The gaming and sports community is abuzz with speculation after Cristiano Ronaldo teased an involvement with SNK and Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. The 39-year-old soccer player tweeted a teaser showcasing a video with “Something exciting in the making! #SNK #FatalFury” message attached to it. Since then, Ronaldo’s cryptic post has gathered almost 200,000 Likes, 5,700 replies, and left fans interested but rather confused. Will he simply lend his voice to a brand-new, soccer-themed fighter or even appear as a guest character?
Fans took to the comment section of his post on X to praise the announcement but also questioning why it’s taking place. One fan called it “so f**** random,” while others simply said “umm, why?”
Truth be told, however, this crossover is not without precedent as there is one huge connection between Ronaldo and the Fatal Fury series: Saudi Arabia.
First, 96% of SNK, the developer behind Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters, stake has been acquired by Electronic Gaming Development Company. Said company is owned by the non-profit Mohammed Bin Salman Foundation, established by the Saudi crown prince.
Expanding into the ever-growing entertainment industry is seen as one of many attempts by Saudi Arabia to diversify its economy as well as popularize its image worldwide. The crown prince is also known as an enthusiast of various pop culture including video games and anime.
Then, Ronaldo has been showcasing his abilities for Saudi team Al-Nassr since 2022. The contract will last for two and a half years until 2025. So far, Cristiano Ronaldo has played 51 times and still shows great performance, scoring 52 goals for the Riyadh-based team in the Saudi Pro League.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s crossover into Fatal Fury is not the first time soccer legends are featured in video games. Previously, Ronaldo also showed up as a character in the mobile battle royale shooter Free Fire. Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba, and Neymar Jr. have appeared in recent Call of Duty games as playable Operators. Neymar himself is known to be a gamer and was often seen streaming on his YouTube channel playing various titles from Fortnite to Mech Arena.
The anticipation for Cristiano Ronaldo’s involvement with Fatal Fury and SNK keeps growing. After the initial announcement, various fanart between CR7 and Terry Bogard, the game’s main character, has popped up all over the internet. Will he be immortalized as a playable character and fight among the South Town wolves or something else entirely? Only time will tell. What’s certain is that his participation could bring a new level of excitement to the small and dedicated fighting game community for decades.
