After four years of suffering with poor netcode Samurai Shodown will see a rollback netcode update in 2023. At the SNK panel at Evo 2022, Samurai Shodown developers confirm they’ll be implementing rollback netcode.
Samurai Shodown, also known as Samurai Spirits in Japan is another SNK fighting game series from the 90s. It also has releases alongside The King of Fighters franchise. The last release for Samurai Shodown was the 2019 reboot.
A weapon-based fighting game that heavily relies on punishing opponents for high damage. The current game has 30 playable characters, 16 base characters, and 14 DLC characters. Some of the DLC characters were a part of free updates, while others need a purchase before use.
There is no news on whether there will be major patches or if there is a new season. Although it’s unlikely as the game has gone through its update cycle and 14 DLC characters.
The rollback netcode update is the most important update the game can have. The game was able to garner praise for its gameplay and fun characters. However, releasing just before the pandemic and poor netcode didn’t allow the game to shine competitively in the west.
When titles such as Guilty Gear -Strive- saw a release during the pandemic and grew with the help of a positive online experience.
Hopefully, with rollback Samurai Shodown may see a revival, with more frequent players and online tournaments.
SNK confirm they will be teaming up with Code Mystics to bring rollback netcode to Samurai Shodown. The two developers have a history of working together for multiple re-releases with rollback netcode. Code Mystics have brought titles such as The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, and Samurai Shodown V Special.
The rollback netcode will be using the same existing solution found in The King of Fighters XV with GGPO. The update is coming sometime in Spring 2023, for all platforms except for Nintendo Switch. The game is available on all modern platforms, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.
While rollback netcode is possible on Nintendo Switch, many developers exclude it due to hardware issues and not being the most popular platform for fighting games.
That doesn’t stop some developers from implementing it regardless, fighting games such as Mortal Kombat 11 and Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid both feature rollback.
Despite The King of Fighters XV having been announced to receive an update with crossplay functionality, Samurai Shodown won’t receive the same treatment yet.
Hopefully in the future Fatal Fury/Garou title that was also announced will feature both rollback netcode and crossplay at launch.
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