If someone asked you today why “Kingdom Hearts” was born, you might think that there must be a vigorous cooperation story behind it. The answer turned out to be: Even the people who nodded back then had forgotten.
In a recent interview, former Disney CEO Michael Eisner was asked why he approved Square to cooperate with Disney to develop “Kingdom Hearts”. Unexpectedly, he answered directly at first: “I don’t remember.” It wasn’t until the reporter reminded him that “it’s the game of Final Fantasy with Disney characters” that he remembered, but then added: “I don’t remember why I agreed.”
The sentence “I don’t remember” made all the players laugh!
According to an interview with Game File reporter Stephen Totilo, Eisner admitted that he had indeed approved the cooperation, but had no memory of the reasons behind the original decision.
This speech also made many players laugh and cry. After all, “Kingdom Hearts” has now become one of Square Enix’s most representative RPG series, and has even launched more than a dozen works. It has a huge world view and die-hard fans. Unexpectedly, it was a nod that changed the fate of the entire series. Now even the person involved can’t explain the reason.
Fortunately, I agreed back then, otherwise the history of gaming might have been completely different.
“Kingdom Hearts” was originally launched in 2002, combining Disney characters with “Final Fantasy” elements. It has since gradually developed into Square Enix’s signature IP. The latest official sequel “Kingdom Hearts IV” is still in development. Looking back now, Eisner may have forgotten the reason back then, but players are probably very lucky that he finally nodded that day.