After a year of silence, SNK Corporation has officially unveiled The King of Fighters 15 in a special presentation. The previous main title in the series, The King of Fighters 14, was released in August 2016 for PlayStation 4 and PC before SNK shifted focus to updating previous releases and reviving the Samurai Shodown franchise. Four and a half years separate the two installments, but SNK has now begun to clear away the mystery surrounding KOF 15.

Originally announced at EVO 2019, The King of Fighters 15 has remained under wraps, with no other announcements or news coming out of the title in the year that followed. In December 2020, SNK teased more information would be coming the following month, revealing concept art of several characters, thus confirming a few returning favorites would make their way into the new title.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

On January 6, SNK delayed the planned reveal of The King of Fighters 15 for reasons not made clear. However, the following day, SNK went on to officially unveil the title, showing the first short glimpse of gameplay and making clear its future plan for releasing information about the upcoming title. This first look included the reveal of its graphics, a tentative release year, and its confirmed characters.

King of Fighters 15 Reveal Trailer

For its wider KOF and SamSho presentation, SNK opened with the first reveal of The King of Fighters 15. The reveal consisted of a short trailer that quickly displayed the game’s graphical art style, indicating a noticeable improvement in design and graphical fidelity over its predecessor. The trailer also confirmed there will be more information to come during the week of January 10, and KOF 15 Creative Director Eisuke Ogura (appearing alongside Producer Yasuyuki Oda after the trailer) confirmed a new trailer should be ready for release. The duo also confirmed a special animated short to promote the title is in the works, with anime director Masami Obari returning at the helm for the first time since the Fatal Fury anime films of the ’90s.

King of Fighters 15 Release Date

The trailer confirmed KOF 15 is set for a 2021 release. Ogura mentioned the possibility of “obstacles” throughout the year but maintained confidence in a 2021 release. The game was originally slated to come out in 2020. Ogura and Oda briefly touched on the status of the game, as Ogura stated the developers are “focusing on brushing up features and optimizing the game.”

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King of Fighters 15 Characters Revealed So Far

Six KOF 15 characters have been confirmed so far. Series mainstays Kyo Kusanagi and Benimaru Nikaido return with new designs; Kyo’s fuses his original design with his Tales of Ash look, and Benimaru’s is a new look entirely. K’, Mai Shiranui, and Leona Heidern also return, sporting designs similar to their previous appearances in the series. Joining them is Shun’ei, a character introduced in KOF 14 as the main protagonist of the current saga. The King of Fighters titles tend to have large rosters, with the latest having a roster of 50 at launch and eight more added through DLC, so fans should expect just as many characters in this game, as well.

With more news on the way, Ogura promised new information on the title’s development will be released “periodically,” going forward. This news should put fans at ease as the development of the game marches on. After the long period of silence, The King of Fighters 15 looks to now be on a steady track for a 2021 release. Fans will have news regarding its gameplay, story, and potentially what kind of online netcode it will use as SNK begins the road to “shatter all expectations.“

Source: SNK Corporation

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Lawrence Maldonado
(122 Articles Published)

Lawrence Maldonado is a writer, editor, and lifelong video game nerd born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He has edited an eBook for a voice actor in video games while also having done work as a Community Editor for a video game company. On the side, he would write articles and blogs about video games and the industry in general, leading him to cover games on Screen Rant as a freelance writer. Currently, he can be found wandering the realm of Eorzea while venturing to be the very best like no one ever was. His favorite video game of all time? The answer changes almost daily.

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