SNK Producer Reveals Secrets Behind 26-Year Comeback of Fatal Fury

In the ’90s, competitive fighting games became a social phenomenon, and now in the Reiwa era, they are once again stirring excitement worldwide. Last year saw major hits with new releases of popular series like Capcom’s “Street Fighter” and Bandai Namco Entertainment’s “Tekken,” attracting a younger audience through streaming by gamers.

In addition, the emerging field of esports has garnered attention, with a world championship set to be held in Saudi Arabia this summer with a prize pool exceeding $60 million (about ¥9.2 billion) during its qualifiers, heating up the scene even more.

Amidst this, SNK, a leading figure in fighting game development, has decided to revive the beloved “Fatal Fury” series after 26 years. With its rich legacy, SNK continues to lead the modern competitive fighting game culture. Chiefly overseeing the production is Yasuyuki Oda, Producer of the First Software Development Division at SNK, who explains the forefront of the fighting game scene.

 

Resolving the Suspense After 26 Years

――What kind of history does the ‘Fatal Fury’ series have?

“The first game was released in 1991. During the fighting game boom of the ’90s, it emerged as one of the IPs that could rival the influential ‘Street Fighter’ series, setting the tone in arcades at the time. It expanded beyond arcades into home gaming, anime, and guest appearances in other companies’ games. The previous installment, ‘Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves’ (MotW), was released in 1999, and we’re currently developing its sequel, ‘Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves’ (CotW), slated for release in early ’25.”

――Why was there a gap of 26 years between the previous installment?

“We received requests for a new ‘Fatal Fury’ game not only from Japan but also from the United States, Mexico, and various countries in Europe, so we’ve been wanting to do it for a while. Actually, I’ve been saying ‘I want to do it’ many, many times. However, there were changes in the company’s structure and staff transitions, and we focused on creating the latest installments of popular series like ‘THE KING OF FIGHTERS’ (KOF) and ‘Samurai Shodown’ (SamSpi). Finally, it’s our turn now, and we’re able to make it happen. This time, we’ll properly wrap up the story threads that were left hanging in the previous installment, ‘MotW.’”

――Which characters will participate in the new game?

“It’s a sequel to ‘MotW,’ so it will include characters from the previous game, as well as completely new characters and some surprise additions that will make you go ‘Oh?’ We also plan to introduce additional characters as downloadable content after the release, so please look forward to it.”

――How do you go about selecting and creating characters?

“We’re not limited to ‘CotW,’ but we’re considering two patterns: one where we think about moves based on the character’s personality in the story, and another where we consider play styles like focusing on grappling techniques if we want a big character in the game. ‘CotW’s’ distinctive feature is that many characters are born from their role in the drama. It’s a characteristic of this series, and I think it’s a part that users have loved for a long time.” 

 

――What is the concept of this installment in one word?

 

“In our terms, while ‘KOF’ is strongly associated with team battles, this is the definitive 1v1 fighting game. The system is deep and allows players to enjoy with their own style. It features a ‘smart style’ system for easy playability even for beginners. We’ve also included various content to appeal to casual players and those new to fighting games, ensuring enjoyment for solo players as well.”

–Is there any plan for competitive e-sports?

We have held the “SNK World Championship” twice in the past, and next year we would like to add “CotW” as an event. We are also planning to participate actively in other tournaments to maximize e-sports, both in terms of tournament management and prize money, so please look forward to it. Since this is a new game, everyone has the same starting line, so I guess you could say that everyone has the same amount of opportunities.

–When a video of the “Buster Wolf,” a super special move that symbolizes the popular character Terry Bogart, was recently released, old fans said, “Not this one! It’s not the same as before! The video of “Buster Wolf,” the iconic super special move, was released and there was an uproar from old fans who said, “Not this!

I was like, “Is that it? I also thought, ‘If I release this video now, it will be rough,’ but it was rough after all. I am sorry about that!　We are working hard to fix it now. We are constantly brushing up not only Buster Wolf’s performance, but also the entire video. Please look forward to that as well.”

–How complete is it now?

I can’t say what percentage of progress we have made, but we are making good progress! (laughs). When you think of a fighting game, you may have an image of it being a little difficult, but it’s an easy-to-understand game with cool guys, unique guys, beautiful girls, and cute girls, so I hope you will enjoy playing it.

SNK also has other popular series. We would like to develop the “Fist of the Dragon and Tiger” series, the “Samuspi” series, etc., and have the characters from each of these series come together in “KOF” as a culmination of all of them. We can’t release as many titles in a year as we used to, so we would like to have a long-lasting relationship with you. We will release information one after another, both on the Internet and at events. I hope you will check our official website and SNS often.

Early next year, a big new fighting game title will begin to take shape. Fans of the fighting game genre will of course have already taken notice, but for those who want to start playing fighting games now, and for those who want to be in the limelight in the world of e-sports, this will be a great opportunity. We will keep an eye on the future.