SNK recently announced the 15th entry to their long-standing fighting games series, The King of Fighters. This 3v3 fighting game series boasts some of the most enjoyable mechanics featured in games like Capcom vs. SNK 2. While touting it as their most ambitious entry yet, along with the announcement of a new Neo Geo console, KOF XV could redefine the landscape of fighting games as we know it. With the release of their iconic character, Terry Bogard, in Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, SNK has opened the floodgates for an entirely new audience to set foot in their arena.

For the uninitiated, Terry’s inclusion in Smash includes The King of Fighters arena stage and dozens of tracks from SNK’s legendary playlist from their arcade hits. Smash Bros. creator, Masahiro Sakurai, even mentions several cues he took from the KOF series including mechanics and the Squad Strike mode. If SNK seeks to redefine the landscape of fighting games with a brand new mega-hit, they’ll need to take steps to ensure it has the captivating appeal of its competition in Capcom’s Street Fighter and Bandai Namco’s Tekken.

10 Rollback Netcode

One of the key, defining aspects of today’s fighting games is the implementation of rollback netcode. While living in the COVID era, if you can’t enter a tournament offline, you’ll be playing online. Unfortunately, many players have expressed their grief and disappointment over the torturous netcode in their favorite games, such as Dragon Ball FighterZ.

Tekken 7 recently implemented rollback netcode while Capcom has taken steps to improve Street Fighter V as well. Thankfully, SNK has already worked with Code Mystics to implement rollback into ports of their previous games, such as Garou: Mark of the Wolves, The King of Fighters ‘98, and Samurai Shodown V Special. If you’ve played KOF XIV and found nobody to play online, hopefully, SNK will prioritize strong online connections so everyone can enjoy the game online.

9 Story Mode

While KOF XIII implemented individual storylines, KOF XIV focused heavily on the team-battle arcade mode aspect. Story modes have become more popular in fighting games over time. Stronger narratives appear in games like Mortal Kombat, BlazBlue, and in games dating back to SoulCalibur III in 2005.

Players who want to enjoy the story would find a buying point in a stronger story mode. This would also benefit tremendously with endings for each character. SNK never valued story mode as a strong point but going by the competition it would be wise to implement it.

8 Gorgeous Visuals

Up until KOF XIV, SNK never struggled with visual aesthetics. The series was as known for its incredible soundtracks as it was for its gorgeous sprite work. KOF XIII especially delivered this in spades.

In an era where sprite work is phased out for 3D models in 2D games, KOF XIV did not excel. It took a patch to brighten up the character models which, at that point, was too little too late. To sell a game, SNK would be wise to spruce up the game and deliver the eye-candy.

7 Guest Characters

The substance of a quality fighting game isn’t known for its inclusion of guest characters. Yet, undeniably, it’s a selling point for a game. Whereas KOF is the underdog of fighting game series, it could use every leverage point it can get.

Terry is in Smash Bros. while Geese Howard is in Tekken 7. Terry also appears in Brawlhalla and Fighting Layer EX and SNK’s Samurai Shodown icon, Haohmaru, is in SoulCalibur VI. SNK could benefit from its connections with other companies and add some prominent fighters to its latest iteration. Who do you have in mind?

6 Nintendo Switch Version

KOF XIV never came to Switch and neither did the Code Mystics versions of their online ports. However, the announcement of Samurai Shodown on Switch certainly resonated with the fans. Along with SNK releasing their Neo Geo Pocket Color titles, like The Last Blade, on Switch, they’re no strangers to the system.

Even if the Switch isn’t as powerful as the PS4 or Xbox One, it has still shown considerable effort in running ports of games such as Mortal Kombat 11. With that said, it’s entirely possible for SNK to release the game on all systems. With the Switch’s staggering sales throughout 2020, it would be a missed opportunity if KOF XV did not come to Nintendo’s platform especially after the release of Terry in Smash.

5 Heavy Marketing

As mentioned earlier, SNK is the underdog of fighting games. They’ve never given their series the heavy level of marketing as Capcom, Bandai Namco, or Netherrealm’s contenders. For KOF XV to succeed, that needs to change.

Marketing campaigns to a much broader audience would help put eyes on the game. The inclusion of Terry in Smash Bros. alone ties-in with how critical it is to market the game to its Switch owners. Fans of the series do not want KOF XV to just be another niche entry with everyone playing something else within a year.

4 Cross-platform Play

More online games embrace cross-platform play today. Killer Instinct offered cross-platform play with Xbox One and PC owners. This will certainly broaden the number of players online and, thus, make it easier to find matches.

Street Fighter undoubtedly still holds the standard for fighting game trends and, as such, also embraced PS4/PC cross-platform play. Likewise, the lack of crossplay in Tekken 7 rubs fans the wrong way. SNK would make a mistake by not including it in KOF XV.

3 Single-Player Content

One thing that sells to players is the amount of content you can do in single-player modes. Super Street Fighter IV featured mini-games and trials. Mortal Kombat has its key story mode and towers. SoulCalibur features Mission Mode and Story Mode. Super Smash Bros., particularly Melee and Brawl, featured Adventure Mode, Event Mode, and mini-games.

What all of these games have in common are the rewards and incentives. Players could unlock weapons, skins, trophies, and art galleries depending on the game they were playing. Not including single-player incentives, for players to wind down from online competition, would be an absolute waste of an opportunity.

2 Six-Player Team Battles

One thing that makes Dragon Ball FighterZ stand out is its party battle mode. The 3v3 online mode offers players the chance to pick one character and trust their teammates to bring victory home together. This breathes a new level of depth into competitive tournaments possibilities.

Likewise, one missed opportunity of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is how Squad Strike is still not available online. As such, perhaps SNK can give players the opportunity to play 3v3 matches, with six players, online. Hopefully, this also includes an offline variant where players can also switch-out in tournaments true to KOF style.

1 Rock Howard

One of the most popular characters in SNK’s lineage is Rock Howard. Son of the crime lord, Geese Howard, Terry Bogard took him in after the ending of Real Bout: Fatal Fury. Rock Howard is one of the main protagonists of Garou: Mark of the Wolves and appears in the Capcom vs. SNK series.

While the Fatal Fury/Garou timeline isn’t set in the same universe as the KOF timeline, Rock made an appearance as DLC in KOF XIV. Yet, this hybrid of Terry and Geese’s fighting style remains immensely popular among the fans thanks to his stylish design. Amidst all of the technical improvements SNK could add to their latest game, adding one of the most beloved fighting game characters, DLC or preferably in the base roster, would place the cherry on top.

NEXT: Ranked: Top 10 Fighting Games of the 1990’s