You already knew this, but The King of Fighters XII is coming to NA and EU '09

Okay, maybe you didn't know. Now you do.

Ignition Entertainment sends us a press release today to say that The King of Fighters XII is coming to North America and Europe some time in 2009. The 3-on-3 fighter has been made extra pretty, with 100% hand drawn characters and backgrounds. They dumped the sprites they've been reusing for over a decade and replaced them with high-definition 2D hand-drawn new sprites. 

"Dreams never die!" said Ajay Chadha, President of Ignition Entertainment. "I've been a huge The King of Fighters fan since 1994 when the game first debuted and I know original fans will be as excited as I am about this groundbreaking installment of this very popular series. And just as importantly, The King of Fighters XII should be a treat for the new gamers who've just been introduced to the hugely popular franchise."

That tells us nothing. In fact, they say to "stay tuned" as details on platform and release dates are coming.  The game looked incredible, even unfinished, at TGS this year. I can't wait to see the final game.