New name -New management - But familiar games!
Last year saw a number of different scenarios being envisaged with the collapse of SNK. Some sites and reports spoke of complete closure and abandonment of amusement following the bankruptcy of the company (long obituaries being written). Some foretold a last minute management buyout, and even a few spoke of the appearance of a mysterious last minute 'White Knight' (financial term for a last minute investor / buyer of an ailing company).
Now into 2002 and the dust has settled and the speculation and rumor can stop. The facts surprisingly seem to offer truth to all of the various speculations and much more.
The Japanese pachinko and amusement operation Playmore (following in the footsteps of their fellow pachinko competitor Aruze) has stepped into the breach and acquired the much vaunted SNK license and Intellectual Properties (IP) for around 70% of the key licenses available. This comes after some last minute acquisitions from a Korean company (Mega Enterprise) who actually managed to get their hands on at least two highly prized licenses before the new structure was in place.
From what has been revealed in recent interviews for interested Japanese media, and leaks from those involved in brokering the final agreement - the facts seem to be these. First; the new operation will allow that development that has been started to continue, this refers mainly to the Sun Amusement and Eolith agreements to sell the King of Fighters 2001 product into the market. At the same time the Japanese developer comprising a number of ex-SNK members will attempt to expand their development involvement and even sell the KOF titles Internationally. In America Apple Industries has still been named as the exclusive representatives of this fighter, with BrezzaSoft representatives at ATEI linked to speculation of an interest in an alternative European representative.
The second factor of the new structure is the road ahead for the licenses and titles in development. Playmore has been reported as establishing the SNK NeoGeo name as the new trading moniker of the corporation. Numbers of surviving staff from the Aruze / SNK collapse, and the teams remaining internally have yet to surface, though the REPORT has received over the last few months accurate information from two sources that claim to be part of the new look of SNK NeoGeo Japan. Playmore sees SNK as a firebrand to tie their hopes for video amusement expansion and have proposed to reopen SNK operations in Korea, Hong Kong and America before the end of the year. SNK NeoGeo Hong Kong has been opened and has been the font of information regarding the actual trading structure of the new SNK NeoGeo operation. SNK NeoGeo Korea has established web and offices, and news of a possible representative in North America had tongues wagging at ATEI.
Finally the third interest is that of the future opportunities. The possibility of new games from SNK to keep operators loyal to the platform has seen the most speculation. At present we have only three titles confirmed from the new SNK NeoGeo operation (in one web report five titles was mentioned), but information on the exact architecture that these games will support is the most confusing. Titles verified by recent announcement to date include the following:
King of Fighters 2001
Eolith / Sun Amusement
NeoGeo MVS
Developed by BrezzaSoft, and released in Japan last year. The game has received a poor showing Internationally partly blamed on a lackluster interest in a fighter from a still evolving source.King of Fighters 2002
Eolith / Sun Amusement
NeoGeo MVS
To be a sequel to the current release with Brezza at the head of development, the game is expected to have its first showing at JAMMA this year.Metal Slug 4
Mega Enterprise
NeoGeo MVS
The Korean developer was rumored in October as working on this game, denied by other sources only now to be confirmed, the popular series hoping for a summer release. In development by The Noise Factory in Japan, however the target architecture has been surrounded in secrecy lending to rumors of a possible MVS Plus plan.
From this point onwards things become murky. Some reports speak of sequels to Fatal Fury: Mark of Wolves and Samurai Showdown Spirits, but to be honest these would be obvious 'next release' candidates. It would seem that BrezzaSoft is working on a number of SNK NeoGeo Japan titles, but whether these are titles for the NeoGeo MVS have been avoided to date. The REPORT has covered before the development of a new architecture boasting better performance that the over ten-year-old NeoGeo was announced with news of Brezza's Crystal of the Kings game title. Specifications of the Crystal System are limited but the hardware has been confirmed as a cartridge piggyback system similar to the original NeoGeo, but also similar to the Capcom CPS II unit.
Game titles announced for this technology are as follow:
Crystal of the Kings
BrezzaSoft / Eolith
Brezza Crystal System
A game reminiscent of Golden Axe, the sword and sorcery theme offers an interesting level based slash-em-up which is about to release on the International scene after a Asian launch.Evolution Soccer
Evoga Enter. / BrezzaSoft
Brezza Crystal System
The need for a football game that follows in the successful footsteps of the SNK popular Super Sidekick series has lead the Mexican company Evoga to develop this title. Rumors speak of involvement from the original SNK team towards creating a suitable sports title for the World Cup build-up.
The possibility that a third architecture is on the cards from the new SNK NeoGeo was only whispered during the announcement of IP transfer, and staff losses were the sinking of the architecture replacement to the MVS. Following the failed Neo Geo Hyper 64 3D architecture, SNK management attempted to support the MVS and home systems without looking to a replacement, but during 2000 rumors suggested that evaluation of a NeoGeo MVS 2 hardware system started to surface. Now in 2002 it seems that SNK NeoGeo will announce a hardware upgrade before the end of the year. It will depend on support from new operators to the new operating structure and a better idea of possible support, but already signs look favorable.
What Could This all Mean:
There is still no news on whether Capcom will be able to use the SNK characters following the launch of development in the third installment of their popular series (Capcom Vs. SNK 3). There have been rumors within Japan that SNK NeoGeo has a MVS version of the series (titled SNK Vs. Capcom 2002) in development to support the loyal and large, MVS user base. The possibility that this much-anticipated title could appear would lend weight to the speculation that Capcom will start to see erosion of their use of SNK properties with the appearance of the new operation, and could seriously eat into their dominance of the 2D sector (what little of it remains).
What many industry observers seem to agree upon is that a small release schedule and a highly focused development plan seems to be the shape of the new video arcade industry. Small developers with reduced costs will succeed while larger corporation with great operating expenses will either have to shrink or disappear. The enthusiasm that SNK NeoGeo is generating within a shell-shocked industry shows that there is a strong interest in seeing a new '...lean, clean, fighting machine...' return to prominence.
Last year saw a number of different scenarios being envisaged with the collapse of SNK. Some sites and reports spoke of complete closure and abandonment of amusement following the bankruptcy of the company (long obituaries being written). Some foretold a last minute management buyout, and even a few spoke of the appearance of a mysterious last minute 'White Knight' (financial term for a last minute investor / buyer of an ailing company).
Now into 2002 and the dust has settled and the speculation and rumor can stop. The facts surprisingly seem to offer truth to all of the various speculations and much more.
The Japanese pachinko and amusement operation Playmore (following in the footsteps of their fellow pachinko competitor Aruze) has stepped into the breach and acquired the much vaunted SNK license and Intellectual Properties (IP) for around 70% of the key licenses available. This comes after some last minute acquisitions from a Korean company (Mega Enterprise) who actually managed to get their hands on at least two highly prized licenses before the new structure was in place.
From what has been revealed in recent interviews for interested Japanese media, and leaks from those involved in brokering the final agreement - the facts seem to be these. First; the new operation will allow that development that has been started to continue, this refers mainly to the Sun Amusement and Eolith agreements to sell the King of Fighters 2001 product into the market. At the same time the Japanese developer comprising a number of ex-SNK members will attempt to expand their development involvement and even sell the KOF titles Internationally. In America Apple Industries has still been named as the exclusive representatives of this fighter, with BrezzaSoft representatives at ATEI linked to speculation of an interest in an alternative European representative.
The second factor of the new structure is the road ahead for the licenses and titles in development. Playmore has been reported as establishing the SNK NeoGeo name as the new trading moniker of the corporation. Numbers of surviving staff from the Aruze / SNK collapse, and the teams remaining internally have yet to surface, though the REPORT has received over the last few months accurate information from two sources that claim to be part of the new look of SNK NeoGeo Japan. Playmore sees SNK as a firebrand to tie their hopes for video amusement expansion and have proposed to reopen SNK operations in Korea, Hong Kong and America before the end of the year. SNK NeoGeo Hong Kong has been opened and has been the font of information regarding the actual trading structure of the new SNK NeoGeo operation. SNK NeoGeo Korea has established web and offices, and news of a possible representative in North America had tongues wagging at ATEI.
Finally the third interest is that of the future opportunities. The possibility of new games from SNK to keep operators loyal to the platform has seen the most speculation. At present we have only three titles confirmed from the new SNK NeoGeo operation (in one web report five titles was mentioned), but information on the exact architecture that these games will support is the most confusing. Titles verified by recent announcement to date include the following:
King of Fighters 2001
Eolith / Sun Amusement
NeoGeo MVS
Developed by BrezzaSoft, and released in Japan last year. The game has received a poor showing Internationally partly blamed on a lackluster interest in a fighter from a still evolving source.King of Fighters 2002
Eolith / Sun Amusement
NeoGeo MVS
To be a sequel to the current release with Brezza at the head of development, the game is expected to have its first showing at JAMMA this year.Metal Slug 4
Mega Enterprise
NeoGeo MVS
The Korean developer was rumored in October as working on this game, denied by other sources only now to be confirmed, the popular series hoping for a summer release. In development by The Noise Factory in Japan, however the target architecture has been surrounded in secrecy lending to rumors of a possible MVS Plus plan.
From this point onwards things become murky. Some reports speak of sequels to Fatal Fury: Mark of Wolves and Samurai Showdown Spirits, but to be honest these would be obvious 'next release' candidates. It would seem that BrezzaSoft is working on a number of SNK NeoGeo Japan titles, but whether these are titles for the NeoGeo MVS have been avoided to date. The REPORT has covered before the development of a new architecture boasting better performance that the over ten-year-old NeoGeo was announced with news of Brezza's Crystal of the Kings game title. Specifications of the Crystal System are limited but the hardware has been confirmed as a cartridge piggyback system similar to the original NeoGeo, but also similar to the Capcom CPS II unit.
Game titles announced for this technology are as follow:
Crystal of the Kings
BrezzaSoft / Eolith
Brezza Crystal System
A game reminiscent of Golden Axe, the sword and sorcery theme offers an interesting level based slash-em-up which is about to release on the International scene after a Asian launch.Evolution Soccer
Evoga Enter. / BrezzaSoft
Brezza Crystal System
The need for a football game that follows in the successful footsteps of the SNK popular Super Sidekick series has lead the Mexican company Evoga to develop this title. Rumors speak of involvement from the original SNK team towards creating a suitable sports title for the World Cup build-up.
The possibility that a third architecture is on the cards from the new SNK NeoGeo was only whispered during the announcement of IP transfer, and staff losses were the sinking of the architecture replacement to the MVS. Following the failed Neo Geo Hyper 64 3D architecture, SNK management attempted to support the MVS and home systems without looking to a replacement, but during 2000 rumors suggested that evaluation of a NeoGeo MVS 2 hardware system started to surface. Now in 2002 it seems that SNK NeoGeo will announce a hardware upgrade before the end of the year. It will depend on support from new operators to the new operating structure and a better idea of possible support, but already signs look favorable.
What Could This all Mean:
There is still no news on whether Capcom will be able to use the SNK characters following the launch of development in the third installment of their popular series (Capcom Vs. SNK 3). There have been rumors within Japan that SNK NeoGeo has a MVS version of the series (titled SNK Vs. Capcom 2002) in development to support the loyal and large, MVS user base. The possibility that this much-anticipated title could appear would lend weight to the speculation that Capcom will start to see erosion of their use of SNK properties with the appearance of the new operation, and could seriously eat into their dominance of the 2D sector (what little of it remains).
What many industry observers seem to agree upon is that a small release schedule and a highly focused development plan seems to be the shape of the new video arcade industry. Small developers with reduced costs will succeed while larger corporation with great operating expenses will either have to shrink or disappear. The enthusiasm that SNK NeoGeo is generating within a shell-shocked industry shows that there is a strong interest in seeing a new '...lean, clean, fighting machine...' return to prominence.
