Kingdom Hearts: Missing-Link Axed by Square Enix

Square Enix has officially cancelled the mobile game Kingdom Hearts: Missing-Link, announcing the decision today. While the news may come as a surprise to some, many followers of the company are not particularly shocked, given its history of discontinuing projects.

Development on the title began in 2019, with the team conducting multiple closed beta tests on both Android and iOS. In November 2024, an official post on X indicated the game's release would be delayed. This left participants in the closed beta tests somewhat confused, as the project had appeared to be in an advanced stage of development.

Why Did Kingdom Hearts: Missing-Link Get Cancelled?

The development team stated that, despite years of effort, they could not establish a viable long-term plan that would meet player expectations. The intention was to build a live-service experience, but the execution ultimately fell short of their goals.

Missing-Link was designed as a unique GPS-based spinoff, enabling players to explore real-world locations and battle the Heartless using keyblades. It was meant to explore a previously untold chapter of the Kingdom Hearts narrative, sparking interest in how the location-based gameplay would be implemented.

Although Kingdom Hearts enjoys a strong global following, the core concept of this mobile title did not materialize as planned. Instead of releasing an incomplete product, Square Enix made the decision to cancel the project and reallocate resources.

For those who want to see what the game was originally intended to look like, you can watch the trailer below.

But Kingdom Hearts IV Is Still Coming!

The development team is now concentrating fully on Kingdom Hearts IV. After a long period with little information, Square Enix recently provided a minor update. The game was first unveiled in 2022 during the Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary event.

Reportedly, work on Kingdom Hearts IV is progressing steadily. If you're disappointed by the cancellation of Missing-Link, you can take some reassurance in the fact that the core series remains active and in development.

That covers all the details on the cancellation of Kingdom Hearts: Missing-Link. Be sure to check out our next article covering Plug In Digital’s release of the popular board game Abalone in digital form.