Otocoto reveals history of how Kingdom Hearts got approved by Eisner
- Details
- Published on August 6, 2020 @ 03:50 pm
- Written by Arielle
Otocoto published an editorial piece by Shuji Utsumi, Entertainment Business Strategist for Otocoto and former VP/Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Disney Interactive in the 2000s, detailing the interesting history of how Kingdom Hearts was greenlit in the early 2000s by Michael Eisner, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. The article titled "Eisner's final word was the deciding factor for Kingdom Hearts" gives readers a rather colorful picture of how the game managed to get approved for official development.
When Utsumi joined Disney in 2000, he took on the task of getting Kingdom Hearts approved for development after learning the project was in full active development at SquareSoft despite never receiving any official approval to start the project. According to Utsumi, SquareSoft had no knowledge that the game wasn't even officially approved as they had only been in talks with Disney Japan at that point, and there was nobody at Disney Japan who could make those kinds of decisions.
There was very little hope that the project would be greenlit, and long-time staff at Disney Japan warned Utsumi that he should prepare to inform SquareSoft that the project was cancelled. Even so, Utsumi discussed things with other members of Disney, including his boss in the United States and the head of brand management, and had laid the groundwork with everybody to make sure Kingdom Hearts would get the greenlight. All that was left was getting it approved by Eisner.
Eisner and Bob Iger, who at the time was President and Chief Operating Officer of The Walt Disney Company, came to visit Japan to inspect Tokyo DisneySea and receive performance results from their Japan branch. It was during this meeting with Eisner and over 100 members of management that Utsumi presented Kingdom Hearts. Eisner did not give any praise for the project, but instead gave Utsumi encouraging words to "keep at it, and do it right", which was as good as an approval.
Kingdom Hearts had been officially greenlit by Eisner.
Goldpanner has summarized the full article below:
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2020 has been a critical year for both the video game industry and the Walt Disney Company (Disney).
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CEO of nearly 15 years Bob Iger stepped down in February 2020.
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He and the previous CEO Eisner (who had his seat for 20 years) made Disney what it is today after being on the brink of death in the mid 80s.
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In 2019 Disney made 40% of USA box office profit
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The author of this piece Shuji Utsumi was involved in Sony Computer Entertainment America, which brought the Playstation to the USA
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He then went to Sega, and then joined Disney in 2000 as VP/Managing Director for Asia Pacific for Disney Interactive where he had the experience of presenting to Eisner and Iger in person
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He explains the concept of KH - Disney and Square collab, set in Disney Worlds and includes Disney characters and Final Fantasy characters. The first KH game has sold 6 million units worldwide, with PS4 & Xbox One titles still releasing today.
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He made the presentation requesting formal approval for the first game to Eisner and Iger
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The experimental KH project began without Disney's authorization - which Square apparently wasn't aware of
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When he joined the company and was immediately told development was already busily underway he was extremely shocked
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First of all, Disney had never approved a license in Japan for a title with a completely new setting
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Second of all, Disney had never combined multiple franchises together into one title before
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There wasn't even a style guide for creating a 3D model of Mickey Mouse
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The reason nobody had gotten authorization was because there wasn't even anyone in Japan who had the authority to pass judgment on a project like this
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Some long-time Disney Japan staff told him that this didn't have a snowball's chance of being approved and advised him to take measures to cancel the project - at that point he never dreamed someday he'd present it to Eisner and get approval to create the product
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When he joined in the early 2000s Eisner's legendary grasp on the market was beginning to show cracks and business wasn't doing well internationally
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In Japan however they had just opened Disney Sea and were doing extremely well compared to other countries
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Eisner was visiting Japan for the first time in a while to inspect Disney Sea and hear performance reports
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Utsumi was surprised at how many people Eisner had in his entourage - having an entourage of people working alongside a company president of an old and or powerful company is usual in Japan too, but Eisner had about 100 members of management come with him to Japan
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The Division Managing Directors were in charge of giving the reports. He apparently stood out among the other presenters as his game division had very good results as well as ran Japan's first global Disney project
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On the day of the presentation, there were over 100 members of management from both Japan and the USA, but everyone was only focused on Eisner, who sat in a chair at the front and asked questions and gave instructions for each presentation
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The way everyone hung on his every word, waiting for him to speak or not, trying to read his mood, felt more like an old Japanese business meeting than a Western one
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Meetings at Disney with Eisner were completely different - Utsumi thought he was like an "Ancient Chinese Emperor"
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Utsumi worked the topic of the concerning Kingdom Hearts into his presentation that day
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He'd had many meetings with the other members beforehand, including his USA boss and the head of brand management, and had laid the groundwork with all related parties, which meant things went smoothly
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Eisner didn't especially have words of praise - he just said something encouraging like "keep at it, and do it right." But, the words of the Emperor have tremendous power - after the presentation many members of Disney's management as well as staff came to shake his hand with big smiles
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KH was a first as well as an experiment in many different areas which seemed poised to conflict with the company's creative brand rules
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Most of the management had been neutral, but Eisner's encouraging words blew away those anxieties and brand rule problems - everyone interpreted it as having received official permission
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Via @aibo_ac7
COMMENTS
i am flabbergasted
Well it's a good thing it got approved and greenlit. It would suck if all of those years of development and hard work turned out to be a waste
I should note that people were very afraid of Eisner back then. He was running the company into the ground with how he had to be hyper-involved with everything that was going on. He was respected and admired, but he could make or break a project.
Disney Japan and Disney Interactive helping Squaresoft develop Kingdom Hearts but not actually going to Eisner for approval for years sounds like they were too scared to approach Eisner to get it approved knowing it was an unconventional game.
Also, it makes sense why KH1 is a bit of a different beast from the other games (besides CoM, but it probably got away with everything it did because it was a game for a handheld which wouldn't have received the same level of scrutiny as other games back then). KH1 literally did not have the full rule-book thrown at it.
Jesus, so basically Eisner didn't even approve it, people just assumed! Maybe the guy fell asleep in the middle of the presentation, and just said the most neutral thing you can say in this situation when he woke up to cover up.
This is part of the Miracle of Kingdom Hearts. From the way it was conceived, Nomura volunteering to do the project, and then getting the approval. Like Fate itself kept denying the very existence of KH, yet, like Nature it always finds a way.
Eisner: "Can we give it a cheap DTV sequel?"
Utsumi: "Uh......sure."
Narrator: "& that's how CoM got made."
Eisner: "Can we give it a cheap DTV sequel?"
Utsumi: "Uh......sure."
Narrator: "& that's how CoM got made."
Lol, at least CoM is one of the best games in the series
Jesus, so basically Eisner didn't even approve it, people just assumed! Maybe the guy fell asleep in the middle of the presentation, and just said the most neutral thing you can say in this situation when he woke up to cover up.
This is part of the Miracle of Kingdom Hearts. From the way it was conceived, Nomura volunteering to do the project, and then getting the approval. Like Fate itself kept denying the very existence of KH, yet, like Nature it always finds a way.
Honestly, having Eisner not say no was probably the best they were going to get. Eisner probably didn't even know it was as far along as it was when he said that lol. I'm sure Utsumi and everybody at Disney Interactive were working triple-time after that to make sure the license got approved before Eisner could suddenly change his mind.
Nature does find a way. KH exist against all odds. The concept is insane and the fact that it gained such a massive following is astounding...
Imagine we lived in a timeline where KH would have been this crazy project that got cancelled and it just have been what could have been. Eventually with youtube documentaries of people trying to find all the info they could of this mysterious cancelled Disney and square game.
Regardless how the series turned out and how the fans feel about it now, i'm glad it still managed to exist and come this far
Jesus Christ I’m speechless. Without a doubt had they gone in with more details Eisner would’ve definitely said no.
Destiny is never left to chance I guess.
I should note that people were very afraid of Eisner back then. He was running the company into the ground with how he had to be hyper-involved with everything that was going on. He was respected and admired, but he could make or break a project.
Disney Japan and Disney Interactive helping Squaresoft develop Kingdom Hearts but not actually going to Eisner for approval for years sounds like they were too scared to approach Eisner to get it approved knowing it was an unconventional game.
Also, it makes sense why KH1 is a bit of a different beast from the other games (besides CoM, but it probably got away with everything it did because it was a game for a handheld which wouldn't have received the same level of scrutiny as other games back then). KH1 literally did not have the full rule-book thrown at it.
I think they need to repeat that recipe with the next KH main title. Go years into development without Disney's rules, then when it's too late ask them permission and hope that they rather greenlight whatever was done over cancelling and redoing.
This just makes me love Kingdom Hearts even more.
I think they need to repeat that recipe with the next KH main title. Go years into development without Disney's rules, then when it's too late ask them permission and hope that they rather greenlight whatever was done over cancelling and redoing.
I doubt they can really do it anymore xD They are wrapped up with Disney now.
They seem to let Nomura do whatever he wants with the story, though. It's just the Disney stuff they are really strict about.
Reading this interview makes me realize how close we were to living in a world without the crazy nonsense called KH.
And knowing that Disney pretty much sees KH as a lucrative series now..it makes me a little worried. KH1 was done in the way that it was because the CEO didn't know it existed for much of its development cycle. And after how strict Disney was with KH3 it makes me slightly apprehensive.
I doubt they can really do it anymore xD They are wrapped up with Disney now.
They seem to let Nomura do whatever he wants with the story, though. It's just the Disney stuff they are really strict about.
Which makes me think Nomura has to select worlds where a good collaboration can be born. Toy Box and Monstropolis are good examples, while Arendelle is pretty much the definition of what Nomura needs to avoid going forward (unless Disney can budge and actually allow more interaction). I don't mind the film's playing out almost exactly the way it was and no main story included (I would prefer main story included though), but I at least want Sora to interact with the characters and become part of the story. The climax of Arendelle didn't feel like we were friends with Elsa or Anna, so when we inevitably revisit Arendelle... the "joyous reunion" won't feel like when we go back to Agrabah or The Caribbean.
Which makes me think Nomura has to select worlds where a good collaboration can be born. Toy Box and Monstropolis are good examples, while Arendelle is pretty much the definition of what Nomura needs to avoid going forward (unless Disney can budge and actually allow more interaction). I don't mind the film's playing out almost exactly the way it was and no main story included (I would prefer main story included though), but I at least want Sora to interact with the characters and become part of the story. The climax of Arendelle didn't feel like we were friends with Elsa or Anna, so when we inevitably revisit Arendelle... the "joyous reunion" won't feel like when we go back to Agrabah or The Caribbean.
Hindsight is 20/20. KH3 was the first game utilizing more modern films whose creative teams are still working at Disney and wanted to have a say in how their babies are presented. Nomura/SE can't really know how they will all work together until they actually do.
Also, a reminder that Frozen was chosen for KH3 before the film even released in theaters.
Kinda skimmed through, but how does this align with the elevator pitch?
Hindsight is 20/20. KH3 was the first game utilizing more modern films whose creative teams are still working at Disney and wanted to have a say in how their babies are presented. Nomura/SE can't really know how they will all work together until they actually do.
Also, a reminder that Frozen was chosen for KH3 before the film even released in theaters.
I know Frozen was selected before it hit theaters. I didn't mention the film's popularity, I talked about how Nomura needs to pick worlds that Disney would be more lenient with. If Nomura is seeing a ton of creative control enforced by Disney for a world, then he should back off and choose something else... or maybe keep one of those worlds in the game, if it's really popular (like Frozen).
Anyway, I think it's really interesting to see how KH was born. I remember seeing it for the first time advertised and just being in awe, like I couldn't process what I was seeing. It seemed like something completely unbelievable.
I know Frozen was selected before it hit theaters. I didn't mention the film's popularity, I talked about how Nomura needs to pick worlds that Disney would be more lenient with. If Nomura is seeing a ton of creative control enforced by Disney for a world, then he should back off and choose something else... or maybe keep one of those worlds in the game, if it's really popular (like Frozen).
You missed the point. Disney was only so protective of Frozen because it had proven itself and become a worldwide phenomenon, even ranking in the top 3 best grossing films ever in Japan. SE couldn't have known it would become so successful when they chose this film for KH3. Had it achieved, say, Tangled or BH6-level success, Disney wouldn't have had so much red tape around it.
Kinda skimmed through, but how does this align with the elevator pitch?
This is about 3-4 years after the elevator pitch.
Disney Japan had nobody in their offices to actually grant Squaresoft the license to make a Disney game. Disney Interactive didn't have the executive power to do it either. For years they assisted Squaresoft in the development of the game but they never actually attempted to get the final approval for it. Nobody at Squaresoft was even aware that the game wasn't approved since they were in constant contact with Disney Japan and the USA branch of Disney Interactive.
Utsumi was hired in 2000 and informed about this, and it wasn't until what seems to be Fall 2001 that the game was officially approved.
You missed the point. Disney was only so protective of Frozen because it had proven itself and become a worldwide phenomenon, even ranking in the top 3 best grossing films ever in Japan. SE couldn't have known it would become so successful when they chose this film for KH3. Had it achieved, say, Tangled or BH6-level success, Disney wouldn't have had so much red tape around it.
OK, well then... Nomura pick movies after they are released, so they can see how the audience reacts (and judge whether Disney will prohibit actually using the world).
OK, well then... Nomura pick movies after they are released, so they can see how the audience reacts (and judge whether Disney will prohibit actually using the world).
The real solution is to pick more of the older films and less of the newer ones 8D
Come on Square I want King of Thieves Agrabah ):
Come on Square I want King of Thieves Agrabah ):
The only acceptable Agrabah
The real solution is to pick more of the older films and less of the newer ones 8D
But those aren't the new hotness that gets headlines. A Robin Hood or Sword in the Stone world isn't exactly gonna get people jumping for joy.
But those aren't the new hotness that gets headlines. A Robin Hood or Sword in the Stone world isn't exactly gonna get people jumping for joy.
Couldn't you just put those Disney worlds in the smaller, non numbered titles? The big Disney films can be used for KH4, KH5, etc
But those aren't the new hotness that gets headlines. A Robin Hood or Sword in the Stone world isn't exactly gonna get people jumping for joy.
Well, if those rumors pan out, Robin Hood and Sword in the Stone are supposed to be getting remakes. It’s easy, baked-in marketing.
Also the smaller titles can get away with smaller films...and they can still sell something like KH4 if it has 1-2 older classics while still having a bunch of popular modern releases.
Nomura has already said they choose what they want to have in the games. For KH3 they intentionally chose newer films, but that doesn’t have to be the case forevermore.
Well, if those rumors pan out, Robin Hood and Sword in the Stone are supposed to be getting remakes. It’s easy, baked-in marketing.
Also the smaller titles can get away with smaller films...and they can still sell something like KH4 if it has 1-2 older classics while still having a bunch of popular modern releases.
Nomura has already said they choose what they want to have in the games. For KH3 they intentionally chose newer films, but that doesn’t have to be the case forevermore.
I don't think the world choices really sell KH games. If that were the case, I wouldn't have touched KH3D (except for Hunchback, which wasn't even done justice).
I feel like Nomura should lean towards having a nice balance of CGI/classically animated/"out-there" (like The Caribbean, Tron, Halloween Town, Steamboat Willy, Fantasia etc) choices. Granted, KH3's "hottest" and most recent film was Big Hero 6, which was released 5 years before the game's release so I think that should justify that the films selected don't have to be the newest films. Tangled was selected and that was released about a decade before KH3, about the same length of time between Aladdin and KH1.
At this point, because of Disney's massive library now, just filling KH with the newest stuff would feel like a waste and a blatant/cruel ad to fans. World selection should come down to this: film's connection to main plot/Sora (or whoever is the protagonist in that game) and how fun/different the world will be to actually play in. I know Disney wants to advertise their properties non-stop and KH is basically us paying for that ad, but they need to take a step back and remember that this is a game and it's supposed to be fun. Thankfully, KH3 didn't go in the direction of advertising the newest films to us, but I sincerely hope that is not the direction for future titles.
I also don't like this negative opinion people have towards older worlds that have been revisited several times before like Agrabah, NeverLand, Halloween Town being in future titles - but that's a different thread.
I don't think the world choices really sell KH games. If that were the case, I wouldn't have touched KH3D (except for Hunchback, which wasn't even done justice).
I feel like Nomura should lean towards having a nice balance of CGI/classically animated/"out-there" (like The Caribbean, Tron, Halloween Town, Steamboat Willy, Fantasia etc) choices. Granted, KH3's "hottest" and most recent film was Big Hero 6, which was released 5 years before the game's release so I think that should justify that the films selected don't have to be the newest films. Tangled was selected and that was released about a decade before KH3, about the same length of time between Aladdin and KH1.
At this point, because of Disney's massive library now, just filling KH with the newest stuff would feel like a waste and a blatant/cruel ad to fans. World selection should come down to this: film's connection to main plot/Sora (or whoever is the protagonist in that game) and how fun/different the world will be to actually play in. I know Disney wants to advertise their properties non-stop and KH is basically us paying for that ad, but they need to take a step back and remember that this is a game and it's supposed to be fun. Thankfully, KH3 didn't go in the direction of advertising the newest films to us, but I sincerely hope that is not the direction for future titles.
I also don't like this negative opinion people have towards older worlds that have been revisited several times before like Agrabah, NeverLand, Halloween Town being in future titles - but that's a different thread.
Oh, I don't disagree at all. The KH worlds have never been the selling factor to me. I just want to have fun with the worlds and I hope they are based on films I love or fit the theme of the game.
I think the point MATGSY was making was that the films in KH3 were chosen because they were modern releases and had more active audiences for them at the time they were chosen for KH3. In the case of a few (and intentional or not), they happened to also coincide with active projects going on at Disney (i.e. Monsters Inc has a TV series in development, Tangled had an ongoing TV series, Frozen 2 was in development, Toy Story 4 was in development, Big Hero 6 has an ongoing TV series).
I would also prefer if they took the time explore all of Disney's massive library of films and TV shows. If we looked at this from a marketing standpoint, featuring older properties might bring attention to them and draw attention to them again. With Disney+, old stuff can easily be revisited and gain traction among audiences again.
I think certain worlds should be allowed to be retired, but others should be revisited if they feel there is a story there. Agrabah has its reputation because they keep repeating it over and over and over and over with that damn song and it's getting exhausting. This opinion could easily be changed if they just finally did King of Thieves or drew inspiration from the television series.
So essentially I agree with you xD I would love to revisit old worlds, but only if there is a story worth doing. I don't want to see what they did to Agrabah happen with any other world.
This is a great thread... kinda reminds me of Mario + Rabbids which is another insane crossover, somehow got green-lit and turned out to be a critical darling.
I think they need to repeat that recipe with the next KH main title. Go years into development without Disney's rules, then when it's too late ask them permission and hope that they rather greenlight whatever was done over cancelling and redoing.
I feel like 2020 is so different than 2000 that this would be a horrible idea.
Kinda skimmed through, but how does this align with the elevator pitch?
I wish we would someday get a "deep dive" (no pun intended) on the history of KH because I feel like there's still so much unknown.
Mario 64 recently had beta assets leaked... imagine if one day we get to see the build where Donald and Goofy wore their normal clothes and Sora was the human/lion hybrid. ?
Basically to answer your question, the TL;DR from my understanding is an employee from each branch (Square & Disney) met in an elevator and were like "Kingdom Hearts" so development began with no approval; Eisner looked at the project years(?) later when he was visiting Tokyo DisneySea and was just like "keep it up" which they considered approval and the rest is history.
Maybe if Shigeru Miyamoto and George Lucas met in an elevator we could get something equally as astounding. ?
Anyway, I think it's really interesting to see how KH was born. I remember seeing it for the first time advertised and just being in awe, like I couldn't process what I was seeing. It seemed like something completely unbelievable.
The messed up thing for me is as much as I love KH, I truly can't remember how I discovered it; I believe it was from the guidebook at the library right around launch, and then as a Disney fan and non-PS2 owner my mind went absolutely berserk trying to imagine what the game was like.
But those aren't the new hotness that gets headlines. A Robin Hood or Sword in the Stone world isn't exactly gonna get people jumping for joy.
I mean honestly the fact that every instalment regardless of console has sold pretty well shows KH fans are pretty decent force. If they wanted to go that route I don't think it would be that much of an issue
It's crazy to think how we almost lived in a world without Kingdom Hearts, but I'm so glad we don't TTwTT
I don't think I could even imagine it
Oh, I don't disagree at all. The KH worlds have never been the selling factor to me. I just want to have fun with the worlds and I hope they are based on films I love or fit the theme of the game.
I think the point MATGSY was making was that the films in KH3 were chosen because they were modern releases and had more active audiences for them at the time they were chosen for KH3. In the case of a few (and intentional or not), they happened to also coincide with active projects going on at Disney (i.e. Monsters Inc has a TV series in development, Tangled had an ongoing TV series, Frozen 2 was in development, Toy Story 4 was in development, Big Hero 6 has an ongoing TV series).
I would also prefer if they took the time explore all of Disney's massive library of films and TV shows. If we looked at this from a marketing standpoint, featuring older properties might bring attention to them and draw attention to them again. With Disney+, old stuff can easily be revisited and gain traction among audiences again.
I think certain worlds should be allowed to be retired, but others should be revisited if they feel there is a story there. Agrabah has its reputation because they keep repeating it over and over and over and over with that damn song and it's getting exhausting. This opinion could easily be changed if they just finally did King of Thieves or drew inspiration from the television series.
So essentially I agree with you xD I would love to revisit old worlds, but only if there is a story worth doing. I don't want to see what they did to Agrabah happen with any other world.
Was it confirmed anywhere that the worlds in KH3 were chosen because they were relatively "modern" or I guess mostly CGI films? I remember reading/hearing something about the worlds being chosen because the teams that worked on them were still around and that allowed them access to assets to help recreate the worlds more accurately. Seeing the CGI worlds basically looking like the films was amazing. I remember I happened to be roaming through Arendelle when a friend (who doesn't play games at all) visited and saw my screen, she was like "why does this game look exactly like the movie?"
So kudos to the team for their hard work on that front, but it also makes me really eager to see the traditionally animated worlds in modern day graphics. I feel like no world is "overused" since we haven't visited one of those worlds (like Agrabah) in like a decade. Also, I feel like those worlds actually had a more special bond between Sora/Disney character than what we got with some in KH3, so just revisiting would be the fun of the world. On top of that, they can be blank slates to have main story be the focus of the world - somewhere like Agrabah already has seeds placed in it, Jafar worked with Maleficent and Jasmine was a princess of heart. Wouldn't it be amazing if Nomura pulled something crazy like Maleficent selecting those worlds for a backup plan that she's going to unleash in future games?
Also consider the fact that (unfortunately) they're leaning towards giant heartless boss fights in Disney worlds. If that is the (again unfortunate) trend moving forward, then why not use worlds that we already killed the main villain in? Mix in places like Land of Dragons, Halloween Town etc. for giant heartless fights, then bring in newer worlds that WILL have Disney bosses.
Oh, and last point - I feel like Agrabah was just done to death because it's a super easy world to visit and NOT have to explain stuff about Aladdin/Jasmine, same goes with Wonderland. They also provided "different" world designs easily.
It's crazy to think how we almost lived in a world without Kingdom Hearts, but I'm so glad we don't TTwTT
I don't think I could even imagine it
Thankfully, that's The World That Never Was :P
Thankfully, that's The World That Never Was
I like to think that originally Kingdom Hearts didn't get approved and the world inevitably fell to darkness but Nomura created this worldline where the project was approved :p
At the very least, I think it'd be beneficial if someone were to go through all the interviews and put together an updated retelling of KH's origins. This story has been told so many times by so many people who keep introducing new angles; it's gotten too messy over the years lol
This story has been told so many times by so many people who keep introducing new angles; it's gotten too messy over the years lol
Wait a minute... :unsure:
I finally took the time to read through this, and i'm blown away. What a neat piece of history! Especially for someone who is a massive nerd for Disney's history lol.
Honestly, Eisner approving the project is both hilarious to think about and surprising. I would have expected him to turn it down given how infamous of a CEO he was. But Disney was in such a weird place back then that many projects had to be a coin toss I guess.
I finally took the time to read through this, and i'm blown away. What a neat piece of history! Especially for someone who is a massive nerd for Disney's history lol.
Honestly, Eisner approving the project is both hilarious to think about and surprising. I would have expected him to turn it down given how infamous of a CEO he was. But Disney was in such a weird place back then that many projects had to be a coin toss I guess.
Well, you aren't alone there. Everybody assumed he would turn it down as well.
Yes, Eisner was honestly an unpredictable man.
I should note that people were very afraid of Eisner back then. He was running the company into the ground with how he had to be hyper-involved with everything that was going on. He was respected and admired, but he could make or break a project.
Disney Japan and Disney Interactive helping Squaresoft develop Kingdom Hearts but not actually going to Eisner for approval for years sounds like they were too scared to approach Eisner to get it approved knowing it was an unconventional game.
Also, it makes sense why KH1 is a bit of a different beast from the other games (besides CoM, but it probably got away with everything it did because it was a game for a handheld which wouldn't have received the same level of scrutiny as other games back then). KH1 literally did not have the full rule-book thrown at it.
That is very interesting. Eisner was practically feared by many at Disney that it was a miracle that Kingdom Hearts actually came out. I also wish that they stuck with KH1 format for the series but that is just my opinion.
I halfway wonder whether Eisner wasn't paying attention and just told them to do a good job because he thought he'd already approved it...
Seriously, though, it sounds like Square was very nearly screwed over by Disney, given that Square seems not to have been told that they didn't actually have the license. I wonder if people would have been really mad at Disney if the project had been cancelled. I'm sure they wouldn't have expected it to be what it actually is, though ?
Oracle Spockanort
August 6, 2020 @ 04:15 pmOffline