SNK Corporation has announced that CEO Kenji Matsubara will step down from his position following the poor commercial performance and disappointing player count of Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. Matsubara will transition into an advisory role, according to a statement released by the company just weeks after the game’s April 24 launch.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is the first entry in the series in 26 years and was a major investment for SNK. The company heavily promoted the game across various platforms, including high-profile ad placements during WrestleMania weekend, widespread online campaigns, and promotional tie-ins with popular DJs who contributed to the game’s soundtrack. In an unexpected move, the game even features footballer Cristiano Ronaldo as a playable character, along with singer Salvatore Ganacci.
Despite this aggressive marketing push, early sales and player engagement haven’t been as exciting as hoped. On Steam, the game’s all-time peak player count stands at just 4,592. In Japan, only 10,000 copies were sold on PlayStation by the end of the second week. These underwhelming figures have reportedly contributed to the sudden leadership change at SNK.
In its statement, SNK credited exiting CEO Matsubara for leading the company through a period of transformation, expanding development, and strengthening global publishing efforts. The board has appointed the current Chairman to serve as interim CEO while the company evaluates long-term leadership options.
The game had a lot of money thrown at it, with the biggest tournament offering $1.5 million to the winner, but clearly, that was not enough for casuals to remain engaged. But it isn’t all as doom and gloom as it may seem. Fighting games are a bit of a niche; their waning popularity and the relatively low player count of Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves may seem like a death sentence at first, but new content and balance updates can always revitalize a plummeting franchise.
SNK stated that it remains committed to its strategic goals and is entering a new phase of leadership with optimism, though the poor reception of Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves raises questions about the immediate future of the franchise. Whether the game can recover momentum through updates or new content remains to be seen. We do still have the Capcom crossover to look forward to, which will add Ken and Chun-Li; perhaps that and a balance patch will give the game the jolt it needs.
