September 17, 2002 – The Video Game Kingdom Hearts is Released in the United States through Square Enix and Disney Interactive
“You never know who you’ll run into next.”
On September 17, 2002, the action video game Kingdom Hearts was released in the United States, after a release in Japan on March 28th. Created through a collaboration between Square Enix and Disney Interactive Studios, the game features the characters from the famous Final Fantasy series of games and The World Ends with You Square Enix game in an elaborate crossover. The game is set in a special Disney universe, where Sora must travel to different character worlds, accompanied by Donald and Goofy, to fight against Ansem and his army of evil beings known as the Heartless. Upon release, the game received positive reviews in the United States and Japan, with over 20 million copies sold. The theme song for the game was “Hikari” by Japanese recording artist Hikaru Utada, with an English version of the song, “Simple and Clean” released for Western Audiences. Other pieces of media, including comic books and a soundtrack album, were also released thanks to the game’s popularity. The game has since spawned a number of sequels, with more titles forthcoming.
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