Influencers are running with the idea that KH4 is releasing in 2026 because those Ichiban Kuji merch lotteries have taken place every two years… For reference, the previous three happened around KH3, Melody of Memory, and the 20th Anniversary/Dark Road finale.
I definitely believe the one in May this year is to commemorate Missing Link. It’s called Linking Hearts, so that’s pretty obvious. There will likely be another lottery for KH4. But I don’t think the timing is a sign that KH4 will be in two more years… That would put it at 7 years of development time, which seems excessive. If it’s taking longer to develop than more profitable games like VII Remake, then the series is in trouble.