Kingdom Hearts Almost Inspired Disney’s Own Smash Bros Game

The success of Kingdom Hearts nearly prompted Disney to develop its own fighting game crossover in the style of Super Smash Bros., according to a former developer who worked on the original title.

Ken Christiansen, who served as a concept artist at Disney Interactive and contributed to the first Kingdom Hearts game, revealed in an interview that the franchise's popularity fundamentally changed how the company viewed character crossovers. Initially, Disney executives were deeply uncomfortable with the concept of mixing beloved properties. Christiansen recalled that the studio faced resistance when proposing scenarios where characters from The Lion King could interact with those from The Little Mermaid. Despite these concerns, most developers believed the crossover premise was compelling, though there was notable tension during production as some corporate leadership remained unconvinced.

When the original Kingdom Hearts became a commercial success on PlayStation 2, Disney's perspective shifted dramatically. The game's strong sales demonstrated audience appetite for character crossovers, prompting company leadership to greenlight new projects. One such initiative, internally titled Disney's Action Figure Face Off, entered pre-production with an ambitious scope. The concept drew inspiration from Toy Story's premise of inanimate objects coming to life, but reimagined it as a competitive fighting experience. Developers envisioned bringing together action figures representing characters from across Disney's catalog—including properties like Tarzan, The Lion King, and Treasure Planet—in a battle format similar to Nintendo's Smash Bros franchise.

However, Disney's Action Figure Face Off never progressed beyond the prototype stage. The company ultimately decided to prioritize safer film tie-in games rather than pursue the experimental fighting game concept. Despite this particular project's cancellation, Disney did not abandon crossover gaming entirely. The company later released several successful multi-franchise titles, including the toys-to-life game Disney Infinity, the racing title Disney Speedstorm, and the life simulation game Disney Dreamlight Valley.

Meanwhile, the franchise that started the crossover trend continues thriving. Kingdom Hearts 4 is scheduled to launch in late 2025, and Disney has greenlit an anime series for Disney Plus based on the property.