With the pandemic still ravaging many parts of the globe, different kinds of industries have been hit hard. Many physical retail stores have shut down, and production delays are rampant, especially in the entertainment and game development scene. Recently, even big franchises such as Warner Bros. have experienced delays in video game production, specifically for Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy, and the highly-anticipated Gotham Knights. Therefore it is possible that some of Japan’s big game devs like SNK are not immune to production delays that are now a constant in the industry.

As such, fans of SNK’s fighting game series King of Fighters will now have to wait a bit longer for the release of the 15th title in the franchise. In a recently issued official statement, Japanese game company SNK announced that King of Fighters 15 will be launched at a later date due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the fighting game will make its way to the market in Q1 2022, instead of its original release date later in 2021.

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In the statement released on the SNK official website, King of Fighters 15 producer Yasuyuki Oda went straight to the point and immediately announced that the game’s release date has been moved to the 1st quarter of 2022. The announcement mentioned that the original production timeline has been affected by the continuous rise of COVID-19 cases in Japan. Given the numbers, and the nation’s state of emergency, even other activities such as theme park openings in Japan have been delayed and affected.

Oda also stated that the team made the decision to push back the release date in order to prioritize delivering a good quality product. Acknowledging the King of Fighters fanbase’s anticipation of the title, Oda asked for patience and understanding as the team does their best to ensure fans that they have much to look forward to once King of Fighters 15 comes out in 2022.

Even before the delay was announced, SNK has been very active online by sharing character trailers and building up the King of Fighters 15 roster. So far the team has revealed more than ten characters, including classic fan-favorite Mai Shiranui, and femme fatale Shermie. Terry Bogard, who can also be found in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Fighting EX Layer, will also be making an appearance. Hopefully the developers continue to introduce more playable characters, allowing fans to pass the time until the game’s official release date next year.

King of Fighters 15 will launch some time in Q1 of 2022.

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Source: SNK Official Site