At today’s PlayStation State of Play stream, SNK has announced that the open beta for The King of Fighters XV will start on November 19 at 7:00 PM PST until November 22 at 6:59 AM PST. Just four months before it’s released on February 2022, anyone who participates in the KOF XV beta test will be able to take on six different game modes:
- Online
- Casual Match
- Room Match, with the all-new Draft Vs system
- Offline
- Versus
- Training
As well as try out eight different playable characters, both veterans and newcomers to the series:
- Dolores (new)
- Shun’ei (new)
- Chris (Team Orochi)
- Shermie (Team Orochi)
- Yashiro Nanakase (Team Orochi)
- Chizuru Kagura (Team Sacred Treasures)
- Iori Yagami (Team Sacred Treasures)
- Kyo Kusanagi (Team Sacred Treasures)
SNK Chief Producer Yasuyuki Oda also revealed some of the detail about the new character Dolores. Described as a “quite mysterious” medium that can speak to the earth and control holy soil, she apparently has teamed up with the other newcomer Isla as well as General Heidern for this year’s The King of Fighters tournament. Her clothes also have some accessories that look similar to the embroidery found on another character. Watch Dolores’ earth smashing gameplay sneak peek and KOF XV open beta teaser in the trailer below.
The King of Fighters first launched in 1994, featuring characters from SNK’s previous arcade hits series like Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, Ikari Warriors, and Psycho Soldier. It took the fighting genre by storm and since then has become one of SNK’s leading fighting game series. Known for its large roster and high-octane 3-vs-3 team battle, the series has now reached 15 mainline titles. Its latest entry, KOF XV, will be released with 39 playable characters and new gameplay mechanics that will surely shake up the stage called Shatter Strike.
KOF XV, following its open beta, is due out for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and Microsoft Store on February 17, 2022. Stay tuned at The Nerd Stash for more gaming and nerd updates.