Summary
It’s been 26 years since the lastFatal Furygame. A lot has changed in the world since then. WiFi now adorns most homes, people can shop from their phones, and cars are powered by electricity.
The video game landscape has changed a lot, too, something thatSNKveteran and Fatal Fury producer Yasuyuki Oda is acutely aware of. “A lot has changed, especially in the esports space,” Oda-san tells me. But it’s not a concern for him when it comes to the upcomingCity of the Wolves.
Using SNK’s Vast Experience
“We came back in 2016, we’ve released four games since then,” Oda explains, having launched twoThe King of Fightersgames, SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy, andSamurai Shodownsince the company rebranded to SNK.
“We’re able to use a lot of that know-how, especially from the esports community, fine-tune it, and put it into this game. But we are keenly aware of how the community has evolved and changed.”
We are keenly aware of how the community has evolved and changed.
Oda-san and his team have worked hard over the course of City of the Wolves’ development to make the game what it is, and with its April 2025 release on the horizon, he feels a mixture of pride and relief.
“It’s definitely down to team effort. After 26 years, we’re finally able to bring this new installment into the series. People have been waiting for it, so it’s definitely a big relief, and I’m just extremely happy that we’re here.”
With Oda-san admitting that the team has extensive knowledge of the competitive fighting game scene, I asked if City of the Wolves was built with esports in mind. “We’re trying to make the game for everybody, so it’s not just for Justin Wong. There are a lot of people in the competitive scene. We’re trying to make something that fits all of the different types of playstyles, and we want to do whatever we can to foster new talent.”
Collaborations And The Fatal Fury IP
DuringTokyo Game Showlast month, it was announced thatKen and Chun-Lifrom theStreet Fighterserieswould be making their way to City of the Wolves. It was a straight swap for the previously announced Terry and Mai appearance in Street Fighter 6, and Oda-san says there were few roadblocks to it finally happening.
“It was Evo 2022 in Las Vegas. We had the posters that we brought out. And that’s the first time that SNK andCapcomsat down, and they first said, ‘Hey, we should do something.’”
It shows a level of mutual respect between two of the biggest fighting game creators in gaming history and opens the door to future collaboration possibilities. But it’s not other fighting game characters Oda-san would like to see in City of the Wolves. Instead, it’s a cast of Hollywood actors and a controversial former musician.
“Michael Jackson. Sylvester Stallone. Bruce Willis. Everyone is so cool [in] Hollywood. Jackie Chan. The cast of The Expendables. The entire Expendables crew," he says when I ask himwho his ideal guest character would be, before reiterating, “Everybody. And Michael Jackson.”
The veteran has clearly put a lot of thought into his ideal crossovers, given how quickly and easily he was able to rattle off such a substantial list. But while Oda-san knows who his dream collaborations would consist of, one that came completely out of the blue wasTerry Bogard’s appearanceinSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.
“The request came fromNintendo. I think Sakurai was a fan,” Oda-san tells me. It was an exhilarating time for the Fatal Fury team, given the franchise had been long-dormant up until that point. “I was extremely excited about it. You know, I mean, I couldn’t help it, but I felt really happy and fond that something like that was going to happen.”
I couldn’t help it, but I felt really happy and fond that something like that was going to happen.
With the Fatal Fury IP now well and truly back, the conversation moved onto the transmedia potential he feels the series has. “It’d be really cool if we had a Fatal Fury anime, but it just depends on who you get to do it, the style, how to do it properly, you know. But yeah, it’d be wild, right? It’d be really cool.”
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
WHERE TO PLAY
After 26 years, FATAL FURY is back! SNK’s beloved Fatal Fury series first hit the market in 1991, spearheading the fighting game boom of the 1990s that swept the industry thereafter.GAROU: MARK OF THE WOLVES (released in 1999) has, for some time, served as the franchise’s most recent installment. But that is all about to change: 26 years on, a brand-new entry—FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves—is set to arrive on the scene!FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves features a unique art style that stimulates the senses, an innovative REV system that supercharges the excitement, plus a host of other battle systems even more robust than before. The game also breathes new life into the series by introducing two distinct control schemes (ensuring fun and excitement for newcomers and veterans alike) as well as other fresh features and elements.The streets of South Town are a hotbed of action, wild dreams, and even wilder ambition. Here, at long last, a new legend is about to unfold…
