Kingdom Hearts Almost Led To Disney Making Its Own Version Of Super Smash Bros, Former Dev Says

The massive success of the original Kingdom Hearts game, which famously blended various Disney properties with Square Enix characters, almost led to the creation of a Disney-themed crossover fighting game. According to Ken Christiansen, a former concept artist at Disney Interactive who worked on the first Kingdom Hearts title, the company briefly initiated pre-production on a project heavily inspired by Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. franchise. This revelation sheds light on how the success of the action-RPG series shifted internal attitudes at Disney regarding the crossover potential of its intellectual properties.

Before Kingdom Hearts proved to be a major commercial hit, Disney executives were reportedly highly resistant to the idea of mixing their distinct animated worlds. Christiansen recalled that the development of the first game faced hurdles because Disney was incredibly hesitant to allow characters from different films to interact. For instance, the company struggled with the concept of having elements from The Lion King cross over into the underwater setting of The Little Mermaid. This internal reluctance caused some friction during development, even though the creative team believed the crossover concept was brilliant.

Despite the initial hesitation from corporate leadership, Kingdom Hearts went on to become a massive success, securing its place as one of the best-selling titles on the PlayStation 2. This financial triumph quickly changed the perspective of Disney's upper management, who became much more receptive to the lucrative possibilities of crossover video games. The sudden shift in attitude paved the way for the conceptualization of a new fighting game that would bring various Disney characters together under a single gameplay umbrella.

The proposed fighting game was given the early working title of Disney's Action Figure Face Off. According to Christiansen, the core concept of the project was heavily inspired by the premise of Toy Story, where various action figures would come to life and battle one another. This framing mirrored the original Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo 64, which also used a toys-come-to-life narrative to justify its crossover roster. The developers envisioned a fighting arena where players could control toy versions of characters from films such as Tarzan, Treasure Planet, and The Lion King.

Ultimately, Disney's Action Figure Face Off never progressed past the early prototype stage. Christiansen explained that the project was shelved because Disney decided to focus its resources on safer, more traditional video game tie-ins that directly promoted its theatrical film releases. Despite the cancellation of this specific fighting game, the crossover philosophy that Kingdom Hearts pioneered within the company eventually found success in other formats years later.

In the years following the canceled fighting game, Disney successfully launched several other massive crossover projects. These included the toys-to-life franchise Disney Infinity, the kart racer Disney Speedstorm, and the life-simulation game Disney Dreamlight Valley, all of which successfully united characters from across the company's vast library. Meanwhile, the franchise that started it all remains highly active, with Kingdom Hearts 4 scheduled for release late next year alongside an upcoming Disney Plus anime adaptation.