Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner can't remember why he green-lit Kingdom Hearts - Eurogamer.net

What the report says

Eurogamer.net reported that former Walt Disney CEO Michael Eisner said he does not remember why he approved Kingdom Hearts, the long-running collaboration between Disney and Square Enix. The comment came after Eisner appeared in New York on a panel promoting Delphi Interactive, a new video game company in which he is described as a major investor.

According to Eurogamer, Game File’s Stephen Totilo approached Eisner after the panel and asked whether he remembered green-lighting the original Kingdom Hearts pitch. Eisner reportedly did not initially recall the project, only recognizing it after being reminded of the Tokyo pitch and the unusual blend of Disney characters with Final Fantasy figures. The series, first launched on PlayStation 2, has since become one of Disney’s most recognizable video game franchises.

Eurogamer also cited Totilo’s report on comments from Sega COO Shuji Utsumi, who had worked for Disney in Japan when the project was being developed. Utsumi said Kingdom Hearts had been treated as experimental and had not yet been cleared by Disney headquarters, even as Square was actively building it. He recalled being advised by some veteran Disney Japan staff to drop the effort, but said meetings and preparation helped the pitch proceed successfully.

The episode is notable because Kingdom Hearts continued well beyond Eisner’s departure from Disney in 2005, expanding across multiple platforms and installments. Eurogamer noted that Kingdom Hearts 4 is still expected, while the mobile project Kingdom Hearts: Missing-Link was cancelled last year amid concerns it would not meet fan expectations.