The latest State of Play didn't put the spotlight on Sony's own upcoming PlayStation games, instead it highlighted a variety of interesting games from other developers that will arrive on PlayStation soon. For instance, King of Fighters 15 made an appearance during the State of Play. The next entry in the King of Fighters series, which will have 39 playable fighters at launch, used the showcase to reveal its latest character: a medium named Dolores who has a magical connection to earth and soil. What's more, King of Fighters 15 will have an open beta period in November, giving fighting game fans a chance to give it for a spin.
An open beta is a great opportunity for fans and developers alike, but it might turn out to be particularly important for the success of King of Fighters 15. Even though the franchise has been around for more than 25 years, King of Fighters has never had a huge fanbase in North America and Europe compared to other long-time fighting game franchises. An open beta could give King of Fighters 15 an inroad with fighting game fans who usually prefer other franchises. Anyone who gives the game a chance during its beta period could be a potential new fan of King of Fighters.
King of Fighters' Curious Popularity
King of Fighters undeniably has its fans. It's famously successful in Latin America, and it has a huge fanbase in China as well. Even so, when King of Fighters gets compared to other major fighting game franchises internationally, it's relatively niche. Street Fighter is the historic champion of the arcade fighting game market, meanwhile the likes of Tekken, Super Smash Bros., and Mortal Kombat additionally dominate console sales. King of Fighters may have given developer SNK a path into the genre, but globally speaking it has never really managed to outperform other franchises.
That's why King of Fighters 15's open beta is so important. SNK isn't aiming this open beta at the franchise's traditional core regions; it's an international test that invites anyone and everyone to give King of Fighters a try during weekend of November 20. Triangle Strategy's highly successful demo and a series of Halo Infinite beta tests are just two examples of how early access sparks conversations about an upcoming game. With those examples in mind, SNK is wise to try wooing fighting game fans with a King of Fighters 15 beta.
Celebrating King of Fighters 15
SNK's fighting game series deserves to be an international star. Although it may be considered niche compared to Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat, King of Fighters has left its mark on the genre. For instance, it was the first to pioneer teams of three characters as a core gameplay mechanic, something that games like Jump Force and One-Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows emulate. It'd be great to see King of Fighters enjoy a surge in popularity through King of Fighters 15, potentially spreading its dynamic team-based combat to new audiences and inspiring more games.
This entry really could be King of Fighters' next big break, and not just because of the beta. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate added Terry Bogard to its roster as a King of Fighters and Fatal Fury representative, adding one more fighting game franchise to Nintendo's party fighting game. Because of that boost in visibility, there's a lot more knowledge about King of Fighters out there that could impact King of Fighters 15. Anyone who loves fighting games but first learned about SNK's work through Smash should keep an eye on the upcoming open beta. There's no better opportunity to try this storied but somewhat obscure franchise.
King of Fighters 15 releases February 17, 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
