Square Enix has officially identified Creative Studio 1 as the internal studio developing Kingdom Hearts 4, resolving a lingering question about where the long-awaited RPG sits within the company's reorganized development structure. The confirmation places Kingdom Hearts 4 under the broader supervision of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi.
Square Enix was never in question as the developer and publisher of Kingdom Hearts 4, while Tetsuya Nomura and Tai Yasue have remained publicly attached to the project in director and co-director capacities, respectively. What remained unclear was which internal studio was handling development, particularly after Square Enix retired its old business-unit structure as part of a company-wide reorganization that began in 2024. Creative Studio 1 had long been the leading candidate among fans, but its involvement was largely inferred rather than explicitly confirmed, even after Kingdom Hearts 4 returned with new gameplay footage in June 2026.
Hamaguchi cleared up that ambiguity himself in a mid-September 2026 Deadline interview. While discussing Square Enix's plans for 2027, he described Final Fantasy 7 Revelation and Kingdom Hearts 4 as major upcoming releases before adding that "both are being developed in my own studio, Creative Studio 1."
Hamaguchi's...
