At the D23 convention on August 15, a Kingdom Hearts panel announced that Kingdom Hearts 4 is slated for release in late 2027 and that a new animated series will stream on Disney+. The panel, titled 'DEEP DIVE into KINGDOM HEARTS,' began streaming at 4:30 PM PT and was broadcast on IGN's YouTube channel. Kingdom Hearts, a role‑playing series developed by Square Enix and published by Disney, has been released across multiple consoles since 2002. Prior gameplay footage was shown at the Friday night showcase at the Honda Center the day before the panel.

Guests included Nana Gadd, director of games at Disney's Japan division; Tai Yasue, co‑director of Kingdom Hearts IV; voice actors Haley Joel Osment (Sora) and David Gallagher (Riku); Renée Johnson, a Disney character voice performer; and Miyu Irino, the Japanese voice of Sora. Gadd displayed a scrapbook of early production images, and Osment explained that he adjusts his voice to match Sora's younger tone. Gallagher noted that his earlier role as a protagonist differed from his current portrayal of Riku. Tetsuya Nomura, the series' creator, said development is on track and not expected to be delayed, emphasizing that each game should include at least one unexpected world, particularly those based on live‑action films. He cited The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Little Mermaid as early selections for future worlds, a point confirmed by Gadd.

Yasue described new traversal mechanics for the game's Quadratum setting, including a keychain launch that propels characters over long distances, building jumps, powerline slides, and pole twirls. He said the team spent considerable effort recreating the city's lighting and atmosphere by referencing real locations in Tokyo. Nomura added that Maleficent will play a significant role in the story, and that an original world called DisneyTown, inspired by Disney Parks, will feature a dessert‑themed Dream Festival event with an ice‑cream mini‑game. He also said the gameplay ideas had been planned since Kingdom Hearts III.

An extended trailer shown at the panel expanded on a shorter version previously released at the Honda Center showcase. The full trailer featured Quadratum's futuristic vehicles, Sora using a smartphone before battling Heartless, and a segment where Mickey navigates a paper‑based world creating origami copies that can become paper airplanes. Additional footage showed Riku, Kairi urging Sora to wake up, and combat sequences where Hector uses bones as weapons and Miguel uses a guitar. Nomura said the trailer was longer than the earlier version, and Yasue said the gameplay concepts were realized after years of development.

The panel also announced a Kingdom Hearts animated series for Disney+, though no release date has been set. The discussion highlighted the series' focus on gameplay experience when selecting worlds, and the timeline for Kingdom Hearts 4 remains tentative for late 2027.