Anonymous
6/13/2025, 4:46:26 PM No.11798408
What went so horribly wrong for them in the retro era?
Replies:
Thread 11798408 - /vr/ [Archived: 1281 hours ago]
Anonymous
6/13/2025, 4:52:32 PM No.11798418
>>11798408 (OP)
Arcade games lost popularity in favor of home consoles and PC gaming. SNK's attempt at a home console was a high risk investment and all was lost.
Arcade games lost popularity in favor of home consoles and PC gaming. SNK's attempt at a home console was a high risk investment and all was lost.
Anonymous
6/13/2025, 5:01:15 PM No.11798434
Pretty well known M8
>be also rans in arcade industry
>suddenly strike it big with Neo Geo
>get 2 former Capcom guys
>they make Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting and later King of Fighters
>cool but fixate on arcades and fighters too much, never have many console games to speak of
>fail to enter home console market because AES is expensive as hell
>Neo Geo CD has terrible loading times
>so do their ports on PS1, to the point they don't even bring them to the West
>make a 3D arcade board, it fails
>basically locked to your aging arcade board from 1990, that is also prone to piracy
>in a last desperate attempt, company bets everything on Neo Geo Pocket
>it flops
>go almost bankrupt, recover somewhat but forever locked to making fighters and metal slug
>be also rans in arcade industry
>suddenly strike it big with Neo Geo
>get 2 former Capcom guys
>they make Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting and later King of Fighters
>cool but fixate on arcades and fighters too much, never have many console games to speak of
>fail to enter home console market because AES is expensive as hell
>Neo Geo CD has terrible loading times
>so do their ports on PS1, to the point they don't even bring them to the West
>make a 3D arcade board, it fails
>basically locked to your aging arcade board from 1990, that is also prone to piracy
>in a last desperate attempt, company bets everything on Neo Geo Pocket
>it flops
>go almost bankrupt, recover somewhat but forever locked to making fighters and metal slug
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Anonymous
6/13/2025, 5:11:25 PM No.11798447
>>11798408 (OP)
SNK made a shit ton of money. In 1993 they've sold so many copies of Samurai Shodown, they were able to build themselves a new HQ in Osaka. They also made so much money in arcades they nearly pushed capcom into bankrupcy.
SNK made a shit ton of money. In 1993 they've sold so many copies of Samurai Shodown, they were able to build themselves a new HQ in Osaka. They also made so much money in arcades they nearly pushed capcom into bankrupcy.
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Anonymous
6/13/2025, 5:14:46 PM No.11798453
>>11798408 (OP)
They didn't grow with the times
They didn't grow with the times
Anonymous
6/13/2025, 5:22:30 PM No.11798464
>>11798408 (OP)
Because they wasted hundreds of millions of dollars building massive theme parks in Japan trying to compete against Sega and Namco.
Because they wasted hundreds of millions of dollars building massive theme parks in Japan trying to compete against Sega and Namco.
Anonymous
6/13/2025, 5:26:04 PM No.11798467
>>11798447
>nearly pushed capcom into bankrupcy
I think Capcom had a healthy business in console games
>nearly pushed capcom into bankrupcy
I think Capcom had a healthy business in console games
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Anonymous
6/13/2025, 5:31:34 PM No.11798472
>>11798408 (OP)
They were an arcade-only dev, and when the arcades started to get less popular they got fucked.
They were an arcade-only dev, and when the arcades started to get less popular they got fucked.
Anonymous
6/13/2025, 6:23:08 PM No.11798573
>>11798434
Early Fatal Fury games also got ports to Genesis and SNES, and they were just another competitor in that market.
Their PS1 strategy also had experimental console-first titles like Athena: Awakening from the Ordinary Life (which even had a tie-in TV drama adaptation) and Koudelka (Shadow Hearts), which was not even actually SNK's.
Early Fatal Fury games also got ports to Genesis and SNES, and they were just another competitor in that market.
Their PS1 strategy also had experimental console-first titles like Athena: Awakening from the Ordinary Life (which even had a tie-in TV drama adaptation) and Koudelka (Shadow Hearts), which was not even actually SNK's.
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Anonymous
6/13/2025, 6:25:46 PM No.11798581
>>11798408 (OP)
They put all their money in one specific thing, arcade games, plus spending greats amounts of money in amusement parks and consoles.
They put all their money in one specific thing, arcade games, plus spending greats amounts of money in amusement parks and consoles.
Anonymous
6/13/2025, 6:31:13 PM No.11798589
>>11798573
I was surprised to find out Koudelka ip was owned by the original creator. Seems pretty generous for the time. They actually tried to make non-fighting games in the ps1 but suddenly decided to stop snd just went into irrelevancy forever.
I was surprised to find out Koudelka ip was owned by the original creator. Seems pretty generous for the time. They actually tried to make non-fighting games in the ps1 but suddenly decided to stop snd just went into irrelevancy forever.
Anonymous
6/13/2025, 6:43:19 PM No.11798616
>>11798573
SNK fighters got ports on the West until KoF 95. While it's a good game, KoF in general came to form around 97-98.
Though they released later ports in Japan, the load times were just horrible, just like on Neo Geo CD. I don't know the exact reason, maybe they were based on those? But playing KoF 98 on PS1 was a joke, long load times + extra load times between rounds.
What's worse, even on PS2 their ports were poor and released too late in the West. KoF 2002 port could have been at least decently popular, but they messed it up. When their ports finally got good, they were basically corpse fucking PS2, releasing KoF XI, 98UM and 02UM in 2006-2008.
So basically they skipped the whole era when 2D sprite fighters were still relevant on consoles.
SNK fighters got ports on the West until KoF 95. While it's a good game, KoF in general came to form around 97-98.
Though they released later ports in Japan, the load times were just horrible, just like on Neo Geo CD. I don't know the exact reason, maybe they were based on those? But playing KoF 98 on PS1 was a joke, long load times + extra load times between rounds.
What's worse, even on PS2 their ports were poor and released too late in the West. KoF 2002 port could have been at least decently popular, but they messed it up. When their ports finally got good, they were basically corpse fucking PS2, releasing KoF XI, 98UM and 02UM in 2006-2008.
So basically they skipped the whole era when 2D sprite fighters were still relevant on consoles.
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Anonymous
6/13/2025, 6:55:51 PM No.11798635
>>11798408 (OP)
On October 1, 1997, a global nuclear war occurred. Few of the company's personnel and none of its equipment survived.
On October 1, 1997, a global nuclear war occurred. Few of the company's personnel and none of its equipment survived.
Anonymous
6/13/2025, 7:22:34 PM No.11798678
>>11798467
Resident evil 1 saved them. Without that they would have been toast.
Resident evil 1 saved them. Without that they would have been toast.
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Anonymous
6/13/2025, 7:56:13 PM No.11798770
>>11798616
SNK didn't self publish their PS1 ports on the west until the latter end of the 90s, KOF 95 and Samsho3 were published by Sony for example, so it depended of who wanted to publish that, like how Hudson games were published by different companies after their USA branch died in 1995
SNK didn't self publish their PS1 ports on the west until the latter end of the 90s, KOF 95 and Samsho3 were published by Sony for example, so it depended of who wanted to publish that, like how Hudson games were published by different companies after their USA branch died in 1995
Anonymous
6/13/2025, 9:34:09 PM No.11798951
>>11798678
How did Capcom nearly go under after selling so many home copies and arcade machines of Street Fighter 2? What did they do to fuck up so bad?
How did Capcom nearly go under after selling so many home copies and arcade machines of Street Fighter 2? What did they do to fuck up so bad?
Anonymous
6/13/2025, 10:45:06 PM No.11799065
>>11798616
The 3D background ports of KOF 98-2003 on DC/PS2 are actually pretty decent, but they were just not promoted well and people were getting bored of 2D fighting games at that point anyways
The 3D background ports of KOF 98-2003 on DC/PS2 are actually pretty decent, but they were just not promoted well and people were getting bored of 2D fighting games at that point anyways
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Anonymous
6/13/2025, 11:28:31 PM No.11799131
Anonymous
6/13/2025, 11:45:53 PM No.11799168
>>11798672
>>11799065
DC was a failed console and SNK was already barely known/niche in the West.
As for PS2, I think the ports came out too late, also I read some reviews claiming they were terrible. And frankly, if you got 2001 or 2003, those definitely weren't the best games.
>>11799065
DC was a failed console and SNK was already barely known/niche in the West.
As for PS2, I think the ports came out too late, also I read some reviews claiming they were terrible. And frankly, if you got 2001 or 2003, those definitely weren't the best games.