Since Kingdom Hearts 3 finally launched back in 2019, fans of the series have been quick to restart the clock for the next numbered release in the long running franchise. However, given the series' history of extending to different systems across the fourteen years between Kingdom Hearts 2 and 3, it's likely that the next game won't be numbered and could be looking to settle in the mobile market.
In the case of mobile gaming, there aren't as many heavy hitters as far as consoles go, with Nintendo's Switch currently standing as the go-to system for gaming on the go. Of course, Square Enix has a long history of putting Kingdom Hearts on Nintendo's mobile consoles, with four titles releasing across three different devices since the very first "spin-off" title launched.
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Looking at the series from a story perspective first, it isn't likely that the continuation of the current predicament Sora has found himself in as a result of the Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind DLC will be the start of the next game. In fact, it looks like Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory will set up a Riku standalone title, with the final goal being to rescue Sora from this newly introduced World of Fiction that the characters have already been sent to. So, with Sora currently out of the picture, there will already need to be another spin-off to come between Kingdom Hearts 3 and 4 before a new adventure can set off with the series' main protagonist.
Outside of the internal logic of Kingdom Hearts, Director Tetsuya Nomura, who has acted as the lead for the series since the very first game, has commented on whether or not the next game will be a numbered title or not. From Nomura's comments in interviews both before and after Melody of Memory released, the director has consistently led players to assume that the next game will be another interim title. Of course, while nothing has been confirmed by Square Enix yet, all signs still point to the next game that releases skipping the numbering system again and acting as a go-between for Kingdom Hearts 3 and 4.
At this point, the Kingdom Hearts series has released more games on mobile devices than there have been titles on major consoles, at least not when counting HD remasters and multi-generation re-releases. Some of these titles, like Dream Drop Distance or Birth By Sleep, still stand as fan-favorites, with many players considering the mobile titles the top tier in Kingdom Hearts ranking lists. This has even led to several of these mobile titles to eventually transitioning to home consoles and PC in the aforementioned HD remixes and remasters.
In the case of the previous installments, however, the wide variety of consoles that these titles released on, including the GameBoy Advance, PSP, Nintendo DS, and 3DS, have been a problem for players trying to follow along as these games launched. An additional two games originally released for mobile devices only in Japan, later released worldwide on updated systems, also locked players out of large portions of the ongoing lore of the series. This has been the most notorious critique for Kingdom Hearts as each of these titles launched, though the introduction of several HD remasters among most major consoles has made the series more accessible now than it has ever been.
One thing that the mobile titles have given Square Enix the ability to do in the past is to expand on the series' combat and leveling mechanics by introducing deckbuilding to Kingdom Hearts. This has given players new ways to customize the ways they fight, in large ways with early titles like Chain of Memories, and in smaller ways in more recent titles like Dream Drop Distance. At its most intrusive, the deckbuilding has determined every single attack that the player is allowed to activate, or merely gives access to spells and abilities on a cooldown timer.
The major benefit this gives to mobile games is that it opens up a new level of content for players to unlock as a result of several hours of gameplay. Collecting these cards, upgrading them, and testing different combinations gives players more to do, even after having already beaten the final boss or Kingdom Hearts' various superbosses. It's the type of time sink and repetition that doesn't often go over well with home console titles, but keeps players engaged for dozens if not hundreds of hours as they wait for the next title to release.
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With the major mobile console on the market today being the Nintendo Switch, this is the most likely place for the next Kingdom Hearts to release if Square Enix wants to continue making these interim titles that supply players with extra content. By including this type of gameplay in a Switch exclusive title, players will have the best of both worlds, with the ability to take the time consuming mechanics on the go or enjoy them at home. Of course, there is always a chance that Square Enix is looking to create a follow up to Union X with a new mobile title, similar to how the Final Fantasy series has seen several entries on smart devices.
While a Kingdom Hearts on smart devices isn't out of the question, keeping the series closer to major consoles would be the best bet for keeping fans invested as the series begins to jump into a new era. Considering the sales of the Switch and the light version of the console that has already been released, this would be one of the best platforms in order to launch a new title on. In fact, the reach of the Switch could be a decent enough incentive to take the whole series to Nintendo's latest console.
As mentioned before, the Kingdom Hearts series is more accessible now than it has ever been, with versions of every game in the series available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with compatibility available with next-gen consoles. So, keeping the HD remixes off the Switch has become a strange omission for the series as it continues to branch out to every other console on the market today. Considering how many of these extra games were originally mobile, they actually run into the issues mentioned above, with the time consuming nature rubbing console players the wrong way.
Additionally, with Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory on Switch, Square Enix has already shown that the new modern look of the series can work on the less powerful console. Admittedly, the two games that have given players a higher resolution view of the characters and worlds were both built on different engines, with Melody of Memory being on Unity and Kingdom Hearts 3 being on Unreal 4. Regardless, both engines still work on the Switch, so there's little reason to not extend the whole series onto the hybrid console so that fans can enjoy the whole series on the go.
Kingdom Hearts 3 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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