Few things have contributed as much to SNK’s success and enduring legacy as the studio’s many famed fighting game franchises, from Samurai Shodown to Fatal Fury to The King of Fighters. As the next logical step, the company has now announced the establishment of a new internal development studio in the form of KOF Studio, which has been charged with shepherding those franchises forward.
Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the King of Fighters franchise, SNK established KOF Studio to “proudly carry on the 30-year legacy of SNK fighting games while also bringing forth a new revolution”.
Over on the studio’s official website, SNK writes (translation via Gematsu): “KOF Studio will proudly carry on the storied legacy of our iconic fighting game IPs while driving their evolution well into the future.”
For clarity’s sake, this is essentially the company formally renaming an existing development team already in charge of most of its major fighting releases.
As per the website, SNK officially attributes KOF Studio as the developer of The King of Fighters 15, The King of Fighters 14, SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy, and 2019’s Samurai Shodown, as well as the upcoming Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves and untitled Samurai Shodown action RPG. The former is due for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PC on April 21.