SNK Playmore announced at the 2015 Tokyo Game Show that King of Fighters XIV will be released exclusively for the PS4. KOF XIV will be released in 2016. The game will hit Japanese arcades in January, though no U.S. release date has been confirmed.
Fans uploaded the TGS announcement teaser on YouTube. Check out the clip below:
This is not the KOF franchise’s first foray into 3D. In 2004, SNK Playmore released King of Fighters: Maximum Impact: the franchise’s first 3D fighting game. Maximum Impact received lukewarm reviews. Consensus among critics showed the 2006 sequel KOF: Maximum Impact 2 was a noticeable improvement from its predecessor. By 2008, SNK Playmore’s rival company Capcom unveiled Street Fighter IV, a 2D-style fighting game with 3D character models and backgrounds. Through the late 2000s, 2D fighting games continued making a comeback. most notably the Guilty Gear and BlazBlue series.
Recognizing the resurrection of popular 2D titles, SNK Playmore went back to their roots with King of Fighters XII, which featured completely redrawn 2D sprites and 2D backgrounds.
Reaction to KOF XIV‘s teaser gameplay was mixed on social media. While some welcomed KOF XIV as a bright, new addition to a growing list of popular fighting game franchises, others reacted negatively to the teaser announcement.
KoF XIV looks like hot garbage, why even show that off?
— Skunk (@OhAnimaux) September 15, 2015
KOF XIV looking like pic.twitter.com/zQVB2BWVdQ
— desmond (@desmaku87) September 15, 2015
I'm happy SNKPlaymore is back with #KOFXIV, but that looked bad, should have just reused KOF13 sprites
— Lance Lingos (@lupinko) September 15, 2015
At the TGS, SNK Playmore was quick to note that KOF XIV is in its earliest development stages, so the visuals may change.
