SNK today released the first trailer for The King of Fighters XV, offering a look at the new visual style, reintroducing some returning fighters, and confirming a 2021 release window.
The trailer is mostly made up of what look to be intro animations and the like for the first six characters confirmed for the game: Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido, Leona Heidern, K’, Mai Shiranui, and Shun’ei. There are also a few brief shots of characters trading blows, albeit from a more cinematic perspective than a gameplay view.
The trailer also announced a 2021 release window for The King of Fighters XV. “Right now we’re focusing on brushing up features and optimizing the game,” said creative director Eisuke Ogura in a video message that followed the trailer itself. “Though I expect some obstacles to get in our way, we’re planning to have it ready to ship this year.”
Ogura also confirmed that another trailer is will be coming out next week, and that Masami Ōbari, director of the 1994 film Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture, is working on a short animated promo film for The King of Fighters XV.
Additionally, SNK used the opportunity to make a few more announcements for other games:
- The King of Fighters XIV Ultimate Edition is now available for PlayStation 4 in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and Japan, and comes to North America on January 20. It comes with all DLC for The King of Fighters XIV, including eight characters, 10 costumes, and 10 PS4 themes.
- The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match is coming to PlayStation 4 “soon”, with rollback netcode to reduce the impact of lag and a variety of different game modes. The PS4 version is being developed by Code Mystics.
- Samurai Shodown‘s third Season Pass will include Cham Cham and Hibiki Takane, as well as two other unannounced fighters. Cham Cham is a fan-favourite character who first appeared in Samurai Shodown II, and will be available in March. Hibiki is a crossover character from SNK’s The Last Blade series, and will be released later this year.
