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The next Samurai Shodown isn’t a fighting game; this is what’s next

Samurai Shodown Haohmaru in header image

SNK is making a new Samurai Shodown but it’s not going to be a continuation of the long-running fighting game series. Fans are still hyped about what’s coming, though.

SNK has a prestigious history in the video game, even though it’s not defined by major business success. Once upon a time, the company was best known for its Neo Geo line of arcade cabinets that offered arcade-level power with the convenience of home console-style cartridges. SNK double-dipped on this approach, developing almost all of the biggest games for Neo Geo hardware.

The King of Fighters, Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, Metal Slug, and Samurai Shodown all came from SNK through the Neo Geo. The company has unfortunately struggled financially and seen numerous ownership and strategic changes since the decline of the arcade gaming space. The company still exists and is still keeping its old franchises alive with splashy collaborations and new games like Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. Samurai Shodown has been one of its main focuses and it’s set to spread its wings.

A Samurai Shodown action RPG is in development

SNK announced that a Samurai Shodown action RPG is being developed.

At EVO 2024, SNK announced a slate of new titles during the SNK Developer Panel. Among those titles came the casual drop of a Samurai Shodown action RPG, which SNK confirmed to be in development. However, no other details have been shared at this time. This will be the second Samurai Shodown game of the modern era, following the 2019 fighting game.

Notably, this is not the first Samurai Shodown RPG to exist.

In 1997, SNK released an RPG titled “Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits Bushido Retsuden” set in the Samurai Shodown world. However, the game was released exclusively in Japan. An unofficial translation wouldn’t appear until November 2023.

Samurai Showdown Rpg

The game was like most console RPGs of its time, featuring turn-based battles and a party of up to three members. Interestingly, players input joystick motions from the arcade games to perform attacks instead of simply picking moves. 

“Action-RPG” is a broad term, but some fans hope for gameplay similar to Dark Souls. Given the popularity of the Soulsborne genre and FromSoftware reportedly moving on to other projects, now’s a great time to fill that void. Others believe it will be a Dynasty Warriors-style game. With Samurai Shodown’s over-the-top tone and expansive cast of characters, a Musou game would work in its favor.

In addition to the Samurai Shodown action RPG, SNK also announced a new Art of Fighting game. The franchise has been on hiatus since 1996. With so many titles coming up from SNK, the future looks bright for the retro gaming company. 

Written by Gab Hernandez X Twitter Logo

Gab Hernandez has a particular love for video games that give players control over the narrative direction, such as Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Disco Elysium. Gab spends just as much time playing games as they do gushing about them online to anyone who will listen. Their work has also been seen on TheGamer, Gfinity, and Wargamer, and you can follow them on Twitter / X at @HardlyWorkinGab.

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