Tetsuya Nomura Reveals Kingdom Hearts Pitch Details

Tetsuya Nomura, co-creator of Kingdom Hearts, was not present during the pivotal meeting where Square Enix and Disney first crossed paths. This historic collaboration, merging Disney with Final Fantasy, began serendipitously in a Tokyo office building. Nomura's vision for Kingdom Hearts drew inspiration from the 3D environment of Super Mario 64, resulting in the creation of a cherished RPG franchise that remains beloved by fans worldwide.

The Serendipitous Origins of Kingdom Hearts

Kingdom Hearts co-creator Tetsuya Nomura recently shared some insight into the creation of the epic RPG series, including the fact that he wasn't present during the fateful elevator ride that started it all. The magical worlds of Disney and Final Fantasy first collided in the original Kingdom Hearts back in 2002, which followed a young boy named Sora as he teamed up with Donald Duck and Goofy to find his lost friends and defeat an evil force threatening various Disney universes. The game would become a major success on the PlayStation 2, spawning a series that continues to this day.

The story of how Kingdom Hearts first came to be is nearly as magical as the game's plot, with the title initially being pitched during a chance meeting between Disney and Square Enix employees who shared an office building in Arco Towers in Japan. One seemingly normal day, Square Enix game producer Shinji Hashimoto found himself in an elevator with a Disney executive, who allowed him to pitch an idea for a 3D game in the style of Super Mario 64 that he brainstormed with Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. Disney liked the concept enough to allow Square Enix to use its characters, leading to what would eventually become Kingdom Hearts.

There have been a few misconceptions about the elevator meeting that led to Kingdom Hearts, namely that Tetsuya Nomura was present during the encounter. In a recent interview with Famitsu (shared by Twitter user aitaikimochi), Nomura stated that this wasn't the case, and that he wasn't on-site for the conversation that ultimately led to a deal between Disney and Square Enix. He did, however, overhear Shinji Hashimoto and Hironobu Sakaguchi discussing their idea for a Super Mario 64-style 3D platformer beforehand, taking interest when they noted that the only characters that could rival Mario in popularity would be those from Disney.

Tetsuya Nomura Wasn’t In The Elevator During The Kingdom Hearts Pitch

Tetsuya Nomura, the co-creator of the Kingdom Hearts series, claims that he was inspired to make the game after seeing how freely players could move in a 3D space in Super Mario 64, which was released while he was working on the original Final Fantasy 7. He doesn't remember why he was in the room when Hashimoto and Sakaguchi brought up their idea for a Disney game, but he jumped at the chance to lead the project and create a similar experience.

That project would take the form of Kingdom Hearts, a franchise that owes its existence to seemingly random encounters that formed a bridge between Disney and Square Enix that has continued for over two decades. It's hard for many RPG fans to imagine a world without Kingdom Hearts, so it's a good thing that Tetsuya Nomura was around when the game was first being planned - even if he actually wasn't in the elevator when Shinji Hashimoto shared this plan with Disney for the first time.