Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link, the location-based mobile action RPG, has been canceled. However, there's a silver lining for Kingdom Hearts fans, as Square Enix confirmed the team remains "hard at work" on Kingdom Hearts 4.

Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link was set in Scala ad Caelum and promised a new, original story centered on the grand struggle against the Heartless on mobile platforms, initially planned for a 2024 launch.

In an unsigned statement on the game's X/Twitter account, Square Enix extended "heartfelt apologies to everyone who has been anticipating the title." The project was canceled because the company determined it would be "challenging to provide a service that players would find satisfying in the long run." No specific details were given about the difficulties encountered.

"We sincerely apologize to all who have been waiting for the service to begin," the statement continued. "Despite our dedicated efforts in development and fine-tuning to create an enjoyable experience for a broad audience, we concluded that sustaining a service meeting player expectations over the long term would not be feasible, resulting in our decision to halt development.

"We extend our gratitude to everyone who supported and participated in the multiple closed beta tests. We deeply regret having to deliver this news."

Nevertheless, the statement ended on an encouraging note, assuring fans the "Kingdom Hearts series will continue." It added, "We are diligently developing Kingdom Hearts 4 and hope you will keep supporting the series while watching for future updates."

This marks the first official update on the highly anticipated sequel in months, following a brief, enigmatic teaser for Kingdom Hearts 4 last January. Although the game was unveiled with a full cinematic trailer in September 2022, Square Enix has maintained near silence since, and in keeping with series tradition, has left the community eagerly awaiting more information.

Series director Tetsuya Nomura has indicated that Kingdom Hearts 4 will, after 22 years and 18 games, begin steering the overarching Kingdom Hearts narrative toward its finale.