Ahead of Gamescom, SNK’s latest information for King of Fighters XV may have leaked online early. The company recently tweeted about plans to reveal new info at the upcoming European event. However, Reddit user u/taranosu75 shared what seem to be early screenshots in a thread. These images reportedly stem from Japanese retailer yodobashi, which has since deleted the original listing page.
KOF XV’S COVER ART REVEALED?
Among the leaked images was King of Fighters XV’s cover art, which shows previously unannounced returning characters Heidern and Ash Crimson. Franchise staples like Kyo and Iori also appear, as well as KOF XIV newcomer Shun’ei.
Interestingly, the cover art features two seemingly new characters. One is pictured to the right of Kyo, while the other stands beside Shun’ei. While SNK’s official reveals do not feature any newcomers yet, this leak likely shows that fans have exciting new characters to look forward to in the near future. Since KOF’s roster follows a three-person team format, fans have plenty to speculate about these characters and if they hint towards two new teams or one team featuring the two and another new fighter.
ASH RETURNS?
Long awaited by many fans, Ash Crimson appears to make his comeback in King of Fighters XV. Though Ash was absent in KOF XIV, he was one of the franchise’s most prominent newcomers since his debut in 2003.
Like recent character announcements such as Shermie and Yashiro, Ash has a completely new design for XV. Since SNK does not have a 3D model from XIV to base these characters on, they were rebuilt from scratch for the new entry. Though Ash does not have an official reveal yet, it is likely that his trailer is just as flashy and exciting as others returning from a hiatus.
KOF XV’S UI
One notably absent feature from all of KOF XV’s trailers is the game’s UI. Yodobashi’s uploaded images seem to finally show the game’s UI which slightly resembles that of KOF XIV.
However, the UI is one feature that may undergo the most change before the game’s launch. Fans notoriously hated ArcSystemWorks’ first Guilty Gear Strive overlay, though this is a rare case. Seeming to be an evolution from XIV, KOF XV’s UI design was likely chosen as a modest but safe bet for the new game.
WHERE TO GO FROM HERE?
Though these leaks seem to reveal plenty about KOF, there is no telling what SNK has in store for their Gamescom announcements on August 25. For instance, these are merely screenshots that were uploaded early, and the game could easily receive one or more new trailers in the span of the next week.
Fighting game competitors are eager to hear about a new release date for the game and progress on rollback netcode. Though SNK may still be supporting Samurai Shodown, all eyes are on King of Fighters XV for the company’s future in the fighting game scene.
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Featured image source: yodobashi
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