SNK is actively expanding its classic game IPs through enhanced re-releases, a new direct retail channel, and a dedicated e-sports circuit, while a new subsidiary studio led by Katsuhiro Harada operates independently.
SNK has been steadily reviving its classic fighting game library through the NEOGEO Premium Selection series. In June 2026, the company announced a Steam version of Ninja Masters: Haoh Ninpocho with rollback netcode, a lobby for up to nine players, tournament modes, and a practice mode. At EVO 2026, SNK revealed Art of Fighting: Ryuko no Ken Gaiden R, a remaster that adds King and Yuri Sakazaki as new playable characters, includes balance adjustments, rollback netcode, an expanded training mode, and a VS mode. A revamped version of Art of Fighting 3 titled The Path of the Warrior: Art of Fighting 3 R was also announced, adding King and Yuri Sakazaki, and launching on PC via Steam. These releases signal SNK's intent to treat the NEOGEO Premium Selection as a platform for enhanced re-releases rather than simple emulations.
SNK is also investing in merchandising and e-sports. The company opened its official online store NEOGEO STYLES in May 2026, launching with a Terry Bogard cap made in collaboration with NEW ERA and a novelty soy sauce product inspired by the song Geese ni Shoyu. At Licensing Japan 2026, SNK showcased licensing programs for The King of Fighters, Fatal Fury, Samurai Shodown, and Metal Slug, aiming to expand its licensing business across apparel, figures, publishing, events, and digital content. The SWC 2026 Finals were announced for November 27-29 in Stockholm, Sweden, with a combined $4.2 million prize pool across five titles and a regional league for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves.
In a major structural move, SNK announced the launch of VS Studio SNK in May 2026, a new game studio led by former Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada. SNK invested in the studio as a consolidated subsidiary, but Harada publicly directed recruitment inquiries away from SNK to the studio's own website, reinforcing its independence. The studio is not a 100% subsidiary and has guaranteed independence. SNK also released an animated video for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, directed by Masami Ōbari and produced by Studio G-1 Neo with Asahi Production, as the game nears its first anniversary.
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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.
Kohei Ikeda, the game director known for Tekken 7 and Tekken 8, announced on August 18 that he has joined VS Studio SNK. Ikeda, also known by the nickname Nakatsu, left Bandai Namco Studios in June after 20 years at the company. He began his career at Enterbrain before moving to Bandai Namco, where he worked on numerous titles, especially the Tekken series, serving as game director and development producer for Tekken 8. VS Studio SNK is a development studio established in May with support from SNK. Its CEO is Katsuhiro Harada, who worked on the Tekken series with Ikeda and left Bandai Namco Studios in 2025. Yuichi Yonemori, another Tekken series veteran, is also part of the studio as CCO. In an X post, Ikeda said working on game development again with his two former bosses feels nostalgic and full of excitement from creating something new, and that he is very fulfilled. The game currently in development at VS Studio SNK has not been announced yet.
SNK streamed English and Japanese trailers for Fatal Fury City of the Wolves previewing DLC character Duck King, who joins the roster on August 27. The game's Season 3 launched July 23 with six characters planned over six months, including Kim Kaphwan in September and Laocorn in November.
SNK announced on August 17 that Duck King, the dancer-fighter from the original 1991 Fatal Fury, will join Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves as the second DLC character in Season Pass 3, "DESTINED FOR REVENGE," on August 27. The announcement came with a character trailer. Duck King is a professional dancer and martial artist who blends dance with fighting, using light steps and tricky movements. His Japanese voice is provided by Anri Katsu, and his English voice by Cedric Williams. The update also adds Duck King stories to both EOST MODE and ARCADE MODE. In EOST MODE, Duck King seeks a rematch against Wolfgang Krauser, who he believes died but has reappeared in South Town. In ARCADE MODE, Richard Myer, owner of the Pao Pao Cafe, asks Duck King to help save the cafe from a buyout, leading Duck King to enter KOF for the prize money. Duck King's last playable appearance in a fighting game was The King of Fighters XI in 2005, making this his first in 21 years.
AmiAmi has opened orders for THE KING OF COLLECTORS'24 No.1 Terry Bogard (Fatal Fury 2 / 2P Color), a figure of Terry in his blue 2P color scheme from Fatal Fury 2. The figure is sold only through AmiAmi, priced at 16,500 yen including tax, and ships in January 2027.
Scorpion Masque announced Tag Team: SNK Arcade Legends, a two-player board game expansion featuring SNK characters, on July 28, 2026. The release is scheduled for the second quarter of 2027. Six fighters are included, with Terry Bogard confirmed and five more to be revealed monthly. Pre-orders include Iori Yagami as a bonus character.
SNK is offering its 40th Anniversary Collection on Steam at 85% off, dropping the price to 597 yen from 3,980 yen. The bundle includes 24 arcade and console titles from the 1980s, such as Ikari Warriors, Athena, and Psycho Soldier. The sale runs until July 30 JST.
SNK announced on July 16 that Season 3 of Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, titled "DESTINED FOR REVENGE," will begin on July 23. The season will distribute new characters monthly over six months, starting with Rick Strowd on July 23, followed by Duck King in August, Kim Kaphwan in September, and Laocorn in November. Two additional characters, currently unrevealed, are scheduled for October and December. Season Pass 3 costs 1,980 yen and includes new stages and in-game content alongside the characters. Simultaneously, SNK will begin individual sales of 10 previously released DLC characters from the first two season passes, each priced at 550 yen. The company also announced a price revision for the Legend Edition (base game plus Season Passes 1 and 2) to 5,170 yen, and a new Revenge Edition bundling the game with all three season passes for 6,490 yen. The game launched in April 2025 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. Season 3 arrives 26 years after the series' last mainline entry, Garou: Mark of the Wolves.
SNK's crossover fighting game 'SNK vs. Capcom SVC Chaos' is on sale at its lowest price ever on PlayStation 4 and Switch. The current version, released in July 2024, adds rollback netcode for online battles, a lobby for up to nine players, and tournament modes. The game features 36 characters from both publishers, including deep cuts like Zero from Mega Man Zero and Red Arremer from Ghosts 'n Goblins, plus a gallery of 89 pieces of key art. The sale runs for a limited time at 1,490 yen on both storefronts.
SNK released an animated trailer for Fatal Fury City of the Wolves teasing Rick Strowd, Duck King, Kim Kaphwan, and Laocorn Gaudeamus. The company previously announced season 3 will launch in July. The game debuted in April 2025 and has received multiple DLC characters since launch.
SNK's NEOGEO home console, released on July 1, 1991, marks its 35th anniversary. The system brought arcade-perfect games into living rooms at a steep price of 58,000 yen, with software costing 20,000-30,000 yen. Initially offered as a rental service, it later sold directly and supported titles for 13 years, ending with Samurai Shodown Zero Special in 2004.
Kotobukiya announced a wide range of new figure prototypes and color samples at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles on July 2. The company revealed supervising prototypes for "Super Kaguya-hime!" figures of Kaguya, Tsukimi Yachiyo, and Sayori Sakayori, as well as a prototype for "Magic Knight Rayearth" Hikaru Shidou. Under the OSHI WORKS line, prototypes were shown for "Attack on Titan The Final Season" characters Mikasa, Armin, Levi, and Sasha. The new OSHI WORKS Mini brand debuted with color samples of "The Apothecary Diaries" Maomao and "TRIGUN STARGAZE" Vash the Stampede and Nicholas D. Wolfwood. For game-related figures, Kotobukiya showed the first color sample of a 1/4 scale "Goddess of Victory: NIKKE" Anis figure. OSHI WORKS Mini color samples were also displayed for "Persona 3 Reload" and "Persona 5 The Royal" protagonists, plus prototypes for "Trails" series characters Estelle Bright and Joshua Bright, and SNK characters Mai Shiranui, Angel, and Kula Diamond. Additional figures included "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners" Rebecca and "Snowball Earth" Tetsuo Yabusame and Ao Nogi.
SNK announced The Path of the Warrior: Art of Fighting 3 R, a revamped version of the 1996 fighting game, during the Evo tournament on Sunday. The new version adds series characters King and Yuri Sakazaki and will launch on PC via Steam. No release date was given.
SNK announced the SWC 2026 Finals will take place November 27-29 in Stockholm, Sweden, as part of DreamHack Stockholm 2026. The tournament covers five SNK fighting game titles with a combined $4.2 million prize pool across qualifiers and finals. A regional league for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves was also announced.
SNK announced a remastered version of the 1996 fighting game "Art of Fighting: Ryuko no Ken Gaiden" at EVO 2026 on June 29. Titled "Art of Fighting: Ryuko no Ken Gaiden R," the game is part of the NEOGEO Premium Selection and will launch on PC via Steam, with release date and price to be announced. The remaster adds series staples King and Yuri Sakazaki as new playable characters, who were absent from the original. It includes balance adjustments for existing fighters and implements rollback netcode for online play. Expanded training mode and a VS mode for quick matches are also included. The original game was known for its rotoscoped pixel art, parrying, down attacks, and the Ultimate KO system, where a super move at low health ends the match. The "R" in the title stands for REIGNITE, RETUNED, and REVIVAL, and also references the initials of protagonists Ryo and Robert.
SNK announced on June 17 that the 1996 arcade fighting game Ninja Masters: Haoh Ninpocho will release on Steam as part of the NEOGEO Premium Selection. The Steam version adds rollback netcode for online play, a lobby for up to nine players, tournament modes, and a practice mode with speed adjustment. The game is set in the fictional country of Jipang, where 12 martial artists-including ninja, exorcists, swordsmen, and thieves-fight using a real-time weapon-to-hand-to-hand switching system. The Steam store page is open and wishlist registration has begun. The price is 2,970 yen. The game was originally developed by ADK and published by SNK. The NEOGEO Premium Selection series revives classic NEOGEO titles with new features. The release date is listed as coming soon.
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.
SNK released an animated video for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, teasing a new character. Masami Ōbari directed, storyboarded, served as chief animation director, and acted as creative producer. Studio G-1 Neo produced the animation with Asahi Production. The video arrives as the game nears its first anniversary.
SNK opened its official online store NEOGEO STYLES on May 29, 2026, at 12:00 JST. The store launched with two Fatal Fury-themed products: a Terry Bogard 9FORTY cap made in collaboration with hat brand NEW ERA, and a product called Geese's Soy Sauce SPECIAL, which is inspired by the fan-favorite song Geese ni Shoyu. The cap and the soy sauce item are the first items available through the new storefront. SNK did not announce a full product lineup or a schedule for future releases. The store is accessible through the official SNK website. The opening coincides with ongoing promotion for the fighting game Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, which was released earlier in 2026. The company has also recently announced a crossover between Fatal Fury and Fist of the North Star, bringing character Kenshiro to South Town.
Katsuhiro Harada, head of SNK subsidiary VS Studio, posted on May 15 that recruitment inquiries should go through the studio's own website, not SNK. The studio, established in May 2026 with SNK investment, is not a 100% subsidiary and has guaranteed independence. The recruitment page is under preparation, but an inquiry form is already live.
SNK announced the launch of VS Studio SNK, a new game studio led by former Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada. SNK has invested in the studio as a consolidated subsidiary, and the two companies will collaborate on game software development. Harada left Bandai Namco at the end of 2025.