Ex-Disney CEO Doesn't Know Why Kingdom Hearts Exists

Former Disney CEO Has No Clue Why Kingdom Hearts Was Greenlit And Barely Even Remembers It Published Jul 23, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT George is the Lead News Editor for TheGamer, and has been working in the industry since 2021 after graduating from the University of South Wales with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. He has also previously written for RPG Site, WhatCulture, and PlayStation Lifestyle. George is an expert on platformers, action games, and fighters, but tends to play as many releases as possible. This hands-on experience lets him dive into gaming communities and follow the latest trends. Some of the games George has extensively covered first-hand include Dead Rising, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, Assassin's Creed Shadows, and Ninja Gaiden 4. Sign in to your TheGamer account Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner was recently asked about his involvement in the creation of Kingdom Hearts, revealing he has no clue why he said yes. In all of gaming, there’s no series that’s quite as much of a miracle as Kingdom Hearts. I don’t even just say that as a very biased megafan who loves Sora and the gang more than some real-world people, either. The fact that Kingdom Hearts even exists as a crossroads between Disney and Square Enix is a miracle in itself. You’ve all heard the stories of Kingdom Hearts being pitched in a chance elevator ride, but there was obviously a lot more work that went into getting the series off the ground, and for Disney to be into it. Michael Eisner was the CEO of the company at the time of Kingdom Hearts’ creation and had to have greenlit it, but he apparently doesn’t even remember the series. Michael Eisner Has No Idea Why He Said Yes To Kingdom Hearts Yet Another Reason We’re Lucky To Have Sora As pointed out by Kotaku, Game File’s Stephen Totilo recently had the chance to attend a conference about Delphi, a company that Eisner is an investor in and has suddenly burst onto the gaming scene. Rather than focus on that, though, Totilo had the brilliant idea to ask Eisner whether he remembers greenlighting Kingdom Hearts. In response, Eisner gave a rather pointed “no”, leading Totilo to tell him that he was pitched the game in Tokyo and explain what the series is about. That jogged Eisner’s memory enough to know what Kingdom Hearts is, but when asked if he remembers why he said yes to the series, Eisner simply said that he doesn’t, and seemingly moved on from the conversation. Totilo points out that he probably should have shown Eisner a picture of Sora with a Keyblade to help him remember, but it’s clear Eisner hasn’t exactly been thinking about the series in the 24 years since it launched. To be fair, we are talking close to three decades since it was pitched, but it’s yet another funny mark on the story of how Kingdom Hearts came to be. Kingdom Hearts Systems Released September 17, 2002 ESRB E for Everyone: Violence Developer(s) Square Enix Publisher(s) Square Enix Engine Unreal Engine 4 Cross-Platform Play android, ios Cross Save yes