METAL SLUG is in its 30th anniversary year with METAL SLUG ULTIMATE COLLECTION, a 10-game bundle, scheduled for 2027. SNK announced the collection in September 2026 and will host a Tokyo Game Show 2026 stage for the anniversary on September 17.
SNK announced METAL SLUG ULTIMATE COLLECTION during the Nintendo Direct 2026.9.9 livestream, with a 2027 release planned for packaged and download versions on Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The package gathers 10 titles, running from the 1996 original through METAL SLUG 2, METAL SLUG X, METAL SLUG 3, METAL SLUG 4, and METAL SLUG 5, plus METAL SLUG ADVANCE, METAL SLUG 6, and METAL SLUG 7. The tenth entry is a location test version that sources describe as rarely shown to the public and never officially released. Porting is handled by M2, and the package adds online two-player co-op with a friend invite feature, a rewind function, quick save and load, and a gallery and museum feature.
The collection was the first project announced for the series' 30th anniversary. A Tokyo Game Show 2026 stage on September 17, hosted by 4Gamer, will run from 12:45 to 13:15 with producer Shiro Mukaude, series brand manager Song Seung-ju, and wrestler Danshoku Dino as MC. The stage covers the series and the collection.
Earlier in 2026, SNK exhibited at Licensing Japan 2026 at Tokyo Big Sight from June 17 to 19, presenting licensing programs for Metal Slug alongside The King of Fighters, Fatal Fury, and Samurai Shodown, with merchandise and collaboration examples. That push spans apparel, figures, publishing, events, and digital content.
On the business side, SNK's wholly owned subsidiary SNK Entertainment dissolved, according to a public notice in the Official Gazette on August 20. The company restarted in 2016 and handled contract development and licensing for properties including Metal Slug; its game and digital content operations moved to parent SNK in July 2022. Separately, Happinet announced that Yokai Buster Navinosuke, a Game Boy Advance pixel RPG originally produced in the early 2000s by the Metal Slug development team and shelved, will be released in 2027 for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam under the Happinet Indie Collection label, with development by KOHACHI STUDIO, which holds the IP.
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4Gamer will host a stage event for the 30th anniversary of METAL SLUG at Tokyo Game Show 2026 on September 17, from 12:45 to 13:15. Producer Shiro Mukaude and series brand manager Song Seung-ju will appear, with wrestler Danshoku Dino as MC, to discuss the series and METAL SLUG ULTIMATE COLLECTION, the anniversary's first announced project, scheduled for release in 2027.
Happinet announced on September 10 that Yokai Buster Navinosuke will be released in 2027 for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam, under its Happinet Indie Collection label. The yokai-collecting pixel RPG is set in a fictional ancient Japan where Navinosuke, an apprentice onmyo student and karakuri puppet, resolves yokai incidents across various regions. Players seal and recruit more than 200 types of yokai, which have five attributes, and build freely customized parties for turn-based battles that use a shikigami system. Development is handled by KOHACHI STUDIO, the studio led by pixel artist akio, who worked on R-Type and Metal Slug. The game was originally produced in the early 2000s for the Game Boy Advance by the Metal Slug development team, completed but shelved, and after rights processing KOHACHI STUDIO holds the IP. Happinet also said a new trailer is out and a playable exhibit is planned for Tokyo Game Show 2026.
SNK announced METAL SLUG ULTIMATE COLLECTION during the Nintendo Direct 2026.9.9 livestream on September 9, 2026. The collection gathers 10 titles from the side-scrolling action series and is scheduled to launch in 2027. The lineup runs from the 1996 original through METAL SLUG 2, METAL SLUG X, METAL SLUG 3, METAL SLUG 4, and METAL SLUG 5, plus METAL SLUG ADVANCE, METAL SLUG 6, and METAL SLUG 7. The tenth entry is a location test version that sources describe as rarely shown to the public and never officially released. The package adds online two-player co-op with a friend invite feature, a rewind function that rolls back play by several seconds, quick save and load, and a gallery and museum feature covering series logos and visual material. Porting work is handled by M2. The release is planned for packaged and download versions, and Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 owners get it alongside PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
SNK's wholly owned subsidiary SNK Entertainment has dissolved, according to a public notice in the Official Gazette on August 20. The company, which restarted in 2016 after a dormant period, ran contract development and licensing for properties like The King of Fighters and Metal Slug. Its game and digital content operations transferred to parent SNK in July 2022.
SNK is exhibiting at Licensing Japan 2026, a trade show held at Tokyo Big Sight from June 17 to 19. The company is showcasing licensing programs for its game IPs including The King of Fighters, Fatal Fury, Samurai Shodown, and Metal Slug, with displays of domestic and international merchandise and collaboration examples. SNK aims to build new business partnerships and expand its multi-faceted licensing business across apparel, figures, publishing, events, and digital content.