SNK Corporation (Japanese: 株式会社SNK, Hepburn: Kabushiki gaisha SNK) is a Japanese video game company. It was founded in 1978 as Shin Nihon Kikaku (新日本企画; lit. "New Japan Project") by Eikichi Kawasaki. The company started by creating arcade games. SNK is known for its Neo Geo arcade system, which helped the company create several popular game series in the 1990s, including Art of Fighting, Fatal Fury, Metal Slug, Samurai Shodown, and The King of Fighters. SNK continues to make and release new games for modern arcade and home systems. Since the 2000s, SNK has expanded into other areas, such as pachislot machines, mobile games, and character licensing.

In 2001, due to financial problems, the original SNK Corporation had to shut down. Before the company closed, founder Kawasaki created Playmore Corporation, which took over all of SNK’s intellectual property. In 2003, Playmore Corporation changed its name to SNK Playmore Corporation. In 2016, SNK removed "Playmore" from its name. Since 2022, SNK has been owned by Electronic Gaming Development Company, a subsidiary of the Saudi Arabian Misk Foundation.

History

SNK was created in 1973 as Shin Nihon Kikaku. In 1978, it became a stock company called "Shin Nihon Kikaku Corporation." Eikichi Kawasaki noticed the growing coin-operated video game market and expanded the company to develop and sell stand-alone arcade games.

At first, the company was called "Shin Nihon Kikaku" in katakana. In 1981, the name changed to "SNK," using the initials from the company's full name. The English name was "SNK CORPORATION." SNK moved its headquarters to Sunnyvale, California, to sell its games in North American arcades. John Rowe was chosen to lead the company's operations in the United States.

SNK released its first two games, Ozma Wars (1979), a vertical shooter, and Safari Rally (1980), a maze game. Over time, SNK improved its game quality and hired Tose to develop Sasuke vs. Commander (1980) and Vanguard (1981). SNK licensed games to Centuri for sale in North America and later started making and selling games itself when profits increased. Vanguard helped SNK gain popularity, and an American branch, SNK Electronics Corporation, opened in 1981.

In 1986, the company name became "SNK Corporation" because the Japanese government did not allow using letters in business names. In November 1986, SNK Corporation of America was established in Sunnyvale, California. In 1988, SNK moved its Japanese headquarters to Suita, Osaka, Japan.

From 1979 to 1986, SNK created 23 arcade games. Notable titles included Mad Crasher (1984), Alpha Mission (1985), and Athena (1986), which became popular after being released on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1987. SNK's most successful game was Ikari Warriors (1986), which was later released on multiple home consoles. Two sequels followed: Victory Road (1986) and Ikari III: The Rescue (1989).

Japan faced the video game crash of 1983, but Nintendo remained successful. In 1985, SNK became a third-party licensee for Nintendo's Famicom (NES) system. A second U.S. branch, SNK Home Entertainment, opened in Torrance, California, to manage home console sales. John Rowe left SNK to start Tradewest, which later marketed Ikari Warriors in North America. Paul Jacobs took over leadership of SNK's U.S. operations and helped launch the company's Neo Geo system outside Asia.

In response to strong sales of its NES games, SNK began creating original software for the NES. Two games were released: Baseball Stars (1989) and Crystalis (1990; known as God Slayer in Japan). In 1989, the Sega Genesis and NEC's TurboGrafx-16 were released in North America. Nintendo later introduced the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1991. SNK focused on arcade games instead of competing in the "system wars" of the 1990s. Third-party companies like Romstar and Takara handled home console ports with help from SNK's U.S. division. SNK also partnered with Tiger Electronics to sell handheld games based on its brands.

In 1988, SNK invented a modular arcade cabinet called the Neo Geo MVS (Multi Video System). Unlike traditional cabinets, which held only one game, the MVS could store one to six games in a single cabinet. Arcade operators could swap games by replacing cartridges, saving time and space. The MVS debuted in 1990 and cost less than half the price of traditional arcade units.

SNK aimed to bring high-quality arcade games to homes without sacrificing performance. In 1990, the Neo Geo family of systems was created, including the Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System (AES), a home version of the MVS. The AES initially sold only for rental or hotel use but later became available for purchase. It came with two joystick controllers and a game, such as Baseball Stars Professional or NAM-1975. The system cost $599 (about $1,416 in 2025) and could be bought for $399 without a game. Other games cost at least $200 each.

SNK released many popular games, including Sengoku, The King of Fighters, The Last Blade, Super Sidekicks, Art of Fighting, Metal Slug, Burning Fight, Savage Reign, Samurai Shodown, and Fatal Fury. Some series continued on later consoles. SNK also published games from other companies, such as World Heroes and Aggressors of Dark Kombat.

The Neo Geo AES had better graphics and sound than other consoles of the time. Games like Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy and Metal Slug were known for their bold visuals.

Products

SNK is best known for creating 2D fighting games. Most of these games were released in the 1990s on SNK's own Neo Geo arcade system. The first of these games was 1991's Fatal Fury: King of Fighters, which started the Fatal Fury series. Later, other fighting games were released, including World Heroes, Art of Fighting, Aggressors of Dark Kombat, and the popular Samurai Shodown. This led to the company's most famous franchise, The King of Fighters. The first game in this series was 1994's The King of Fighters '94. These franchises include many well-known characters, such as Terry Bogard, Kyo Kusanagi, and Mai Shiranui. In other genres, the Metal Slug run and gun series is also one of SNK's most famous franchises.

SNK designed and released the Neo Geo (named NEOGEO) on April 26, 1990. It was an arcade cabinet that could store multiple games in one system. The Neo Geo used swappable cartridges, which made it popular because arcade operators could save space. The system, called MVS (short for Multi Video System), was a major success for SNK. Many of SNK's popular franchises began on this platform. The hardware had colorful 2D graphics. Part of the hardware was designed by Alpha Denshi, later known as ADK.

The Neo Geo also had a home console version, called the AES (Advanced Entertainment System), which used the same cartridges. At first, the home system was only available for rent to businesses like hotels, bars, and restaurants. After seeing demand, SNK began selling the console to consumers for $650. Later, a CD-based home console called the Neo Geo CD was released. SNK produced the Neo Geo until 1997, and new games for the system were released until 2004. New versions of the Neo Geo continue to be made today by SNK and licensed companies. The first was the Neo Geo X handheld in 2012, followed by the Neo Geo Mini in 2018.

SNK created other hardware in the 1990s after the Neo Geo, but these were not successful. The Hyper Neo Geo 64 arcade board, released in 1997, was meant to update the Neo Geo with 3D graphics. However, it failed and few games were made for it. SNK later released the Neo Geo Pocket for Japan and its color version, the Neo Geo Pocket Color, for global markets. Both were discontinued by 2000 in the West and in 2001 after SNK went bankrupt.

Subsidiaries and related corporations

• SNK Entertainment – created in February 2016 to work with and create new digital entertainment, such as video games. It increases activities related to SNK's collection of intellectual properties by offering "new and exciting sublicensing opportunities and collaborations."
• SNK Beijing
• SNK Games Singapore
• SNK H.K., Ltd. – manages character licensing, as well as hardware and software sales in East Asia (excluding Japan).
• SNK Playmore USA Corporation – publisher of software and animation in America. Previously called "SNK Corporation of America," which originally handled software sales in America from 1981 to 2000.
• Playmore Entertainment – developer of SNK's Pachinko machines and Metal Slug series.
• KOF Studio – video game development studio and creator of The King of Fighters, Fatal Fury, Samurai Shodown, and other SNK games.

• ADK – former game developer for the Neo Geo. SNK bought its intellectual property assets after the company went bankrupt in 2003. Created Aggressors of Dark Kombat, the Crossed Swords series, Gang Wars, Ninja Combat, Ninja Commando, Ninja Master's: Haō Ninpō Chō, Over Top, Master of Syougi, Sky Soldiers, Sky Adventure, Super Champion Baseball, Time Soldiers, Twinkle Star Sprites, and the World Heroes series.
• BrezzaSoft – co-developer of The King of Fighters 2001 with Eolith.
• Eolith – co-developer of The King of Fighters 2001 with BrezzaSoft, and co-developer of The King of Fighters 2002 with Playmore.
• Face Co. Ltd. – developer of Gururin, Money Puzzle Exchanger, and ZuPaPa!.
• Mega Enterprise – co-developer of Metal Slug 4 and Metal Slug 5 with Noise Factory.
• Nazca Corporation – former game developer for the Neo Geo (Metal Slug and Neo Turf Masters), later acquired by SNK.
• Neo Geo do Brasil – handled hardware and software sales in Brazil from 1993 to 1998.
• Noise Factory – co-developer of Metal Slug 4 and Metal Slug 5 with Mega Enterprise, formerly owned by SNK.
• Pallas – developed Eight Man and Super Baseball 2020.
• Sacnoth – developed Dive Alert, Koudelka, and Faselei!.
• Saurus – developed Ironclad, Pleasure Goal: 5 on 5 Mini Soccer, the Shock Troopers series, the Stakes Winner series, and The Irritating Maze. Co-developed Prehistoric Isle 2 with Yumekobo, co-developed Quiz King of Fighters with SNK, and co-developed Ragnagard with System Vision.
• SNK Playmore Europe Corporation – handled software sales in Europe.
• Sun Amusement – published Metal Slug 4 and The King of Fighters 2001.
• Viccom – developed Fight Fever.
• Yumekobo – developed Blazing Star, co-developed Prehistoric Isle 2 with Saurus.