose ends almost certainly involve much of what was teased at the ending of Kingdom Hearts 3: The "Black Box," the return of the Foretellers, the Book of Prophecies, the presence of Xigbar (or Luxu, depending on who you ask), and the Master of Masters. Whatever this new dreaming world ends up being, the one Sora and Riku wake up in during the Kingdom Hearts 3 secret ending, the Master of Masters and/or Luxu is already there.
Xehanort's story closes when Kingdom Hearts Dark Road ends, with only lingering effects of his influence permeating in Melody of Memory. Much of the True Organization 13 is gone with Xehanort, with the exception of Xigbar, who's actually Luxu and working with the Master of Masters. Those two, the Foretellers, and whatever's happening with Yozora in Verum Rex (AKA Quadratum, more on that later) will be the center of the upcoming story. Nomura's comments are pretty strong evidence that the next Kingdom Hearts game is going to solve many of the mysteries unveiled by Union Cross, Kingdom Hearts 3, and the events of ReMind.
That "New Story" Starts with the "Fictional" World
The new storylines coming to Kingdom Hearts are a bit more mysterious. Now, with Melody of Memory, it's much clearer what's going on with Sora and Riku by the end of Kingdom Hearts 3's secret ending. In that same interview, Nomura also mentioned a desire to tell a completely new story in the Kingdom Hearts series, likely referring to what's going on in the "world of fiction" that Riku ventures to. Melody of Memory confirms that the mysterious dark city where Yozora resides is known as Quadratum, a world "that's neither of light nor darkness but somewhere on the other side." It's assuredly safe to assume Kingdom Hearts 3's secret ending takes place in Quadratum.
Quadratum, and whatever role Yozora plays within this world, will either serve as the backdrop or contextualize the new direction for Kingdom Hearts. As for what that looks like, well, that's probably too much for Nomura to spoil before the actual game is unveiled. For right now, it's now much safer to assume that many theories about Kingdom Hearts 3 and ReMind's secret endings are much more credible. The Foretellers and Master of Masters are making their way to this world in between, and in some way Yozora will play a role alongside Sora and Riku in the narrative.
Balancing the Foretellers and Luxu with Quadratum
The only thing that's uncertain now is Luxu and the Foretellers' role in this new story. Will they be the focal point, despite Nomura's desire to explore a new Kingdom Hearts story? In this case, "new" is subjective, so Nomura could strictly be referring to a different way of approaching the overarching lore of Kingdom Hearts. It's very possible this new direction is hinting that Quadratum will be the sole main setting of the next Kingdom Hearts game. Either that, or there will be more Final Fantasy influence this time around. It's clear Quadratum is an overt nod to Nomura's Final Fantasy Versus 13 project, the game that transformed into Final Fantasy 15.
Either way, Fans will need to keep their eyes peeled for more information in the lead up to 2022's anniversary. For as many storylines as Kingdom Hearts 3, ReMind, and Melody of Memory wrapped up for the Xehanort Saga, the next game presents even more questions. That being said, this upcoming 2022 Kingdom Hearts game could play a delicate balancing act between tying off the story threads from Union Cross, whilst also beginning a new story in this "fictional" world of Quadratum.
A new Kingdom Hearts project is in development.