Disney names Kingdom Hearts among its billion-dollar gaming franchises
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Disney has newly highlighted Kingdom Hearts as one of nine “billion-dollar” gaming franchises in its portfolio, reinforcing the series’ commercial value ahead of Kingdom Hearts IV. The designation places Square Enix’s Disney crossover alongside major Disney-owned properties including Marvel and Star Wars, and reflects Disney’s view that games are increasingly a primary way audiences discover its characters and worlds.
The franchise began on PlayStation 2 in 2002 and will receive native Switch and Switch 2 versions of several collections and Kingdom Hearts III with Re Mind DLC in October. Disney said its games generated roughly $3.5 billion in annual consumer spending for several years and exceeded $4 billion in the latest financial year; its Disney and Pixar mobile portfolio has also reached more than one billion installs since 2014. A Kingdom Hearts presentation is scheduled for 15 August 2026, ahead of the series’ 25th anniversary next year.
- Disney calls Kingdom Hearts a billion-dollar franchise.
- Switch and Switch 2 releases arrive in October.
- Disney Games consumer spending exceeded $4 billion.
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Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games made by Japanese publisher Square Enix in partnership with Disney. It follows Sora, a young hero who travels between worlds inspired by Disney and Pixar films, joined by characters such as Donald Duck and Goofy.
The games combine Disney characters with original storylines and characters created for the series, including allies and rivals connected to the mysterious Heartless creatures. Since its first release in 2002, it has appeared on consoles, handheld devices and mobile phones, building a long-running story across many titles.
Disney owns the characters and worlds used in the crossover, while Square Enix develops and publishes the main games. The series is important to both companies because it links Disney’s film brands with a large global games audience, and a new main instalment, Kingdom Hearts IV, is in development.
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Originally published by Nintendo Life as “Kingdom Hearts Is A “Billion-Dollar” Franchise, According To Disney”.