Summary
TheKingdom Heartsgames have become one of Square Enix’s biggest franchises, as it blendsFinal Fantasywith the iconic characters of Disney. This action-adventure RPG has been a long-running series, which has left many wondering whereKingdom Hearts 4is. Since its announcement in 2022, any substantial updates onKingdom Hearts 4have yet to see the light of day, but that isn’t the only game in the franchise that has seemingly been left in the dark.
In addition toKingdom Hearts 4,Kingdom Hearts: Missing Linkis nowhere to be seen.Missing Linkwas announced in honor of the 20th anniversary of the series. Taking inspiration fromPokemon GO,Missing Linkis a GPS-based mobile game that has players traveling all around the world. Things were looking promising forMissing Link, but a long run of silence and missing a perfect release window raises some questions about the state of the game’s production.
Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link May Be Stuck in Development Hell
No New Updates Do Not Bode Well For Missing Link
The last trailer forMissing Linkwas released around nine months ago, and there has been nothing but silence since then. Despite the silence,Missing Linkhas hosted Closed Beta testsfor lucky players in the past, so there is at least some semblance of a game that has been produced. There have even been Beta participants who have come forward on Reddit, claiming that the game is indeed functional.
However, the biggest issue regardingMissing Linkis that the game has missed its perfect release window. Although the most recent trailer for the game states that players don’t have to actually go outside to play, summer seems like the perfect moment to release a GPS-focused RPG title.Pokemon GOfirst launched in July 2016, which was the best time to introduce the game. Players were easily able to go outside and begin the hunt for Pokemon, and it was a frenzy. However,Missing Linkdidn’t jump at the chance to launch over the summer, and that spells trouble.
Now that the perfect release window has come and gone, the future ofMissing Linkremains unknown. Although GPS games aren’t for everyone,Missing Linkis an intriguing concept, so it’s a bummer to see the best release time pass with no word on its progress. This is by no means the first mobileKingdom Heartsgame, but the games feel like the perfect franchise to take advantage of thePokemon GOformula, since adventure is such an essential theme of the series.
Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link’s Future is Uncertain
Unfortunately, as it stands, the possibility ofMissing Linkreleasing any time soon seems like a pipe dream. There are some exciting concepts that many have been looking forward to, likeMissing Link’s character creator. Getting the opportunity to create one’s own character in the world ofKingdom Heartswas a fun idea, but it may not happen if the game isn’t able to fight its way out of its development hell. It’s not out of the ordinary for games to be announced and go a long time without updates, butMissing Linkseemed like it was on the verge of releasing. The sudden silence is a bad sign, but hopefully it is simply a production hiccup.
Now,Missing Linkwill have to wait until next year if its developers want to release the game at the perfect time. There are a lot ofhopes forMissing Link, but right now, the biggest wish is for its developers to announce why its development has gone silent.
