Kingdom Hearts 3 Executive Producer Likes the Idea of a Disney Parks Collaboration

With Kingdom Hearts III set to be a huge hit for Square Enix and Disney early next year, there's a lot of discussion going around regarding its lasting power. And, if we play our cards right, that could mean a cross over into a Disney theme park near you.

Based on this report from KH Insider, Kingdom Hearts executive producer Shinji Hashimoto may suggest to Disney executives that a Kingdom Hearts exhibit of some kind be built for one of its theme parks. And, man, are we behind this idea.

The question came up during a recent Annual Shareholders Meeting in Tokyo this past week, where fans were able to ask participants questions in a Q & A session. One fan came up with the following:

"I am a Kingdom Hearts fan. It's unfortunate that the release of KINGDOM HEARTS III has been delayed until next year. Final Fantasy recently collaborated with Universal Studios Japan, but this [series] is a collaboration with Disney. After the 15th anniversary, it's not just fans who will be buying [the games]. With news of Disney's upcoming expansions [referring to the theme parks], is there a possibility for Kingdom Hearts to be included in some capacity?"

This sparked something inside of Hashimoto, who was more than happy to respond. "Thank you for your suggestion [on a global scale]. Since 1997, I've been overseeing the Kingdom Hearts franchise. As a Japanese person, it's been nothing short of a dream to be able to play something developed by a Japanese creator with Disney, especially the same Disney that owns such properties like Frozen and Star Wars.

"Since Disney has an increasingly high regard for [Kingdom Hearts], I'd like to reach out to them and discuss this further. Sales inside Disneyland will certainly contribute to the growth of the customer base."

He's got the right idea. Granted, that doesn't mean we'll see anything next to Pixar Park and Star Wars Land anytime soon as these things take time to build. But a Kingdom Hearts fantasy park would be just the thing to bump up attendance for video game fans.

Kingdom Hearts III releases on January 29 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.