Kingdom Hearts series directorTetsuya Nomura had a rare interview with Young Jump Magazinethis week in which he shared some new details about the upcoming fourquel. Most notably, Kingdom Hearts 4 is being designed as a jumping-on point for newcomers as well as the start of a new saga. Nomura also explained that this new storyline is being made with the intent to eventually conclude the series. Nomura says he’s planning on retiring in the next few years, and that he’s often asked about whether or not he’ll finish the series. This is his answer.
This is the first we’ve heard about the end of the series, and having not translated the interview myself, I’m taking all of this with a grain of salt. While Nomura is a prolific game director, Kingdom Hearts is his creation and the series he’s most associated with these days. It wouldn’t be shocking to see the series end when Nomura does eventually put down the pen, but I also think that would be entirely unnecessary.
It’s not uncommon for Japanese game directors to achieve a level of authorship that makes it feel like the franchise they create belongs to them. This exists to some extent in the West too. We treat some directors as auteurs of the franchises they helped create, like Peter Molyneaux and Fable, Cliff Bleszinski and Gears of War, and Ken Levine and Bioshock. But all of those games have or will have sequels without the involvement of their creators. No one would ever suggest there shouldn’t be a Doom game if John Carmack isn’t directing it, but people say that all the time about Masahiro Sakurai and Super Smash Bros.
Kingdom Hearts fans say that about Nomura too, and based on this interview, it seems like it may be the case that Kingdom Hearts will end when Nomura says it does. I can get where someone is coming from when they say Metal Gear without Hideo Kojima isn’t really Metal Gear, but it’s not the same with Nomura and Kingdom Hearts. He’s already playing with toys from someone else’s toy chest. Why should he get to padlock the chest and chuck it into the ocean once he’s done using it?
I don’t want to undermine Nomura’s work at all. Kingdom Hearts is one of my favorite series and the one I’ve spent the most time with throughout my life. It’s made a huge impact on me, and I have a lot of respect for Nomura’s commitment to it over the last two decades. I appreciate that he has a vision and I’m grateful he’s willing to put off his retirement to ensure he gets to end his story the way he wants to, but I don’t see any reason why that should be the end of Kingdom Hearts. Mickey Mouse didn’t die with Walt Disney, so why should King Mickey retire with Nomura?
Maybe it would be different if Kingdom Hearts was the kind of series that had been masterfully architected from the beginning with a 20-year plan that could only ever end one way, but having played these games all my life, I think it’s pretty clear that Nomura and his collaborators are making it up as they go along. That’s not a knock on the director - this is practically how all games are made and I never wanted or expected the Disney crossover RPG to be The Dark Tower. Nomura has a signature storytelling style and a creative mind that has shaped Kingdom Hearts from the beginning, but the world of Kingdom Hearts is so much bigger than just one person.
