The King of Fighters XIV announcements. The Last Blade 2‘s revival. A rumored Samurai Shodown in the not-so-distant future. The SNK train keeps rolling, and there’s no sign of stopping now.
Today, SNK (which, indeed, has dropped the Playmore and has officially changed its name back to that of its roots) announced that The King of Fighters XIV will finally be launching in Japan on August 25 this year, and in the Americas on August 23 (where it will be published by Atlus).
The news was announced yesterday at King of Fighters XIV Experience event, hosted by SNK in Tokyo, Japan’s Akihabara district. Before the official announcement, though, fans attending the event had been posting pictures of bottles containing an unspecified “official drink,” which prominently displayed several rumored, but unannounced, characters on its label. Among these characters were Samurai Shodown’s Ainu heroine, Nakoruru, and several then-unnamed characters.
Photo credit goes to Twitter user Charlie0816 (https://twitter.com/charlie0816/status/724460908961918977).
As it turns out, the bottle labels were a component in some clever hype-building at the event. SNK officially announced The King of Fighters XIV’s complete, 50-character roster shortly afterward, along with their respective teams and the game’s boss, named Antonov.
China Team: Shun’ei, Tung Fu Rue, Meitenkun
Japan Team: Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido, Goro Daimon
Official Invitation Team: Sylvie, Kukri, Mian
South America Team: Nelson, Zarina, Bandeiras
Yagami Team: Iori Yagami, Vice, Mature
Kim Team: Kim Kaphwan, Gang-Il, Luong
Mexico Team: Ramon, Angel, King of Dinosaurs
Another World Team: Nakoruru, Mui Mui, Love Heart
Villains Team: Xanadu, Chang Koehan, Choi Bounge
K’ Team: K’, Kula Diamond, Maxima
Ikari Team: Ralph Jones, Clark Still, Leona Heidern
South Town Team: Geese Howard, Billy Kane, Hein
Fatal Fury Team: Terry Bogard, Joe higasi, Andy Bogard
Women Fighters Team: King, Mai Shiranui, Alice
Psycho Soldier Team: Athena Asamiya, Sie Kensou, Chin Gentsai
Art of Fighting Team: Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Yuri Sakazaki
SNK then graced KoF fans with not one, but two trailers for the upcoming fighting game, both of which contain the aforementioned release dates (their Japanese equivalents list the August 25 date). You can watch them below:
Those who pre-order the game will receive a Classic Costume for Kyo resembling his design from The King of Fighters ’98. It is unknown if the will be available afterward as DLC.
The King of Fighters XIV will release on August 23 in the Americas, and on August 5 in Japan, for PlayStation 4. Pre-order and Day One copies include an exclusive SteelBook case; in Japan, first-print copies of the retail version of the game will receive limited edition premium art book. You can check out KoF XIV’s official site here, which will be continually updated with backstory on the game’s characters and teams.