Summary
Haley Joel Osment, the actor that has voiced Sora since the originalKingdom Heartsgame launched in 2002, didn’t know thatKingdom Hearts 4had already been announced by Square Enix. Square Enix first announcedKingdom Hearts 4two years ago as part of its celebration of the franchise’s 20th anniversary.
TheKingdom Hearts 4reveal trailershows Sora waking up in Quadratum, a realistic city that looks unlike anything that’s really been featured in the franchise before. Sora then fights a giant kaiju-sized Heartless, and the trailer ends with the confirmation that classic companions Donald Duck and Goofy will be returning. A few other details aboutKingdom Hearts 4’s gameplay have been revealed since then, but otherwise, Square Enix hasn’t revealed a ton about the new game just yet.
It seems as though Square Enix hasn’t even reached out to the game’s potential English voice actors yet, as Haley Joel Osment didn’t even know thatKingdom Hearts 4had been officially announced.In a recent interview with IGN, Osment said that there were “rumors” ofKingdom Hearts 4, indicating that he did not know that it had been revealed. After telling Osment thatKingdom Hearts 4had already been announced, IGN also brought up how it was recently said thatKH4would be the beginning of the end of the franchise’s story.
Kingdom Hearts Actor Haley Joel Osment Comments on KH4 Being the Beginning of the End of the Story
Osment said that he believesKingdom Heartscreator Tetsuya Nomura will be able to end the story “in a satisfying way” and that not dragging out the series"beyond where the creator wants it to go" would be “the best thing to do.” However, just becauseKingdom Hearts 4is the beginning of the endof the franchise’s current story, that doesn’t mean that it will go away completely. Not only that, but considering how long it took to tell the story ofKingdom Hearts' first story arc,KH4could very well be followed up by numerous other games before things finally reach their conclusion.
Fans shouldn’t take Haley Joel Osment not knowing aboutKingdom Hearts 4as a sign that he’s being replaced as Sora’s voice actor. In the same interview with IGN, Osment said his voice work happens at the end of the development process. Considering this, and the fact thatOsment has voiced Sora for over two decadesat this point, it would be a shock if hewasn’tbrought back forKingdom Hearts 4. Replacing Osment would likely cause an uproar, and so fans can count on him returning as Sora when the time comes.
Kingdom Hearts 4
Kingdom Hearts 4 is an action RPG developed by Square Enix and represents the fifteenth installment in the franchise. Players once again are put in the shoes of Sora who is suddenly trapped in a more realistic world called Quadratum, with companions like Donald and Goofy attempting to rescue him. Kingdom Hearts 4 is a direct sequel to Kingdom Hearts 3 and Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory.
