After years of radio silence onKingdom Hearts 4, Square Enix recently announced the unfortunate news that the mobile spin-off title,Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link, has been canceled. Although the hype aroundKingdom Hearts Missing-Linkwasn’t near that of the next mainline game, its cancellation is still disappointing for those anticipating any newKingdom Heartscontent. For as disappointing as it may be,Missing-Linkbeing canceledmay not be the end for some of the ideas and lore contained within the game, as they could still make their way intoKingdom Hearts 4.
Missing-Linkhad already been shaping up to be a controversial title well before its cancellation, with its location-based,Pokemon GO-esque gameplay marking a drastic break from the series' traditional formula. To add to this, reports from the game’s beta testers painted a messy picture that would likely have caused the game to need even more time in the oven than it had already gotten, potentially pushing the launch ofKingdom Hearts 4out even further. Even with the potential flaws ofMissing-Linkwritten on the wall,Kingdom Heartsmobile games are nothing if not important sources of lore, which will need to make their way into the franchise one way or another.
Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link’s Cancellation May Have a Silver Lining
All Attention is Now of Kingdom Hearts 4
WithMissing-Linkno longer in the pipeline,Kingdom Hearts 4is the sole entry in the franchise on the horizon for the foreseeable future. This puts all the pressure onKingdom Hearts 4to live up to the expectations of being the first game in theLost Masters arcwithout the support ofMissing-Linkto fill in the gaps of the Blank Era. Originally,Missing-Linkwas supposed to depict this era of Scala ad Caelum set between the events ofKingdom Hearts Union XandDark Road, two stories foundational for understanding the Lost Masters arc.
Heading intoKingdom Hearts 4without supplementary lore fromMissing-Linkmeans that the game will have to find a way to catch players up on important events they would have seen in the canceled mobile game. No entry in theKingdom Heartsseriesis skippable when it comes to getting a complete picture of the franchise, as each one includes important details about the series' greater lore, despite how small they may seem. So, even thoughMissing-Linkmay have appeared to be a simple mobile spin-off, it was likely more crucial to the story ofKingdom Hearts 4than many may have assumed.
Kingdom Hearts Missing-Linkwas said to feature certain figures who would appear inKingdom Hearts 4, potentially setting up more backstory forcharacters like Strelitzia, who is set to play an important role in the upcoming game.
Kingdom Hearts 4 Could Still Weave in Lore from Missing-Link
WithoutMissing-Linksetting the stage for certainKingdom Hearts 4characters and events, the game itself will have to manage this task on its own. As such, it’s likely that important parts ofMissing-Link’s story will be incorporated intoKingdom Hearts 4. This could mean thatKingdom Hearts 4could end up with even more content than originally planned, which could be a huge win for players wanting to jump intoKingdom Hearts 4without having to invest in a live-service mobile game to get tidbits of lore.
TheKingdom Heartsseries already has the perfect in-universe device to inject these important pieces of lore intoKingdom Hearts 4, too. Ansem’s Reports, or the Secret Reports inKingdom Hearts 3, chronicle important elements of the history and mythos of theKingdom Heartsworld framed as journal entries from Ansem, Xehanort, or othermembers of Organization 13. It’s easy to see how a similar collectible could be used to flesh out the background lore ofKingdom Hearts 4that would otherwise have been delivered throughMissing-Linkusing journal entries of a new major character within the Lost Masters arc.
