Disney praises Kingdom Hearts
This is really not so much of an update as it is an intriguing information – it’s a cool look at what happens behind the scenes on the Disney side of Kingdom Hearts creation, instead of us hearing from Nomra all the time!
The interview was conducted by Gamasutra and abbreviated here by KH Insider. Enjoy!
Gamasutra: Speaking of moving away from licensing out Disney’s core properties to other publishers to work with… is that a blanket policy? Is that something that’s going to phase in over a course of years as the contracts expire, or are you not really discussing that?
Disney: The key thing for us is being flexible. We never said that we wanted to move away from licensing, and we don’t intend to. Great examples of licensed games that we make that we would love to continue to make those licensed games.
A great example of that is Kingdom Hearts. It’s a great collaboration between Square and ourselves. Disney characters are in there, and Final Fantasy characters are in there. It’s the kind of collaboration that works, and where we see other opportunities like that, we will do them.
Gamasutra: Certainly I think, not that you’ve suggested this, but I think that Kingdom Hearts is a fantastic example of Square Enix doing something with your characters that you couldn’t do yourself. You couldn’t replicate that, because it’s got Square Enix’s stamp all over it, but it still retains the Disney just as strongly. Obviously it would be, without my theorizing on the relationship, would be a great thing to continue in that vein.
Disney: Yeah. I think it would be a sad day for gamers if there were to be no more Kingdom Hearts. We love the franchise, and Square Enix loves it, so we want to see it continue, and they have more games coming out.
Gamasutra: Yeah. There were three at TGS, so there’s definitely going to be more Kingdom Hearts.
Disney: There’s a lot of life left there. There’s a lot of stories to tell.
Gamasutra: I can’t remember the DS game’s title. It’s so awesomely horrible. What is it… 365 days over two…? No, 358 days over two — which is the subtitle. It’s so incomprehensible, it’s so great. Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days.
Disney: What I can tell you is, trust Nomura-san. He always delivers –
Gamasutra: He delivered about half of the Square Enix Party, their big event in Japan last year. He delivered literally half of the games on show, I think were his responsibilities.
Disney: He’s a tremendous talent.
Gamasutra: And as I understand it, he’s a complete workaholic, so it’s kind of a win-win for Square and him, because he doesn’t have any interest in doing anything else anyway.
Disney: Having been to dinner with Nomura-san at 11 PM at night in Tokyo is… we’re jetlagged, so it works well for us.
Gamasutra: It sounds pretty simple when you put it that way. I think part of the problem… well, not the problem, but the perception is that it’s sort of like a syllogism. Like, “Kids’ games are crappy, and Disney makes kids’ games, thus Disney will be crappy as a publisher.” You know what I mean. It isn’t necessarily true, but that’s probably the conclusion that people are reaching, to an extent.
Disney: I think for us, to create great content that appeals to a broad audience, it’s not just about selling to kids. We want something that grown-ups will want to play with their kids, and that gamers will play. I think Kingdom Hearts is a great example of what they can do. There are plenty of single guys in their 20s who love Kingdom Hearts. There are plenty of families that have played it, and kids that have played it, and that’s the kind of model we’re looking for.
So there you have it, straight from the mouths of Disney themselves. Once again, sorry this isn’t a real update, but there’s honestly nothing to talk about at the moment; Square is being unsurprisingly tight-lipped about all their major franchises at the moment.
We’ll get back to you as soon as something new happens!
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