<s>
is	O
an	O
upcoming	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Square	O
Enix	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
will	O
be	O
the	O
fifteenth	O
installment	O
in	O
the	O
Kingdom	B-Application
Hearts	I-Application
series	O
,	O
beginning	O
the	O
"	O
Lost	O
Master	O
"	O
story	O
arc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Set	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Kingdom	B-Application
Hearts	I-Application
III	I-Application
and	O
Kingdom	B-Application
Hearts	I-Application
:	I-Application
Melody	I-Application
of	I-Application
Memory	I-Application
,	O
returning	O
protagonist	O
Sora	O
has	O
become	O
trapped	O
in	O
the	O
life-like	O
world	O
of	O
Quadratum	O
,	O
while	O
his	O
companions	O
Donald	O
Duck	O
and	O
Goofy	O
try	O
to	O
find	O
and	O
rescue	O
him	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
on	O
the	O
next	O
mainline	O
entry	O
after	O
Kingdom	B-Application
Hearts	I-Application
III	I-Application
had	O
begun	O
by	O
January	O
2020	O
,	O
with	O
Kingdom	B-Application
Hearts	I-Application
IV	I-Application
formally	O
announced	O
in	O
April	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
will	O
also	O
bring	O
back	O
the	O
reaction	O
commands	O
from	O
Kingdom	B-Application
Hearts	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
and	O
introduces	O
a	O
new	O
"	O
scrap	O
and	O
build	O
"	O
mechanic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kingdom	B-Application
Hearts	I-Application
IV	I-Application
serves	O
as	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
Lost	O
Master	O
"	O
story	O
arc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
also	O
features	O
Strelitzia	O
,	O
a	O
Keyblade	O
wielder	O
who	O
previously	O
appeared	O
in	O
the	O
mobile	O
game	O
Kingdom	B-Application
Hearts	I-Application
Union	I-Application
χ	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
main	O
characters	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
protagonists	O
of	O
the	O
games	O
Kingdom	B-Application
Hearts	I-Application
Birth	I-Application
by	I-Application
Sleep	I-Application
and	O
Kingdom	B-Application
Hearts	I-Application
358/2	I-Application
Days	I-Application
,	O
are	O
not	O
expected	O
to	O
have	O
much	O
focus	O
in	O
Kingdom	B-Application
Hearts	I-Application
IV	I-Application
,	O
with	O
Nomura	O
also	O
open	O
to	O
finding	O
a	O
"	O
good	O
balance	O
"	O
with	O
regards	O
to	O
including	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
characters	O
that	O
have	O
been	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
Kingdom	B-Application
Hearts	I-Application
III	I-Application
was	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
Dark	O
Seeker	O
Saga	O
"	O
which	O
revolved	O
around	O
Xehanort	O
,	O
it	O
had	O
been	O
decided	O
where	O
certain	O
characters	O
end	O
up	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
potentially	O
continue	O
their	O
stories	O
in	O
future	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ending	O
of	O
Kingdom	B-Application
Hearts	I-Application
III	I-Application
and	O
its	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
(	O
DLC	B-Protocol
)	O
Re	O
Mind	O
saw	O
Sora	O
end	O
up	O
in	O
the	O
city	O
of	O
Quadratum	O
and	O
the	O
appearance	O
of	O
the	O
character	O
Yozora	O
,	O
who	O
was	O
the	O
main	O
character	O
of	O
the	O
in-universe	O
video	O
game	O
Verum	O
Rex	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Quadratum	O
had	O
designs	O
elements	O
that	O
evoked	O
Shibuya	O
from	O
Square	O
Enix	O
's	O
franchise	O
The	B-Application
World	I-Application
Ends	I-Application
with	I-Application
You	I-Application
as	O
well	O
as	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
Versus	I-Application
XIII	I-Application
,	O
which	O
eventually	O
was	O
reworked	O
to	O
become	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
XV	I-Application
,	O
while	O
Yozora	O
's	O
design	O
was	O
similar	O
to	O
Noctis	O
Lucis	O
Caelum	O
,	O
the	O
main	O
protagonist	O
of	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
XV	I-Application
,	O
and	O
part	O
of	O
his	O
appearance	O
mimicked	O
an	O
early	O
trailer	O
for	O
Versus	B-Application
XIII	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Commentators	O
believed	O
series	O
director	O
Tetsuya	O
Nomura	O
,	O
who	O
was	O
also	O
the	O
director	O
of	O
Versus	B-Application
XIII	I-Application
before	O
it	O
was	O
reworked	O
,	O
was	O
planning	O
to	O
implement	O
some	O
of	O
his	O
ideas	O
from	O
that	O
game	O
in	O
a	O
future	O
Kingdom	B-Application
Hearts	I-Application
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2020	O
,	O
Nomura	O
said	O
Versus	B-Application
XIII	I-Application
and	O
Verum	O
Rex	O
were	O
"	O
completely	O
different	O
"	O
but	O
an	O
"	O
unexpected	O
development	O
"	O
between	O
the	O
two	O
was	O
occurring	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
confirmed	O
the	O
Shibuya	O
in	O
Quadratum	O
was	O
unrelated	O
to	O
that	O
in	O
The	B-Application
World	I-Application
Ends	I-Application
with	I-Application
You	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
he	O
revealed	O
that	O
there	O
were	O
two	O
new	O
development	O
teams	O
,	O
separate	O
from	O
those	O
that	O
worked	O
on	O
the	O
Re	O
Mind	O
DLC	B-Protocol
and	O
the	O
Union	O
χ/Dark	O
Road	O
team	O
,	O
working	O
on	O
Kingdom	B-Application
Hearts	I-Application
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2022	O
,	O
Square	O
Enix	O
revealed	O
Kingdom	B-Application
Hearts	I-Application
IV	I-Application
was	O
in	O
development	O
during	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
20th	O
anniversary	O
celebration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
being	O
developed	O
by	O
Square	O
Enix	O
Business	O
Division	O
3	O
,	O
the	O
same	O
Osaka-based	O
team	O
that	O
developed	O
Kingdom	B-Application
Hearts	I-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
with	O
Tai	O
Yasue	O
serving	O
as	O
co-director	O
,	O
and	O
Masaru	O
Oka	O
and	O
Akiko	O
Ishibashi	O
joining	O
Nomura	O
to	O
write	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wesley	O
Leblanc	O
of	O
Game	O
Informer	O
felt	O
Nomura	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
realize	O
his	O
vision	O
for	O
Versus	B-Application
XIII	I-Application
with	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
the	O
"	O
Verum	O
Rex	O
side	O
of	O
the	O
franchise	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
called	O
the	O
inclusion	O
of	O
Donald	O
and	O
Goofy	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
trailer	O
a	O
way	O
to	O
reassure	O
players	O
that	O
the	O
Disney	O
elements	O
of	O
the	O
franchise	O
would	O
continue	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kingdom	B-Application
Hearts	I-Application
IVs	I-Application
theme	O
was	O
described	O
by	O
Nomura	O
as	O
the	O
contrast	O
between	O
the	O
inhabitants	O
of	O
Sora	O
's	O
original	O
world	O
believing	O
the	O
inhabitants	O
of	O
Quadratum	O
are	O
fictional	O
and	O
vice	O
versa	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2022	O
,	O
Nomura	O
revealed	O
that	O
the	O
mobile	O
game	O
Kingdom	B-Application
Hearts	I-Application
Missing-Link	O
would	O
be	O
connected	O
to	O
Kingdom	B-Application
Hearts	I-Application
IV	I-Application
explaining	O
that	O
there	O
were	O
"	O
some	O
figures	O
that	O
appear	O
"	O
in	O
Missing-Link	O
that	O
were	O
tied	O
to	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
IV	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Conversely	O
,	O
characters	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
world	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Donald	O
and	O
Goofy	O
,	O
continue	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
shaders	O
and	O
designs	O
introduced	O
in	O
Kingdom	B-Application
Hearts	I-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
with	O
Nomura	O
stating	O
if	O
Sora	O
were	O
to	O
return	O
to	O
his	O
world	O
,	O
his	O
look	O
would	O
revert	O
.	O
</s>
