After years of anticipation, Square Enix has finally released Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth as the second entry in the Final Fantasy 7 remake project. Following this release, there are a couple of major titles Square Enix has in development that have only been teased thus far, including Kingdom Hearts 4 and Dragon Quest 12. Now that Square Enix's big Final Fantasy titles have been released, Kingdom Hearts 4 and Dragon Quest 12 are likely to be the next major releases from the company, but their status is still unknown until more information about them is revealed.

The Final Fantasy series has dominated Square Enix's release schedule for the past few years, with Final Fantasy 7 Remake released in 2020, Final Fantasy 16 released in 2023, and now Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth released in 2024. As a result, some of the developer's other popular franchises have seemingly fallen by the wayside, leaving fans of series like Kingdom Hearts and Dragon Quest in limbo awaiting their next entries. With the wave of new Final Fantasy releases having passed for the moment, the stage is set for both Kingdom Hearts 4 and Dragon Quest 12 to have their grand re-reveals.

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Fans Can Likely Expect News About Kingdom Hearts 4 and Dragon Quest 12 Soon

The last mainline Kingdom Hearts entry predates Square Enix's recent run of Final Fantasy games, with Kingdom Hearts 3 releasing back in 2019. Although the spin-off title Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory was released the following year, it was a much more niche rhythm game compared to the mainline titles Final Fantasy had been receiving. Dragon Quest is in a similar position, with spin-offs like Dragon Quest Treasures and Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince being released in the time since Dragon Quest 11 launched in 2018.

The next mainline entries in these series have been confirmed to be in development for some time now, with Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate officially announced in 2021, and Kingdom Hearts 4 revealed in 2022. However, both of these titles were announced with brief teasers, leaving a lot of room for fans to speculate in the years that have passed without additional information being shared. Now that these titles appear to be the next major releases from Square Enix, it seems likely that more information will be shared about them soon as development approaches completion.

Predicting Which Square Enix Title Will Release First

With both Kingdom Hearts 4 and Dragon Quest 12 in roughly the same position as each other, it might be difficult to determine which title will be the first to be released in the coming years. However, Kingdom Hearts 4 seems to be a bit further along in its development than Dragon Quest 12, since, despite being initially revealed a year after Dragon Quest 12's announcement, Kingdom Hearts 4 showcased actual game footage, while Dragon Quest 12 only showed a title and logo. Additionally, recent comments from series composer Yoko Shimomura suggest she is currently scoring the game, meaning it is likely approaching the final stages of development.

Comparatively, very little has been revealed about Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate beyond its title and that it will be a more action-oriented title with a darker tone than the series has seen in the past. While some fans might be eager to see some of the final works done by the late Akira Toriyama, longtime series artist and character designer, Dragon Quest 12 still seems to be a little ways off. While Dragon Quest 12 could make a surprise appearance at an upcoming event like Summer Game Fest 2024, Kingdom Hearts 4 seems more likely to be Square Enix's next blockbuster release.

Kingdom Hearts 4

Franchise

Kingdom Hearts

Platform(s)

PS5 , Xbox Series X|S

Developer(s)

Square Enix

Publisher(s)

Square Enix

Genre(s)

RPG , Action