Former Walt Disney CEO Michael Eisner says he does not recall why he approved the Kingdom Hearts pitch from Square Enix. Game File reporter Stephen Totilo interviewed Eisner at a panel connected to Delphi Interactive, where Eisner is an investor. When asked whether he remembered giving the go-ahead for Kingdom Hearts—released on PlayStation 2 in 2002—Eisner replied, “No.” Totilo later reminded him that the pitch came from Tokyo and involved a crossover between Final Fantasy and Disney characters, which led to partial recall but no clear explanation of why Eisner approved it.
One account cited by GameSpot adds detail from Shuji Utsumi, then managing director for Disney Interactive’s Asia Pacific division, who says he presented Kingdom Hearts to Eisner alongside over 100 management attendees. Utsumi describes Eisner’s response as encouraging, reportedly telling him to “Keep at it, and do it right,” and characterizes Eisner’s demeanor in a specific comparison. The sources also note that Kingdom Hearts’ broader origin story is commonly described by fans as beginning with a meeting between Square and Disney executives. The articles mention the Kingdom Hearts I–III Collection release timing and do not report when Kingdom Hearts 4 launches.
