Fatal Fury City of the Wolves producer reveals why SNK added Cristiano Ronaldo

by

Cristiano Ronaldo created history by being among the initial professional athletes to be included as a playable character in a primary fighting game, yet SNK’s move to incorporate him into the Fatal Fury team sparked some surprise.

In September 2024, Ronaldo hinted at a thrilling project in progress related to Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, without providing specific details. This has left many fans speculating that he might be involved in endorsing or collaborating on the game.

For enthusiasts of fighting games, the mere idea of teaming up with a prominent sports figure was already thrilling. However, their excitement significantly dwindled when SNK unveiled much later that this figure would actually be a playable character in the game.

In most popular 2D fighting games, it’s extremely rare to find real-life athletes as playable characters (with the exception of Lebron James in MultiVersus, but that game has since stopped operation). However, Ronaldo wouldn’t be the sole celebrity added to Terry and Mai’s escapades.

It was unexpected news for many in the fighting game community when it was announced that Salvatore Ganacci, an award-winning EDM artist who was previously slated to create music for Fatal Fury, would also be a playable character. While Ganacci isn’t the most popular EDM artist around (though he is quite evidently a fan of fighting games, as suggested by his action-packed music videos).

As a devoted admirer, I’d say SNK took a risky yet brilliant move by transforming his music videos and stage persona into an endearing “joke” character. Initially, he faced a wave of criticism upon announcement, but swiftly turned into a beloved figure among fans soon after debut. The sheer passion and care the team poured into crafting him really shines through!

During our conversation, we had the privilege of chatting with Yasuyuki Oda, the head producer at City of the Wolves. He shed light on the reasons behind their decision to incorporate these unanticipated characters into the game initially.

City of the Wolves producer opens up on Cristiano Ronaldo addition

Essentially, Oda believes in sharing the excitement of fighting games with a wide audience by connecting Fatal Fury to popular realms such as mainstream sports and music.

He mentioned that they put a lot of consideration into finding a balance between satisfying long-time fans and introducing Fatal Fury to newcomers. To achieve this, he felt it was crucial to connect with individuals across various types of entertainment, not only gamers.

Moving forward, we managed to extend invitations to two highly recognized figures in the fields of ‘Sports’ and ‘Music’, incorporating them into our game. During the Evo Showcase, we observed how skilfully the players utilized these fresh characters. The audience’s enthusiastic responses and the players’ delight while interacting with the characters created an atmosphere where everyone seemed to be having a great time.

Nevertheless, members of the fighting game community hold a contrasting viewpoint regarding this matter. In 2022, it was revealed that the Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Foundation acquired around 96% of SNK’s shares, which some believe could be linked to Ronaldo joining Al-Nassr, a Saudi professional football team. Suspicious players speculate that the prince might have played a role in Ronaldo’s appearance in the game or, at the very least, SNK may have been influenced by Saudi Arabia’s expanding involvement in the entertainment sector.

It’s important to note that this is mostly speculation, but it seems that developers of fighting games are putting significant focus on promoting their productions to a wider audience globally.

For example, Back in March, we had a chat with Ken Miyauchi, the producer of Guilty Gear Strive. He shared that the introduction of the game’s first-ever guest character, Lucy, was a strategic move aimed at attracting players who might not typically be interested in fighting games.

…”Initially, we pondered on strategies to attract fresh participants. There are multiple approaches to accomplish this objective, and one potential method is by introducing a temporary character,” he shared.

As a passionate gamer, I’ve noticed an exciting trend lately: my favorite fighting game intellectual properties are making their way onto the small and big screens! For example, Tekken has been adapted into an animated series on Netflix, while Guilty Gear found its home in an anime series streamed on Crunchyroll. And let’s not forget about the upcoming live-action film for Capcom’s Street Fighter franchise! (And oh, how could I overlook The Walking Dead’s Negan joining the roster of Tekken 7?)

As a gaming enthusiast, I’ve got to say, game developers from Saudi Arabia and beyond are really pushing boundaries to attract more players. However, not every marketing strategy they come up with seems to be hitting the mark flawlessly – some of them appear to have tripped along the way.

Read More

2025-04-24 20:48