Despite Unfathomable Marketing Spend, Fatal Fury Appears to Have Flopped

Such a shame. The game is great. That marketing was a shambles

I mean I don't think the CEO stepping down is an inherent sign that the game flopped, CEO shake ups can just kinda happen at anytime. But I will say that obviously Saudi Arabia's marketing hasn't attracted as wide of an audience that this was hoping to achieve, but I will say that I don't think the game is just doomed. They still have the entire year of characters coming, the Championship they have going is still going, and EVO and EWC haven't happened yet so I bet the game could still have some momentum after launch.

Adding Christian Ronaldo, in a genre where fighting games sell the best, soccer isn't the most popular sport sounds like a bad risk.

I’m enjoying it quite a bit, and the REV system is pretty fun. I don’t know that it was ever going to be a mainstream breakthrough for the series, but it’s worth a try for anyone who likes fighting games.

That being said, the Saudi connection hangs over it like a cloud, and the guest characters, while not overly present in most of the game, have created a perception problem that is proving hard to overcome.

The marketing was really off-putting for me and SNK games have a soft spot in my heart since my first fighting game was The King of Fighters EX: Neo Blood on the GBA. It will likely be on PS+ sooner or later so I'll play it then.

Niche title in niche genre bombs after they tried to win fans by including... Christiano Ronaldo? Pretty sure someone who spent their Marketing 101 class smoking behind the bike sheds instead could've told you this wasn't a great idea.

I wonder how many people are like myself where the marketing actually backfired - I've been dabbling in FF since the Mega Drive days (with Mark of the Wolves being the obvious highlight), but Ronaldo's and goofy DJ guy's inclusion changed this from a day one purchase to "maybe in a few years for a fiver". Such tone-deaf nonsense, doubly so that the Saudis don't seem to understand that not all of us aren impressed by their obscene wealth and displays of avarice.

Physical copy is currently €42.99 (down from €60) in Smyth's, BTW.

The guest character's inclusion was a telling, and tone deaf, approach to just throwing money at a product, and being both greedy and guileless about it, hoping to expand playerbase off the backs of their own commercial popularity... and it failed. Rightfully so. Can people start making games for gamers again, instead of bland and blind decisions being forced in for the sake of chasing mediocrity and apparently "wider appeal"?

Releasing a fighting game after Tekken 8 and SF6 and MK1 was very bold...

This game lack ambition. You can't just make fighting game with the same price as street fighter 6 but with worse quality, sf6 has ambition with the 3D city environment and way better graphics. I'm not saying fatal fury need 3D city, but give us the reason to spend the same amount of money as sf6, tekken 8, and mk1.

I think they should start with better graphics and art style first, make it at least as good as sf6 or tekken 8, the ff cotw graphical style just isn't working with gamers. Or maybe just make it 3D like tekken 8.

The marketing has already been taking up by Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8. This game stood no chance.

@Lowdefal I forgot about this game. I remember played street fighter ex on psone back then, I have fun with it but I still prefer sf2 and alpha series

This is an arcade like title priced as a modern fighting game.
While the gameplay is good, it isn't enough to sell a game at that premium price anymore.

Fatal Fury has always been a relatively niche franchise. SNK in general has always been (though good) niche. Throwing celebrities at the wall, let alone at the roster isn’t a winning marketing formula.

It’s like weird sports league endorsements for products.

“The official car insurance of this sports league.”

“The official potato chip of this sports team.”

Do those endorsements actually sell product? Maybe to some but not enough to be that big of a factor.

"However, the sales numbers we know about have been horrific. The game sold just 6,302 units on the PS5 in its native Japan throughout Golden Week, and didn’t even chart in April’s top PS Store downloads."

Japan numbers is not enough to say CotW is a flop. Japan market isn't that big anymore for fighting games. I mean, SF 6 only sold 33K copies, PS4 & 5 numbers combine, in the 1st week in Japan. 33K is a small numbers for franchise as big as SF.

And PS store chart always mostly dominated by mainstream games like GTA, NBA, Madden, or COD. You can't expect a very niche fighting game franchise like Fatal Fury who just got revived after 25 years buried deeper than 6 feet can match digital sales of mainstream titles like Elder Scrolls, COD, or GTA games.

As for the CEO stepping down, i don't think that have anything to do with CotW sales.

Honestly it was the addition of Ronaldo that ultimately turned me off from the game. Just a weird priority that isn’t what I’m looking for in a fighting game.

This is too expensive. No casual is going to spend $60 on this.

They should have spent that monies to make a mainline KOF with the tournament set in the UAE and add some new indigenous characters. Then you could have a super fan who Ronaldo trains and no one would have been as annoyed.

No chance of me buying a game that’s this mired in the ‘Saudi Project’ and has that plastic knob in it. I adore Garou too, so it’s a shame. SNK just aren’t worth supporting these days.

"Unfathomable marketing spend" and yet I never knew the game existed until the Ronaldo DLC kerfuffle. And I'm a gamer that's pretty tuned in.

Aww, I guess blood money can only do so much (((

I’ve never really known an SNK game to be a huge seller honestly. It’s too bad if the game is flopping. I really enjoy and been really trying to put in work to do combos and such. But it’s pretty hard for me to find players online. But I had this problem with the recent Samurai Shodown, KOF14, and KOF15. And while I can definitely do without the guest characters, it never really bothered me that much that they were included.

Looking forward to Samurai Showdown with Ronnie O'Sullivan in it.

If Lionel Messi was included as a guest character instead of the clearly inferior (and World Cup lacking) Cristiano Ronaldo, this game would be celebrating being awarded multiple GoTY titles and accolades, despite the fact that it's still May 2025 as I write this.

@dellyrascal or Youth Hostel Simulator with Chris Eubank.

All that wealth and the game still flop 🤣🤣🤣🤣

I honestly cancelled my pre-order because of Cristiano Ronaldo

I like it, I'm not surprised it didn't sell well though. It's a fighting game hindered by a terrible marketing campaign and Saudi stink. On a personal note, the Survival mode trophy can go straight to hell.

@wiiware finally, someone else who also thinks the alpha series is better than sf3!

Good, I'll always root for something owned by Saudi Arabia to fail

Why all this hatred for Ronaldo ? Go listen to Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!

@janineking Because he doesn't belong in a (checks notes) fighting game? Because he breaks the fourth wall of what's supposed to be escapism? Because he's part of the 0.1% and an obvious Saudi asset? Because his inclusion is a cynical, tone-deaf marketing ploy?

This news needs an update.

Steam just released April ranking chart and CotW are among the best selling games.
https://www.eventhubs.com/news/2025/may/16/fatal-fury-steam-bestseller/

@Fizza "separated from the asinine celebrity guests and exuberant marketing bonanza"

I understand if some people dislike the celebrity guest. But dislike big marketing campaign? These people clearly forgot that Fatal Fury franchise was DEAD for 25 years. It's not even as popular as other SNK games like KOF and Samurai Showdown who got new games for the last 3-5 years.

Anyone who thinks the very small numbers of long time Garou fans are enough to make CotW sold well and put the game on the map side by side with big names like SF 6 and Tekken 8 are delusional.

Without big marketing campaign alone to gather the interest and awareness from other fighting games fans as well casual audiences, CotW is pretty much D.O.A.

Who could have foreseen?!

It's OK they can fail and learn from this there is so much money backing them we don't even have a realistic estimation of it

So what is the tail they expect these games to have then? If they are planning to get their costs back immediately, then release a complete game at launch.

@MrPeanutbutterz yup. It completely turned me off from the game.

@PuppetMaster just read that article. Some good news for the game at least. As long as there is a community for the game I’m satisfied with it. I was never expecting this game to sell like Tekken or Street Fighter even with all the marketing.

@shonenjump86 I think SNK themself knows really well that CotW will not sell as big as SF and Tekken, especially after the franchise has been dormant for 25 years. But with big marketing campaign, SNK are playing the long game in order to make Fatal Fury brand getting more popular and relevant at least in the next 2-3 years.

That's also the reason why CotW has $2.5 million prize money at SNK World Champhionship and $1 million prize money at Esport World Cup. They want people or at least the FGC to keep their eyes towards Fatal Fury brand.

@Cutmastavictory don't disagree with the Ronaldo point however soccer (football) is the most popular sport in the world

@Cutmastavictory Soccer isnt that populair? What are you smoking dude.

@PcTV Really and you loved the game before he was in the game?

@somnambulance 100%

The "guest" characters were the definitive decider to not get the game. I've been a huge fighting game fan since the early 90s, and the fact they put real world people into the game was THE FASTEST way for me to nope out and to mourn the legacy of the game. Unfortunately for all the things they may have done right with the game, the (unwelcome) "guests" tip the scales to "I'll pass." What they should have was put Joe and Andy in the base roster, and make these 2 "guests" DLC, and then let the sales figured of that DLC (or lack of sales figures) prove the point. The only way I'd even touch this game now is if the released a "no guests characters" version. But, that's a pipe dream. RIP Fatal Fury

@nomither6 I remember playing sf2 alpha until my left thumb red and hard back then on psone, psone dpad is great but hard lol. Street fighter 3 2D graphics are amazing but the new characters kind of suck, waay worse than iconic ryu, ken, honda, chun-li, blanka, etc.

The celebrity guest characters ruined it for me. I will buy it eventually but on sale.

This game should cost 39$, like others said. Putting the same price as big guys (T8, SF6, MK1) for not so big game in terms of scale is not a good decision.

@Fizza Based on the leak, Freeman and Jae Hoon will comeback as DLC. And as far as i remember, both characters are not popular compare to Rock, Terry, Mai, B. Jenet, Kevin, Kain, Hokutomaru, Hotaru, Gato, Billy, Marco, Dong Hwan, or even Tizoc which all of them are in the base game. Heck, the first season DLC with Andy, Mr Big, Joe, Ken, and Chun Li are pretty much free.

Again. I understand why some people dislike guest characters. But what i don't understand is the ones who got very angry as if it's a blasphemy to put 2 guest characters from 17 characters in the base game. You're not forced to used them if you don't like it.

What funny is some people who hate Ronaldo and Salvatore, they ended up liking both characters because they're fun to play. Even some pro players reached top 8 at big tourney, like Diaphone who got top 8 at EVO Japan with Ronaldo and Chris G got 2nd place at Lvl Up Expo with Salvatore.

I feel the hate for Ronaldo and Salvatore are so overblown.

@wiiware Ah, alpha 2, my personal fav of the alpha games & id presume its yours as well, that’s awesome👍 i also agree about sf3’s terrible roster! 🤮

@Flaming_Kaiser I was excited for it but I'm yet to buy it, so I couldn't tell you.

What I see is the $80 price tag were I am and think that its probably not worth it. If it launched at a $50 price tag it might be worth it.

I saw it was a Wrestlemania sponsor. It was in the middle of the ring.