Michael Eisner, the former CEO of Disney, has stated that he cannot recall the specific reasons behind his approval of the initial Kingdom Hearts video game pitch. Eisner's comments came during a panel discussion in New York for Delphi Interactive, a new video game company in which he is a significant investor.
When approached by Game File's Stephen Totilo after the panel, Eisner initially claimed no recollection of greenlighting the game. His memory was reportedly jogged by discussions of the project's Tokyo pitch and its unique blend of Disney and Final Fantasy characters. The series has since become a global success, with millions of players worldwide.
An anecdote shared by Sega COO Shuji Utsumi, who was working for Disney in Japan at the time, detailed the challenging process of presenting the Kingdom Hearts project for Eisner's approval. Utsumi, then tasked with this responsibility, noted that the project was considered experimental and had not yet received official authorization from Disney headquarters. He also mentioned that Square was already energetically developing the game, which came as a surprise.
Veteran Disney staff in Japan had advised Utsumi to abandon the project, believing it unlikely to be approved. However, through numerous meetings and diligent groundwork with his US-based superiors and team members, the pitch was ultimately successful. Eisner's response at the time was reportedly not one of specific praise, but rather general encouragement to "keep up the good work."
Kingdom Hearts has continued to expand long after Eisner's departure from Disney in 2005. Over the past two decades, numerous installments in the series have been released across various platforms, with the next mainline entry, Kingdom Hearts 4, slated for future release. The series has also experienced some cancellations, including Kingdom Hearts: Missing-Link last year, which its development team feared would not meet fan expectations. Leaked footage of the game's opening, showing astronauts wielding Keyblades against a giant Heartless, has recently surfaced online.