The Kingdom Hearts universe continues to expand, and ahead of the fourth game, Disney Games Group has revealed the series is one of its nine "billion-dollar" franchises.
Apart from Square Enix's series, which originally got its start on the PS2 in 2002, some other billion-dollar game series under this group include more traditional Disney games and series such as Marvel, Star Wars and 20th Century's portfolio.
Disney's Sean Shoptaw, EVP of Global Games and Digital Entertainment, says games are a core pillar of the broader Disney Entertainment ecosystem, and the company has an "understanding that games have become such an important part of the broader Disney landscape" and are increasingly "the first place audiences discover Disney's characters and worlds".
Here's some additional insight from the official post:
The Disney Games Group portfolio spans nine billion-dollar franchises including Kingdom Hearts and Marvel Strike Force, more than half of which have emerged in the last 12 years. Disney is also building new franchises through gaming, including Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, and the highly anticipated Marvel’s Wolverine, which arrives in September.
The strategy extends across Disney’s portfolio.
Lucasfilm Games spans more than 20 genres across every major platform alone, underscoring Disney’s commitment to original interactive experiences rather than simple adaptations.
And the Disney & Pixar Games mobile portfolio, inclusive of Disney Solitaire, Disney Tsum Tsum, and Disney Magic Kingdoms, has reached over 1 billion installs since 2014.
According to the same announcement, Disney Games have driven an estimated $3.5 billion in consumer spend annual for the past few years and crossed the $4 billion mark in the past fiscal year.
