SNK
- Developer
- Publisher
- Manufacturer
Japanese company closely associated with the Neo Geo system and series such as The King of Fighters, Fatal Fury, Metal Slug and Samurai Shodown. Throughout its history, it has operated as a developer, publisher and hardware manufacturer.
History
SNK’s roots go back to Shin Nihon Kikaku, founded in Osaka in 1973. After entering the video game business in the late 1970s, the SNK name became established in arcades through action and sports titles. Its defining step arrived in 1990 with the Neo Geo MVS arcade system and the domestic AES console. Both shared the same basic architecture, offering remarkably faithful home versions and a catalogue that shaped the company’s identity through Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, Samurai Shodown, The King of Fighters, Metal Slug and many other series.
The original company’s financial crisis led to its closure in 2001, but its brands and intellectual properties passed to the new business that became SNK Playmore. After years focused on development, publishing, licensing and the recovery of its catalogue, the company officially returned to the SNK Corporation name in 2016. SNK continues to develop and publish games today, keeping the Neo Geo legacy and its historic series active through new productions, reissues and international collaborations.
