I’m afraid our old pal Covid-19 has hit yet another game as SNK have announced that The King of Fighters XV has been delayed and will now be released in the first few months of 2022.
The King of Fighters XV producer, Yasuyuki Oda, sent this message:
There are many fans who are anticipating the release of KOF XV in 2021, however at this point in time, we unfortunately have to announce that KOF XV will now be launching within the 1st quarter of 2022.Â
The development timeline we set out to reach in the beginning has been affected by the ever-still rising cases of COVID-19 within Japan. We have made the ultimate decision in the end that the product’s quality must come first, and so with that decision comes an altered release window.
We sincerely ask for your kind patience and understanding as our development teams continue to work hard on KOF XV as we draw closer to its release.
SNK announced the game back in 2019 on the last day of that year’s EVO tournament. The last outing, King of Fighters XIV, released nearly five years ago and was a quiet success for the developer. At the time we handed it a 7/10, saying that “as a new entry in the series that pushes it into uncharted territory, King of Fighters XIV is an admirable effort. Boasting a huge roster, accessible action and smooth gameplay, there’s a lot to like, but the mediocre transition to 3D and inconsistent netcode hold it back from greatness.”
The sequel will be powered using Unreal Engine though SNK have yet to confirm which platforms it will launch on. We’d expect KOF 15 to appear on all current consoles, or at least PS4 and Nintendo Switch. In April is was announced that Mai Shiranui would be joining the game. Mai is an SNK stalwart having made appearances in various King of Fighters and Fatal Fury, as well as appearances in Dead or Alive and Capcom vs SNK.
Read more: we review SNK’s latest fighting game, Samurai Shodown
Source: Press release
