Disney Director Nana Gadd talks Kingdom Hearts IV Coco reveal, the world selection process, how the animated series is just the "first step" in expanding the franchise, and more in interview with 4Gamer

Over the D23 weekend, Japanese video game website 4Gamer caught up with the Director Product Development at Walt Disney Japan's Disney & Pixar Games, Nana Gadd, who you might remember was present during the Deep Dive Into Kingdom Hearts panel. In this short but valuable interview, she discusses the excitement she, the team, as well as series co-director Tai Yasue and series creator Tetsuya Nomura felt during the panel, as well as Coco's initial reveal trailers.

Key takeaways covered by Gadd are:

• She reaffirms the teams promise that Kingdom Hearts IV is coming late 2027.

• She follows up on Tai Yasue comments on the criteria for selecting worlds, and that it is not just the movie's popularity or visual appeal they consider, but how also how the team can weave in unique gameplay aspects that make sense to the world, and are fun to play.

• Gadd discusses how the development team values the authenticity of the characters from Disney's IP, as they work closely with them to recreate character details and each world's story with astonishing precision.

• She also discusses how she feels the Kingdom Hearts franchise has been a pioneer in terms of cross-media development, with the concerts and merchandise that were released, describing it as an 'ecosystem'. She also goes on to say about how reaching a milestone like a 25th anniversary is unprecedented, even among other Disney franchises.

You can read the full interview below, thanks to KH13 staff memeber @Ryuji_Shiryu for the translations:

Interviewer: First, I'd like to ask about the presentation during the announcement. The presentation transitioned from the Coco 2 trailer straight into the Kingdom Hearts IV trailer without most people likely even noticing. What was the intent behind that?

Gadd: Because we were announcing a game at a venue meant for announcing movies to Disney fans, the development team at Square Enix really racked their brains on how to do a seamless transition with a “Surprise! This is actually a game!” for the audience. The excitement in the venue when the Heartless suddenly appeared was incredible, and I'm truly happy that it led to the reaction we were hoping for.

Interviewer: I think there was real value in announcing it at this D23, and perhaps the people who experienced that atmosphere and live environment got the maximum effect.

Gadd: Yes. Of course, I knew the timing of the announcement, but it still gave me goosebumps. I think people really enjoyed it. I kind of want to search for and watch the various reaction videos of everyone at the moment of the announcement (laughs). 

Interviewer: Please tell us about the value of Kingdom Hearts within Disney today. What does this franchise, which has continued for 25 years, mean to Disney? What does it mean that it is simultaneously Disney's own IP, but also one that was born from collaboration with Disney? 

Gadd: I definitely think that Kingdom Hearts has become a truly unique and irreplaceable presence even among Disney games. Reaching a milestone like a 25th anniversary is unprecedented and extremely long-standing even within the company. There is, of course, its value as a franchise with fans who have followed this history all along.

What makes Kingdom Hearts truly special in terms of partnership is that, while utilizing our IPs, they are brilliantly fused with Nomura-san's highly captivating storytelling to weave together a single theme. I think it is quite unprecedented as a work undertaking such an approach. And I believe it is the result of continuous effort passed down since the first team was established over 25 years ago, and I think we have been able to weave a history that we truly want to cherish.

Interviewer: As a Disney game, there is a very successful title from Japan, for example, Disney: Twisted Wonderland. It's getting an anime and expanding beyond games as an IP. Kingdom Hearts also has its IP as a game, and is now expanding into animation. What value do you believe this trend holds for Disney? 

Gadd: I am very happy you asked that question. The Disney Games division also places great importance on expanding various “touchpoints” through cross-media development. I think it was precisely Kingdom Hearts that led the way in that regard. While this is a game, it also has concerts, merchandise, and can be enjoyed in truly various forms.

Building on that foundation, even though the genre and target audience are different, Twisted Wonderland and others are steadily expanding in different ways. As the number of successful examples increases, the things we can do also increase, and I think we haven't exhausted our options yet; we want to keep expanding.

Kingdom Hearts has also been around for 25 years, but there are still many things we want to do. I believe the announcement of this animated series is truly just the first step in that.

Interviewer: Is a cycle where there are Disney works, collaborations, and then Disney animated works born from those, something that is heavily emphasized?

Gadd: Exactly. We call this the “ecosystem”. In other words, have all these touchpoints that people can use to interact with the franchise, which in turn, expands the fanbase. We place high value in that.

Interviewer: I see. So we can expect Kingdom Hearts IV to release in late 2027, correct?

Gadd: Yes. That is looking to become our first major milestone.