Released in Japan on Maand, later, in North America on Septemthe first Kingdom Hearts introduced players to Sora, Kairi and Riku. And, despite being an entirely new IP in 2002, it already had a lot of brand recognition thanks to this ensemble. The Original Kingdom Hearts Hits PlayStation 2įeaturing a mix of characters from the Final Fantasy series, Disney and Pixar’s films and a few originals designed by Nomura himself, Kingdom Hearts has quite the broad appeal. But Sakaguchi stepped in, insisting that the game needed Final Fantasy-level story, world-building and lore. At first, Nomura and his team focused their efforts on Kingdom Hearts’ gameplay, believing the Disney audience would prefer a simple story. Square Enix’s Tetsuya Nomura, who was then-known for his memorable character design work for Final Fantasy VII (1997), offered to direct the project. When Hashimoto had a chance encounter with an executive from Disney in an elevator, he pitched the idea.Ī top-notch game needs the best of the best working on it. Luckily for Square Enix, they shared an office building with Disney’s Japan-based branch at the time.
Photo Courtesy: Square Enix/Disneyįormer Square Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto and Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi wanted to make a 3-D hit like Super Mario 64 (1996), but felt only Disney had characters popular enough to rival Nintendo’s Mario. So, how did the idea for this beloved action RPG come about? Goofy, Sora and Donald in Kingdom Hearts. An Unlikely Duo: The Origins of the Kingdom Hearts Gamesīefore Goofy and Donald teamed up with Sora - the Keyblade-wielding protagonist of the Kingdom Hearts games - The Walt Disney Company and Square Enix formed their own real-life partnership.
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