Category: News

It wouldn’t be hyperbole to say the Killer Instinct World Cup will be the ultimate event for fans of the franchise. In addition to high-level competition decided by a year of qualifiers, it will also feature a community art gallery celebrating the series’ unique style as well as a first preview of upcoming season 3 content.

And while giving the community at large the opportunity to try out Killer Instinct’s next major update before its release this March, the powers that be have also made sure to invite a number of talented players to showcase the new characters and systems on the main stage.

Shoryuken has received word that a number of notable figures are set to participate in a series of season 3 exhibitions as part of the Saturday prelude. These players include Evo 2015 finalists like Flipside Tactics’ Hollywood Sleep, Ultra Arcade’s Bass, and champion Rico Suave, World Cup organizer Brandon Alexander, CStyles, Maximilian, Sajam, HK Smash, Combo Breaker’s TheHadou, and ShinTristan.

The event’s full schedule can be found below.

Killer Instinct World Cup is scheduled for January 30-31 in San Antonio, Texas. For more details, be sure to check out their official website.

Earlier today, NetherRealm Studios creative director Ed Boon narrowed down his previous teaser by saying that we’ll receive our very first gameplay footage of Mortal Kombat X’s Kombat Pack 2 characters tomorrow. As such, he dropped a quick screenshot of pseudo-newcomer Tri-Borg to keep the hype train going.

Tri-Borg is an amalgamation of Sektor, Cyrax, and Cyber Smoke, the trio of cyborgs that have been playable in previous installments. While an air of mystery still surrounds this character, they appear to pay homage to Cyber Smoke’s chest trident, though the nature of the attack depicted in the image above is still up for debate.

Mortal Kombat X’s Kombat Pack 2 updates will release periodically throughout 2016. Stay tuned for more info.

Source: Ed Boon

By now, it should be no surprise that Street Fighter V fans in Japan are getting some cool goodies if they pre-order the game from Capcom’s online store, but one in particular was recently teased as including a little something extra.

The exclusive production notes book that comes bundled with both the Valuable and Volcanic editions of the game features a joint interview with director Takayuki Nakayama and producer Koichi Sugiyama. While cool on its own, a recent Capcom tweet drew attention to a peculiar screenshot embedded alongside this conversation.

Whoops, that’s a little too small. Let’s blow it up a bit.

Better! Now, from what we can make out, the screenshot depicts a bearded Ryu facing off against a fighter who appears to be M. Bison. Unlike previous incarnations, however, the dictator is without the red outfit that has formed the basis of his design since Street Fighter II.

You should also be able to make out a HUD that’s drastically different than the one we know from Street Fighter V, and some of the regulars over at r/StreetFighter have pointed out that the stage looks similar to the one seen in F.A.N.G’s official artwork.

Due to the nature of the source material, it’s likely this particular screenshot was taken during development, and provided to show the changes made to Street Fighter V before it reached the state we’re familiar with. Still, others think we may have received our first look at another alternate costume for M. Bison or even the ability to customize the upcoming title’s HUD.

In any case, we can’t wait to see more. Feel free to provide your two cents in the comments below.

Source: e-Capcom via r/StreetFighter

PlayStation 4 is quickly garnering quite the library of console-exclusive fighting games, the latest of which is SNK Playmore’s King of Fighters XIV.

In a recent interview with Tencent, SNK gaming division chief Yutaka Noguchi explained this decision, saying the reason is primarily due to the high worldwide sales of Sony’s eighth generation console. PlayStation 4 has been the clear sales leader this generation, having sold over 35 million units as of this past holiday season.

That said, Noguchi repeated many of the same sentiments from his recent Famitsu interview, and mentioned that they are still looking to bringing more games to Steam and mobile platforms. He also said that SNK Playmore is not just working on the King of Fighters franchise, but other properties such as Samurai Shodown and Metal Slug as well.

Finally, Noguchi again addressed the possibility of his company working with Capcom on another Capcom vs. SNK, but his answer remained the same: a new crossover game would need to wait for some time due to the company’s game development just getting back on its feet.

All in all, SNK Playmore’s acquisition by Ledo Millenium is looking promising for fans of their various properties. Stay tuned for more details.

Source: Tencent, thanks to JohnGrimm for the tip.

When SNK Playmore was acquired by Ledo Millenium last year, their new owners cited Marvel’s presence in various mediums as the future they envisioned for the company’s properties. Now, it seems we’re about to see their first steps in that direction (outside of King of Fighters XIV, of course) in 2016.

Chinese studio 37Games recently announced that they are currently developing both an anime adaptation and a live-action television drama based on the King of Fighters franchise.

37Games founder Li Yi Fei stated during the announcement that these series are important in helping “recreate” the King of Fighters property, something that isn’t as simple as just making new games.

While a release in North America is still being explored, the upcoming King of Fighters anime is expected to premiere in Japan, South Korea, and various parts of Southeast Asia sometime this year.

Sources: Tencent (thanks to JohnGrimm for the tip), Siliconera, Hachima

We were recently clued into an interesting easter egg in the mobile fighting game Marvel Contest of Champions that sees Spider-Man steal some tech from Street Fighter’s Chun-Li.

Near the end of the video below, you’ll see Miles Morales pull off his own version of Chun’s Critical Art from Street Fighter V. In fact, the entire stage appears to be reskinned version of Street Fighter IV’s Inland Jungle.

For those of you who can’t quite see it, Lythero has provided a side-by-side comparison that shows just how similar they are.

Here's a nice comparison gif for y'all. SPIDER CHUN. pic.twitter.com/WYlJG2iUlV

— Lythero (@Lythero) January 8, 2016

While probably just a fun, one-off thing, it shows that the two companies still maintain some sort of relationship. When’s Marvel vs. Capcom 4?

Sources: Marvel, Lythero

Microsost and Iron Galaxy Studios have already provided a quick peek at Killer Instinct’s season 3 content via a beta test of guest Battletoads protagonist Rash, but it appears they are prepared to step up their efforts at two upcoming events.

According to lead combat designer Adam “Keits” Heart, preview builds of the upcoming content will be playable at the Killer Instinct World Cup and PAX South, both of which are scheduled for the weekend of January 29 in San Antonio, Texas. But don’t worry if you can’t make it in person, because there are plans to stream a few “treats” for folks stuck at home.

Apart from Rash, we know that both Kim Wu and Tusk will also be part of the playable cast in season 3, but Heart hasn’t commented on what exactly attendees will find in the demo. Stay tuned for more details.

And going back to the Killer Instinct World Cup for a bit, it was recently announced that Shadow Jago will be legal, but they will be holding off on allowing combo assist until it leaves beta. Registration is now open, and event badges will grant you immediate access to the last chance qualifier with no additional cost. Additional details will drop on January 11.

Sources: Keits via IPLAYWINNER, Ultra-Combo

Last month, NetherRealm Studios unveiled the characters that will make up Mortal Kombat X’s second Kombat Pack. This time around, returning character Bo’ Rai Cho will be joined by the cyborg mashup Tri-Borg, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s Leatherface, and the titular monster of the Alien franchise.

While a short preview video accompanied this announcement, we’re set to get our first taste of gameplay sometime next week, according to a recent tweet from NetherRealm Studios creative director Ed Boon. We’re still unsure if this means every character or just the first to be released, but new footage is new footage.

How do you think each of these characters will play? Give the teaser below another watch and hit us with your best predictions in the comments.

Mortal Kombat X’s Kombat Pack 2 characters will release periodically throughout 2016. Stay tuned for more info.

Source: Ed Boon

If you are planning to attend Kumite in Tennessee 2016 but have yet to register, you might want to get on that as soon as possible. Online registration for the event is set to close today, leaving on-site registration and all the perils that come with it as your only option if you miss out.

This year’s installment will feature tournaments for Ultra Street Fighter IV, Mortal Kombat X, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Tekken 7, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Killer Instinct, Dead or Alive 5 Last Round, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, BlazBlue: Chronophantasma EXTEND, and Soulcalibur V.

In addition to the normal payouts, NetherRealm Studios has provided a $10,000 pot bonus to Mortal Kombat X, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2 competitors can look forward to a $500 boost of their courtesy of Memphis Bawse Battles.

Kumite in Tennessee 2016 is scheduled for January 15-17 in Memphis, Tennessee. More details can be found here.

Source: KITVandy