Burning!
King of Fighter XIV producer Yauyki Oda recently say down with IGN Latin America for an interview. During the interview, he discussed what the studio has been up to, what they have planned for the future, what’s happening with King of Fighters, and why we haven’t seen entries for certain franchises in quite some time.
It’s an interesting interview to say the least, as it provides some insight to how SNK as a company works when it comes to games.
One of the biggest items on the menu was what SNK is currently up to since the release of King of Fighters XIV. While nothing too specific was given away, Yasuyki said they were developing “many new fighting games” but said they could not announce them yet.
According to the producer, the studio is always looking to make new entries for beloved franchises like Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting. However, what prevents the entries from happening is that the company has to give approval, which means numerous people have to be convinced on the matter. It’d be interesting to see how many proposals for new entries have been put forward, only to be shot down due to lack of approval.
When the matter of King of Fighters XIV came up however, things were not looking up. The company is unsure if there will be downloadable content down the road, or even a patch for the game. Despite that, the producer did mention that, due to the positive reception new characters released in April, if more content were to happen, it would be new fighters. It will be interesting to see if SNK puts a higher emphasis on fighters for DLC rather than costumes in other games going forward, as that’s what fans seemed to prefer according to them.
Things aren’t completely bleak for the legendary franchise though. While there are no plans for an enhanced version of an older game like King of Fighters XIII, there is one good thing. The studio is convinced that, at some point down the road, King of Fighters XV will be a reality. Meaning the PlayStation 4 and PC versions did well enough to warrant a sequel. It also means more competition in the genre, and competition helps bring out the best there is to offer.
Overall things are looking good for the company, although I do hope they get a non-fighting game approved at some point like a new Metal Slug. Too many games in one genre is dangerous, especially if the games release too close to each other and cut into each other’s sales as a result.
Yasuyuki Oda y Hayato Watanabe hablan sobre el desarrollo y futuro de KOF [IGN Latin America]
