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[[File:SNK current logo.png|thumb|275px|Company's current logo.]]
  
[[File:SNK current logo.png|thumb|275px|Company's current logo.]]
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'''SNK Corporation''' is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. SNK is an acronym of '''''Shin Nihon Kikaku'''''. The company's legal and trading name became SNK in 1986.
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'''SNK Corporation''' (株式会社SNK, ''Kabushiki-gaisha Esu Enu Kē'')<ref name="dec1name">https://www.snk-corp.co.jp/us/press/2016/120101/</ref> is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. SNK is an acronym of '''''Shin Nihon Kikaku'''''. The company's legal and trading name became SNK in 1986.
   
 
The original SNK was founded in Osaka, Japan, in July 22, 1978 by [[Eikichi Kawasaki]], and existed until October 30, 2001. Anticipating the end of his first company, Kawasaki founded the company '''Playmore Corporation''' in August 1, 2001, which in July 7, 2003 became '''SNK Playmore Corporation'''. Due to this strong resemblance to the previous company both in name and identity, SNK Playmore is sometimes referred to simply as SNK.
  
The original SNK was founded in Osaka, Japan, in July 22, 1978 by [[Eikichi Kawasaki]], and existed until October 30, 2001. Anticipating the end of his first company, Kawasaki founded the company '''Playmore Corporation''' in August 1, 2001, which in July 7, 2003 became '''SNK Playmore Corporation'''. Due to this strong resemblance to the previous company both in name and identity, SNK Playmore is sometimes referred to simply as SNK.
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[[File:Snk-logo1.jpg|thumb|Logo of the SNK "The Future Is Now" slogan.]]
  
[[File:Snk-logo1.jpg|thumb|Logo of the SNK "The Future Is Now" slogan.]]
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On April 25, 2016, SNK officially dropped the "PLAYMORE" name from its corporate logo and reintroduced its old slogan, "The Future Is Now", to signify "a return to SNK's rich gaming history".<ref name="logochange">https://web.archive.org/web/20160603120950/http://www.snkplaymore.co.jp/us/press/pdf/160425_1.pdf</ref> A legal name change from SNK PLAYMORE Corporation to '''SNK Corporation''' followed on December 1, 2016, to more firmly establish SNK Playmore as the successor to the old SNK brand and legacy. ''[[The King of Fighters XIV]]'', the first entry in its series in more than half a decade, was released in 2016. In July 2018, SNK released the NEOGEO Mini, a miniature console based on the design of the company's Japanese arcade machines. It was pre-loaded with forty classic Neo Geo games.
 +
On April 25, 2016, SNK officially dropped the "PLAYMORE" name from its corporate logo and reintroduced its old slogan, "The Future Is Now", to signify "a return to SNK's rich gaming history".<ref name="logochange">https://web.archive.org/web/20160603120950/http://www.snkplaymore.co.jp/us/press/pdf/160425_1.pdf</ref> A legal name change from SNK PLAYMORE Corporation to '''SNK Corporation''' followed on December 1, 2016,<ref name="dec1name" /> to more firmly establish SNK Playmore as the successor to the old SNK brand and legacy. ''[[The King of Fighters XIV]]'', the first entry in its series in more than half a decade, was released in 2016. In July 2018, SNK released the NEOGEO Mini, a miniature console based on the design of the company's Japanese arcade machines. It was pre-loaded with forty classic Neo Geo games.
   
 
Dropping the PLAYMORE word, the first SNK efforts were focused on The King of Fighters franchise (XIV, CGI-animated series ''[[The King of Fighters: Destiny|Destiny]]'' and a [[The King of Fighters: Destiny (Game)|mobile game]]).
  
Dropping the PLAYMORE word, the first SNK efforts were focused on The King of Fighters franchise (XIV, CGI-animated series ''[[The King of Fighters: Destiny|Destiny]]'' and a [[The King of Fighters: Destiny (Game)|mobile game]]).

Revision as of 03:44, 12 October 2023

SNK current logo

Company's current logo.

SNK Corporation (株式会社SNK, Kabushiki-gaisha Esu Enu Kē)[1] is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. SNK is an acronym of Shin Nihon Kikaku. The company's legal and trading name became SNK in 1986.

The original SNK was founded in Osaka, Japan, in July 22, 1978 by Eikichi Kawasaki, and existed until October 30, 2001. Anticipating the end of his first company, Kawasaki founded the company Playmore Corporation in August 1, 2001, which in July 7, 2003 became SNK Playmore Corporation. Due to this strong resemblance to the previous company both in name and identity, SNK Playmore is sometimes referred to simply as SNK.

On April 25, 2016, SNK Playmore officially rebrands themselves as their original name, SNK, entirely dropping the Playmore name. According to a 4Gamer interview, this was actually decided from votes by all their employees. On December 1, 2016, SNK Playmore officially changed its corporate name to SNK.

SNK is most notable for creating the Neo-Geo arcade system, and several franchises of games including The King of Fighters, Metal Slug, Samurai Shodown and Fatal Fury. SNK also helped publish many games including Rage of the Dragons, World Heroes, Ninja Master's and Sengoku along with Double Dragon for the Neo Geo.

Story

Logo-shin-nihon-kikaku-1980-1981

Shin Nihon Kikaku Corporation Logo from 1978 to 1981

The original incarnation of SNK (Shin Nihon Kikaku Corp. initials for "New Japan Project") dates from 1973 releasing some arcade games trying to take advantage of the growth of said business at the end of the 70s.

On July 22, 1978, the company was reconstituted as the Shin Nihon Kikaku Corporation in Higashiōsaka[2].

Logo-snk-1982-1986

The SNK: Shin Nihon Kikaku Corp. Logo from 1981 to 1987 combined with original 1978 "S" Logo

The company was nicknamed "Shin Nihon Kikaku" in katakana at first, but since 1981 it has been changed to "SNK" by taking the initials from the Roman alphabet (Shin Nihon Kikaku). The English copyright notation was also "SNK CORPORATION". It established itself in Sunnyvale, California, to deliver its own brand of coin-operated games to arcades in North America. SNK chose John Rowe to head its American operation.

In April 1986, the company name was changed to the nickname "SNK", but the registered trade name had to be SNK Corporation[3]. This is because the Ministry of Justice at that time did not approve the registration of a trade name using the alphabet, as for ADK, NMK, TDK and RKB Mainichi Broadcasting. In November 1986, the American subsidiary SNK Corporation of America was born in Sunnyvale, California[4][5]. In March 1988, SNK staff moved to a building in Suita, Osaka, Japan[6].

The second and more successful era ranged from 1986 to 2001, with arcade classics like Ikari Warriors, Psycho Soldier, Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, Samurai Shodown, The King of Fighters, Metal Slug as well the release of several arcade and home videogame systems under the Neo Geo brand.

SNK closed all American, Canadian and European operations, on June 13, 2000[7][8]. The company sold rights to distribution in North America for MVS arcade systems and Neo Print photo systems. It licensed North American localizations of some console releases to outside companies.

With a total debt of about 38 billion yen, SNK gave up on voluntary reconstruction, and on April 2, 2001, SNK applied for the application of the Civil Rehabilitation Law to the Osaka District Court, effectively going bankrupt[9]. The application was accepted, and the revitalization procedures were once proceeded, and the head office returned to Suita City, Osaka Prefecture[10]. The district court decided to abolish the civil rehabilitation proceedings on October 1, of the same year.[11]

SNK farewell

SNK's farewell image for fans. Posted on their old official site.

On October 30, 2001, the Osaka District Court declared to SNK bankruptcy and went bankrupt[12][13][14]. Licenses for SNK's game production and development rights to its franchises were sold to several other companies. These included BrezzaSoft, which produced The King of Fighters 2001, and such as South Korean-based Eolith, which produced The King of Fighters franchise between 2001 and 2002.

SNK Playmore

Logo of the SNK PLAYMORE version 1.

Established as PLAYMORE Corporation on August 1, 2001[15][16]. It was originally an affiliate of the former SNK. Initially, it was a legal company specializing in copyright management services, and it would be incorrect to refer to the former SNK as its predecessor company. On October 30, of the same year, the company won the company's intellectual property rights in a bid made during the bankruptcy of the former SNK.

To re-establish its presence in the gaming market, PLAYMORE acquired BrezzaSoft and its former SNK developers, as well as Japan-based Neo Geo developer Noise Factory. Sun Amusement, a Japanese commercial games distributor, was acquired by SNK to provide the company with an arcade distribution outlet in Japan. International offices were established in South Korea, Hong Kong, and the United States under the name SNK NeoGeo for commercial and, later, consumer gaming distribution.[17] In July 7, 2003, with the permission of Eikichi Kawasaki, the founder of the former SNK company, the company changed its name to SNK PLAYMORE Corporation.[18] In the same year, SNK purchased ADK shortly after it filed for bankruptcy. Previously, ADK was a third-party company that had been heavily associated with SNK since the late 1980s. SNK PLAYMORE's operations in Japan already largely resembled the original company: SNK employed many employees who left after its bankruptcy filing and occupied its former building.

With anthologies, re-releases of classic catalog and new titles for the seventh/eight generations of consoles the sales were not so outstanding and the reception mixed by critics and gamers, this forced SNK PLAYMORE to put move focus on Pachinko business and mobile games; this situation became more evident at the first half of the 2010s where The King of Fighters XIII was the only fighting game released for arcade and home consoles. The retro handled console Neo Geo X was released during this period.

Snk-playmorelogo

Logo of the SNK PLAYMORE version 2.

The fourth and current transformation of SNK was given thanks to the capital investment by Chinese companies 37Games along with the asset management firm Orient Securities. The aim of this stake acquisition is to develop big multimedia projects using the franchises of SNK.

Snk-logo1

Logo of the SNK "The Future Is Now" slogan.

On April 25, 2016, SNK officially dropped the "PLAYMORE" name from its corporate logo and reintroduced its old slogan, "The Future Is Now", to signify "a return to SNK's rich gaming history".[19] A legal name change from SNK PLAYMORE Corporation to SNK Corporation followed on December 1, 2016,[1] to more firmly establish SNK Playmore as the successor to the old SNK brand and legacy. The King of Fighters XIV, the first entry in its series in more than half a decade, was released in 2016. In July 2018, SNK released the NEOGEO Mini, a miniature console based on the design of the company's Japanese arcade machines. It was pre-loaded with forty classic Neo Geo games.

Dropping the PLAYMORE word, the first SNK efforts were focused on The King of Fighters franchise (XIV, CGI-animated series Destiny and a mobile game).

The King of Fighters XIV received generally favorable reviews. Critics praised the game's fighting system as enjoyable for both new players and fighting game experts, but criticized its graphics as inferior to other fighting games released for the eighth generation of video game consoles. SNK confirmed a sequel, The King of Fighters XV, at EVO 2019.

On September 4, 2019, Nintendo announced that Fatal Fury protagonist and The King of Fighters character Terry Bogard would be added as a downloadable, playable character to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, with a planned release in November 2019. Terry was made available on November 6, alongside a The King of Fighters-based stage and 50 songs from various SNK series.

In November 2020, the MiSK Foundation, a non-profit organization owned by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman, acquired a 33.3% share of SNK through its subsidiary, Electronic Game Development Company (EGDC), with the intention to acquire a further 17.7% share at a later time as to gain controlling interest in the company.[20]

In April 2021, three board members dispatched from Saudi Arabia were appointed. EGDC announced its intention to acquire 51% through additional purchases. In February 2022, EGDC's ownership share was increased to 96.18%.[21][22] In May, of the same year, SNK notifies the delisting of your shares of the Korea Exchange (KOSDAQ) and EGDC's future plans to acquire all of the company's shares becoming its wholly owned subsidiary. On March 20, 2023, SNK relocated its main headquarters to Yodogawa-ku, Osaka.[23]

The King of Fighters Game Credits

As SNK Corporation (1994-2001)

As Playmore Corporation (2001-2003)

As SNK Playmore Corporation (2003-2016)

As SNK Corporation (2016-present)

Videos

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.snk-corp.co.jp/us/press/2016/120101/
  2. ↑ http://www.neogeospirit.com/dossiers/snk/dossier_snk1.htm
  3. ↑ http://neogeo.freeplaytech.com/index_jp.html
  4. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/19991005104607/snkusa.com/aboutus.html
  5. ↑ http://www.neogeospirit.com/dossiers/snk/dossier_snk4.htm
  6. ↑ http://www.neo-geo.com/news/snkp-interview/Interview_with_SNKP.pdf
  7. ↑ https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/06/10/snk-closing-its-doors
  8. ↑ https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/06/14/snk-confirms-us-closure
  9. ↑ https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20010402/snk.htm
  10. ↑ https://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/bursts/0104/02/snk.html
  11. ↑ https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20011004/snk.htm
  12. ↑ https://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/bursts/0111/02/snk.html
  13. ↑ https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/10/31/snk-waves-goodbye
  14. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20011102031404/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2821015,00.html/
  15. ↑ https://www.snk-corp.co.jp/us/company/profile
  16. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20160408173845/http://www.snkplaymore.co.jp/us/press/2013/20131108.php
  17. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20021006131950/http://www.snkneogeo.co.jp/company/group.html
  18. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20030804033817/http://www.snkplaymore.jp/information/en_press12.html
  19. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20160603120950/http://www.snkplaymore.co.jp/us/press/pdf/160425_1.pdf
  20. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20210109224846/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/374424/
  21. ↑ https://misk.org.sa/en/the-mohammed-bin-salman-foundation-misk-announces-completion-of-strategic-investment-in-japanese-gaming-company-snk-en/
  22. ↑ https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/5/23011757/snk-corporation-mohammed-bin-salman-misk-foundation
  23. ↑ https://www.snk-corp.co.jp/press/2023/030102/

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