Evercade maker Blaze has announced that it is collaborating with Japanese veteran SNK on new Neo Geo-related products in 2025 and 2026.
New products based on the collaboration will be released throughout 2025 and 2026, with solid details expected to be revealed in late Q1 2025.
The company has posted an image showing the Evercade logo with the famous Neo Geo boot screen. The Neo Geo, in case you weren't aware, was SNK's main hardware format for almost a decade and hosted many of its most famous properties, including Metal Slug, King of Fighters and Samurai Shodown.
Blaze Entertainment Ltd CEO, Andrew Byatt, had this to say about the news:
This partnership with SNK is a milestone moment for Blaze. These games represent some of the most iconic and innovative titles in gaming history, and to bring them to our family of products is a privilege. This partnership isn't just about adding great games; it's about celebrating the artistry and legacy of NEOGEO in a way that's accessible to fans old and new. We’re thrilled to give these classics a new platform in 2025.
The Evercade range is a series of cartridge-based gaming hardware focused on retro games. The lineup currently consists of the Evercade EXP (handheld), Evercade VS (home console) and Evercade Alpha (bartop arcade machine). Evercade cartridges will run on all of these devices. In addition to this, fellow Blaze brand HyperMegaTech offers the Super Pocket, which is also compatible with Evercade carts.
We could, therefore, be seeing SNK cartridge collections on Evercade as well as hardware that's pre-loaded with SNK titles. Evercade has inkled similar deals with the likes of Atari, Capcom and Taito.
Founded in 1978 as Shin Nihon Kikaku by Eikichi Kawasaki, SNK is one of the most recognisable Japanese game companies of the past few decades. Since 2022, it has been owned by the MiSK Foundation, a non-profit organization overseen by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman.