Disney's D23 fan event to feature big Kingdom Hearts 'deep dive'

Jul 14, 2026 - 01:02

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Disney's D23 fan event to feature big Kingdom Hearts 'deep dive'

Published Jul 13, 2026, 4:18 PM EDT

Kingdom Hearts' 25th anniversary is getting a special 'deep dive' at Disney's fan event

Image from Kingdom Hearts 3 of Goofy looking mad next to Sora

2026 is turning out to be a big year for Kingdom Hearts fans. With a new Kingdom Hearts collection on the way, a new look at the long-awaited Kingdom Hearts 4, and a rumored Fortnite tie-in, keyblade wielders have plenty to get excited about. Add one more thing to the list: Kingdom Hearts is getting a special "deep dive" at Disney's biennial fan event, D23.

On Monday, Disney announced the lineup for this year's D23, which it describes as "The Ultimate Disney Fan Event." Of interest to Kingdom Hearts fans is a D23 session titled "Deep Dive into Kingdom Hearts" planned for Saturday, Aug. 15. According to the event's official description, D23 attendees will "Join us for a journey through light and darkness as we commemorate 25 years of KINGDOM HEARTS. Discover how this saga united Disney, Pixar, and Square Enix, with insights from the creative minds, character voices, and more behind the magic."

The "Deep Dive into Kingdom Hearts" will take place on D23's Backlot Stage, which will also be home to sessions on the Disney Lorcana trading card game, Bob's Burgers, and the upcoming Bluey movie.

The Kingdom Hearts franchise will mark its 25th anniversary in March 2027, so D23 is celebrating the role-playing game series a few months early. But the D23 event arrives at an interesting time for the franchise. Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts Collection 1-3 doesn't arrive until October, but the latest repackaging of the franchise probably isn't what fans are most hyped about. D23 may instead be an opportunity to learn more about Kingdom Hearts 4 and its new Disney-inspired worlds, which may include Sora and friends heading to the Star Wars universe.

D23 is also taking place just days ahead of the next season of Fortnite, and Kingdom Hearts fans are expecting the Disney fan event to reveal Epic Games' latest crossover. Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 4 is rumored to be entirely video game character-themed, including bringing characters from Kingdom Hearts to the battle royale game.

D23 runs Aug. 14–16, a few weeks after San Diego Comic-Con and just ahead of Gamescom in Cologne, Germany. Perhaps this will turn out to be the summer of Kingdom Hearts, depending on how much Square Enix has to show regarding Kingdom Hearts 4.

Up next is the Kingdom Hearts Collection 1-3, which is coming to Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X on Oct. 8. The collection includes 11 titles from the Kingdom Hearts franchise: