Kingdom Hearts 4 will be upgraded to Unreal 5 by release and ‘take visuals several levels higher’

The footage shown on Sunday was reportedly running in Unreal Engine 4

Square Enix has reportedly said that the Kingdom Hearts 4 gameplay that debuted on Sunday will be upgraded to Unreal Engine 5 for the game’s final release.

That’s according to a Famitsu report from this weekend’s Kingdom Hearts 20^th anniversary event held in Tokyo, Japan.

According to the publication, the KH4 footage shown in its debut trailer is running real-time in Unreal Engine 4. However, the game’s development team is currently testing Unreal Engine 5 in parallel, it’s claimed.

“The full game will be made with Unreal Engine 5, and the quality of lighting and detail will be several levels higher,” according to Famitsu.

It’s claimed that Kingdom Hearts 4 is being developed by Square Enix’s Osaka studio – the same team behind KH3 – led by co-director Yasushi Yasue.

At the same 20^th Anniversary event, Kingdom Hearts series director Tetsuya Nomura is said to have revealed that he was considering creating a real game based on Verum Rex – a fictional video game featured in Kingdom Hearts 3’s Toy Box world.

The fictional game is set in Quadratum, the same alternate world in which Kingdom Hearts 4 is set to take place.

Nomura reportedly told attendees on Sunday that he was at one point torn between creating a real Verum Rex game and Kingdom Hearts 4, but eventually settled on the latter because it would be difficult to make two console games in parallel.

According to Square Enix, Kingdom Hearts 4 will mark the beginning of an “epic new storyline” titled the ‘Lost Master Arc.’

Players are introduced to the Quadratum, which Square Enix describes as “a large, expansive city set in a gorgeous, realistic world unlike anything ever seen before in the Kingdom Hearts series.”

“We’re thrilled to celebrate the series’ 20th anniversary with the announcement of two new Kingdom Hears titles,” said series brand manager, Ichiro Hazama, in a prepared statement.

“We’d like to thank the fans for all of their support over the years, and we can’t wait for them to experience all that’s to come for Sora.”