KoF Producer Leaves SNKP and President Wants to Shut Down Video Game Division

[Reality Check]

http://dreamcancel.com/?p=472

Neithan from Bas Gros Poing is reporting that Masaaki Kukineo, producer of KOF XII and XIII, left SNKPlaymore in November. This news creates some doubt about the port of KOF XIII. Furthermore, sources within SNKP are reporting that the new president, Ryo Mizufune, wants to shut down the video game division and focus on licensing instead, such as porting old titles and creating pachinko games and figures. With the lack of news regarding the console release of XIII, the future for King of Fighters is looking bleak.

 

[westtrade]

This is sad to hear.

 

[Hewitson]

The new president, Ryo Mizufune, wants to shut down the video game division and focus on licensing instead, such as porting old titles and creating pachinko games and figures.

Absolute fucking idiot.

 

[cyriades]

As promising as KoF XIII looks, the game could stand to make mint...I've been spreading the word about the game and a lot of people are excited about it. And now this? I wonder if SNK would listen if people petition this idiotic move?

 

[Kim Kaphwan]

It's Aruze all over again.

 

[wataru330]

wat?

SNKP are the Philadelphia Eagles of videogame companies.

 

[Taiso]

...and the rest is silence.

 

[insaneben]

Looking back on the last year, the only physical ports were Metal Slug XX and Neogeo Heroes Ultimate Shooting for the PSP and Samurai Shodown Sen for the X-Box 360. The sheer amount of (awful) cell phone games and pachislot machines released in that same year alone makes things pretty clear that SNKP's been heading in this direction for quite some time. It's sad, and, quite frankly, disheartening to see that they're going in this direction (though not entirely unexpected, given their recent history).

Oh, and rather than bump up my "SNKP's Sinking Credibility" Thread, here's a little nugget of joy I just dug up:
http://psp-queensgate.channel.or.jp/index.html
A few of SNKP's characters are being whored out to what looks like an RPG based on the Queen's Blade spinoff, Queen's Gate. We may or may not be getting a KOF XIII port, but at least Japanese otaku will be able to get their grubby mitts on a lackluster game with SNKP characters (and Dizzy from Guilty Gear) come the end of July.

Really, where's better ownership and leadership when you need them?

 

[cyriades]

With the right direction, and huge titles - especially with the kind of lineage SNK has with their Neo Geo franchises - SNK could have made it big again. Ugh. I don't want to give up hope, but this isn't looking good.

 

[Reality Check]

If they really do move on into licensing they should outsource their IPs to other developers.

 

[SPINMASTER X]

Dammit, WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY? They are one of the last hopes for 2d fighters. I seriously don't want any more SF4's. KOF XIII is absolutely gorgeous, It'd be a crime against humanity to let this game die an arcade game and at least not give console fans one last hurrah.

 

[evil wasabi]

Fuck yeah. About time the zombie mung fest ends.

 

[Michael Yagami]

Fuck yeah. About time the zombie mung fest ends.

My thoughts exactly.

Let this twitching corpse finally die.

 

[Blue Steel]

I am trying to save this company. Don't give up yet guys.

 

[Vicarious]

D:, c-c-combo breaker

 

[SetaSouji??]

This is not exactly a bad thing. Means companies that know what they're doing (see: Capcom) can license out KoF and make it possibly not suck.

 

[RBjakeSpecial]

Wow. I was pretty done with KoF until I played XIII in the arcades. They improved just about everything over XII. I really hope it gets released on the console.

 

[Heinz]

I think it would be a silly decision to spend all that time and money on KOFXIII to then what? not have a console release? If its smashing the arcades I think we'll see a port.

But to be honest there's an excellent back catalogue we can all enjoy on our AES or MVS anyway. I could care less if they went bankrupt again and dissapeared. SNKP has routinely dissapointed me the entire time.

I look forward to more PS2 JP imports of their back catalog.

 

[Takumaji]

It's Aruze all over again.

Quite.

Next thing we'll hear is the announcement to go back into Pachinko big time.

 

[Kim Kaphwan]

 

[Black Shroud]

A summary of public opinion on this (Source: SRK)

oh no, what will all the mexicans and chinese play now?

Soccer.

I can't believe SNK GAYmore would let KOF die over making profit over Pachinko.

Don't worry, we'll get to play KoF XIII in 5 years when it's released as part of Neo Geo Collection Part.23

Yeaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!

Pachinko, guys! PACHINKO!

Happy days are here again!

Aruze part 2!

Just thinking about some douchebag sitting in a meeting of SNK talking about wanting to drop KOF for pachinko makes me want to flip shit. I mean what the fuck.

You forgot that snk doesn't like to make money. they literally fuck up almost everything they do nowadays.

Yup is the end of the world and we know it.

They (Capcom) already have Shinkiro, they made CvS, and they know KOF is still damn popular. I can easily see a Capcom offer to buy the franchise and derivatives (FF, AoF, etc), its just too damn good to let it waste on pachinko and stuff like that.

fuck crapcom and their gay ass turtle fighters and characters. they can eat a fat dick. id rather have kof die after 13 than see it get released by some bs cmopany like crapcom, fuck turning kof turtle like sf4, eat a dick to the rest of you actually hoping for crapcom shits.

Pachinko? Porting old titles? Doesn't the new president realize that KOF XIII would make a whole lot of money if it's released for consoles? Doesn't he realize that there are a whole lot of people worldwide who would love to get their hands on KOF XIII? Oh, well--you can't force people to make sound decisions.

Hahaha! A game, making more money than pachinko?

HAHAHAHA!!!!

SNK has lived off pachinko for over a decade, even with KOFMI1 and the GBA MS being fairly profitable. Stop kidding yourself, the only reason the game division exists is to work as an IP farm. I've been saying this for almost five years on the KOF forum. Time for you guys to join me in the real world.

 

[Sherlin]

SNKP needs to hire a new Creative Department, not dump their Development Department. This is a job for Don Draper (Mad Men)!

 

[Mr Bakaboy]

My knee jerk reaction was to say Playmore is finally dead. Thinking about it from the context of being president there's a chance this has more to do with recouping losses.

The titles that have been making them money are the old ones. KOF XII was a big money pit for them. If I was to come on board a leaking ship, the first thing I would do is plug the holes.

More then likely they will release KOF XIII. It would be an extremely idiotic move not to since it's already completed and has also cost them a tremendous amount of money.

After this, if I were them, I would take a break from making games from scratch and release cheap and affordable old titles to get back as much money as possible. KOF XI, Samurai Shodown VI, Last Blade 2 , and plenty of other titles have not been released with online play yet (at least worldwide). This will also give them time to tweak their hand at online play so when they come back to making a big budget title (if they ever do) the components that have plagued their sales won't be the major factor this time.

In all honesty if KOF XIII makes them a bunch of money this will more then likely be a couple years off which would translate to a few years before we see another game. If the sales are not what they want, then there is a good chance somewhere down the road Playmore will licence their titles over to a 3rd party company. Only time (and sales figures) will tell.

 

[RBjakeSpecial]

SNKP needs to hire a new Creative Department, not dump their Development Department. This is a job for Don Draper (Mad Men)!

Ha ha! I can see it now:

"What KoF players really want is nostalgia. They want the same feeling they had when they were children playing neo geo."

I really want KOFXIII on my playstation3.

 

[Taiso]

I think they'll release KOF XIII to home consoles. They, or somebody, will port it over. As has been said, too much has been sunk into the game not to do it, and it's got good buzz so it'll sell.

After that, I hope a REAL company swoops in and rescues the IPs from a miserable existence as pachislot decorations and UFO catcher oddities.

Done.