SNK
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SNK is a Japanese video game company. SNK stands for "Shin Nihon Kikaku," translated to "New Japan Project."
The company was founded by Eikichi Kawasaki in 1978, who presided over SNK until its collapse in fall 2000, due to (purportedly deliberate) under-financing by then-parent company Aruze. SNK's properties were then scattered out amongst several other entities, from Korean-based Eolith and Mega Enterprises to Japan-based Noise Factory. However, in anticipation of Aruze's actions, Kawasaki founded a new holding company by the name of Playmore, then spent the following year chasing down the rights to these intellectual properties; as of mid-2002, Kawasaki had regained all of SNK's property -- most recently, the SNK name itself. As such, in 2003, the company name was changed to "SNK Playmore". Many of SNK's former staff, as of 2000, are currently employed at the new company. Even so, there remains mixed sentiments amongst the fan community; while some think Playmore has done a great job in handling the SNK properties, there are those who remain disgruntled over the changes made as ownership of the game franchises changed hands.
SNK is best known for its NeoGeo video game console and arcade system, which they have been developing for since the early 1990s. The majority of their popular games were released for the NeoGeo, and some were later ported over to other more popular systems. SNK also had a few variations of the Neo-Geo, such as the Neo Geo AES, the Neo Geo CD, the Neo Geo CDZ, and the Neo-Geo 64. They also made two handheld systems, the Neo Geo Pocket and the Neo Geo Pocket Color.
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History
The Arcade
The NES
NES Software
1987
Athena
Alpha Mission
Ikari Warriors
1988
Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road
P.O.W.
1989
Guerilla War (Guevara)
Ikari Warriors III: The Rescue
Baseball Stars
1990
Crystalis (God Slayer)
[1] (http://www.gamespot.com/features/6089278/)
The Aruze Scandal
Shin Shin Nihon Kikaku
Standout Games
SNK is perhaps best known for the following games (many of which are fighting games):
- Art of Fighting series
- Athena
- Baseball Stars
- Crystalis
- Fatal Fury series
- Ikari Warriors series
- The King of Fighters series
- The Last Blade series
- Magician Lord
- Metal Slug series
- Psycho Soldier
- Super Sidekicks series
- Samurai Shodown series
- The SNK VS. Series
See also
External links
- SNK Playmore official web site (http://www.snkplaymore.co.jp/)
- SNK Playmore USA official web site (http://www.snkplaymoreusa.com/)