Kingdom Hearts (game)

Kingdom Hearts is the first game of the Kingdom Hearts series. It was developed and published by Square for the PlayStation 2 in 2002. The game is a crossover between various Disney franchises and Final Fantasy. The game would go on to receive two direct sequels and numerous spin-offs.

History
The origins of Kingdom Hearts can be traced back to conversations between Shinji Hashimoto and Hironobu Sakaguchi about wanting to make a free roaming 3D game akin to Super Mario 64, but lamenting that only Disney character could rival the popularity of Mario. Tetsuya Nomura overheard these conversations and volunteered to direct this nebulous project. By a stroke of luck, Square and Disney Japan shared an office building at the time. Hashimoto would have a chance encounter with a Disney executive in an elevator which allowed him to pitch the concept of using Disney properties in this game, which was eventually approved in 2000. It was eventually decided that the game would be a crossover game with Disney and Final Fantasy characters interacting with original characters. Disney approved the concept on the condition that all original characters, settings and assets would be fully owned by them.

Relevance to Final Fantasy
Several characters from the Final Fantasy franchise appear throughout the game as both friends and foes. Several items and spells from the franchise also appear in this game and have largely similar functions.