SNK's King of Fighters series turns 30 today – the first entry, The King of Fighters '94, launched in arcades on August 25th, 1994.
Initially seen as a means of combining characters from SNK's popular Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury franchises, King of Fighters also included famous faces from some of the company's other games, such as Ikari Warriors and Psycho Soldier. It would also feature brand-new fighters who have gone on to become fan favourites in their own right.
By far the most interesting aspect of the first game was the fact that players didn't just use one character per bout, but three; the roster was grouped together into teams. For example, the "Fatal Fury" trio included Terry, Andy and Joe from that series. While players lacked the ability to construct their own team in King of Fighters '94, this would become a hallmark of the series in later instalments.
King of Fighters became so popular in its native Japan that at one point, it surpassed even the mighty Street Fighter in terms of player interest, and even today, there are fighting game fans who feel it is the superior of the two famous franchises.
The latest entry in the series, The King of Fighters XV, was released in 2022.
SNK has confirmed that it has plans to celebrate this momentous occasion, so keep your eyes peeled.