Beyond Beat 'Em Ups: SNK Has Ambitions to Become a Top 10 Publisher

ign.com:

Back in the day, SNK was one of gaming’s biggest names. King of Fighters and Fatal Fury were hugely popular beat-’em-ups in the 1980s and ’90s, while Metal Slug helped define the side-scrolling action game genre, and the company’s high-spec console, handheld and arcade hardware were the envy of many.

After two tumultuous decades in the 2000s, SNK received investment from Saudi Arabia’s Electronic Gaming Development Company in 2020 and was fully acquired in 2022. The investment has come under scrutiny due to Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, which includes allegations of unfair treatment of women and the LGBTQ community. In the aftermath of the acquisition, an SNK lead insisted that the studio's new ownership "doesn't affect us in any way."

Shortly after the opening of a new development studio in Singapore in April, IGN spoke with SNK President and CEO Kenji Matsubara about the company’s vision, which includes becoming a Top 10 global publisher.

Matsubara’s goal is ambitious, but the company does of course face extremely stiff competition. Depending on the definition, the world’s largest game publisher is currently Sony Interactive Entertainment, with the Top 10 also including Microsoft, Nintendo and Electronic Arts. The group also includes relative newcomers from China such as Tencent, NetEase and miHoYo.

“Setting such a lofty goal has helped me to identify the challenges that stand in our way,” he says. “What SNK currently lacks the most is development capabilities, so strengthening development capabilities will be essential. Beyond that, we can also consider acquiring other studios with strong IP, to add to our portfolio.”

SNK’s next announced game is Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, the first new entry in the Fatal Fury series in 26 years. After nearly three decades away, the new game is attracting a positive response from fans of fighting games – but Matsubara acknowledges this alone will not be enough.

“It will be necessary for us to develop titles in various