KOF XV Developers Shared More Insights on the Game’s Development

The latest Famitsu issue features a lengthy interview with The King of Fighters XV‘s key staff members to mark the game’s worldwide release. The interview revealed some insights into KOF XV‘s development, such as how the team handled multi-platform releases. SNK’s staff members also joked about including Kasumi Todoh’s father Ryuhaku Todoh into the KOF XV DLC character roster. [Thanks, Ryokutya.]

Here are some of the highlights from Famitsu‘s KOF XV interview:

• “The whole development scene comprises around 400 people. It’s a very large amount for this company [SNK].”
• “The development [for KOF XV] was set in stone after we finished developing KOF XIV.”
• “Thanks to KOF XIV, we have a fanbase on the PS4. So we planned to sell [XV] while the PS4 is still doing well.”
• “Unreal Engine handled the basic portions (for multi-platform developments) so that was not difficult. The net segments were the hectic ones because we had to deal with them individually.”
• “We feel like the gameplay on PS4 will serve as a basis for holding major tournaments.”
• “We paid much attention to the character lineup because people from not only Japan but also North America will play the game.”
• “We have finished selecting characters for the second season pass.”
• “We also included Ryuhaku Todoh. That’s a lie. (laughs)”
• “We thought of ending the Shun’ei saga with this game, but we are still not sure.”
• “We had to regrettably decrease the audience (in some stages) to reduce processing.”
• “The PC and next-generation console versions support Ray Tracing to process things like reflections.”

Earlier this month, SNK revealed the post-release update roadmap for KOF XV. It will sell the Team Pass 1 that adds two teams containing three characters each in March and May 2022. The company also revealed Team Pass 2, which will add six more characters in Summer and Autumn 2022. However, it has yet to formally announce the latter six characters.

The King of Fighters XV will be officially available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on February 17, 2022. The game will have 39 playable characters at launch. People who purchased the Digital Deluxe edition could access the game on February 14, 2022.