Key Takeaways
1. Hideaki Itsuno, former Capcom director, wants to create Capcom vs SNK 3 after leaving Capcom in 2024.
2. The Capcom vs SNK series has been inactive for over two decades, with its last title released in 2003.
3. Itsuno was involved in the development of Capcom vs SNK 2, which expanded the series’ roster of fighters.
4. Collaborations between Capcom and SNK continue, with characters from both franchises appearing in recent games.
5. Itsuno is now leading Tencent’s LightSpeed Japan studio and is developing a new AAA title.
Veteran Capcom director Hideaki Itsuno, who left Capcom earlier in 2024, expressed his desire to create Capcom vs SNK 3, a crossover fighting game he was involved with more than twenty years ago.
In a conversation with VGC, Itsuno openly shared, “I do want to make a fighting game like Capcom vs SNK, but now I’m neither Capcom nor SNK. If they license it to me, though, I want to make Capcom vs SNK 3. I want to make a fighting game, and it’s at the top of my list of games I want to make.”
A Long-Dormant Series
The Capcom vs SNK series has been inactive for over two decades, originating from a partnership between Capcom, known for Street Fighter, and SNK, the creator of King of Fighters, around the year 2000.
This partnership produced four crossover games, showcasing characters from both companies’ fighting worlds. The inaugural title, SNK vs Capcom, was launched in 1999, developed by SNK for the Neo Geo Pocket Color handheld.
The game saw an enhanced arcade version in 2000, featuring 16 fighters from each franchise. Itsuno became involved in the development of Capcom vs SNK 2 in 2001, which expanded the roster of fighters significantly.
The Final Chapter
The series concluded with its last title in 2003, an arcade fighter called SNK vs Capcom: SVC Chaos. Although there were plans for a fifth game, Capcom vs SNK 3 was put on hold because of SNK’s bankruptcy in 2001. Subsequently, Capcom used some elements from this project for another cancelled title named Capcom Fighting All-Stars.
Last year, both Capcom-developed fighting games were re-released in Capcom Fighting Collection 2, which also included more titles developed by Itsuno, such as Power Stone 1 and 2, and Project Justice.
Continuing Collaborations
It has been 24 years since the release of Capcom vs SNK 2, yet collaborations haven’t stopped. SNK’s Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui from the Fatal Fury franchise were added as DLC characters in Capcom’s Street Fighter 6. Moreover, SNK’s upcoming game, Fatal Fury: City of Wolves, will see DLC appearances from Street Fighter characters Ken Masters and Chun-Li.
As for Itsuno, the previous Capcom developer now heads Tencent’s LightSpeed Japan studio, which has recently inaugurated a new office in Osaka and is currently developing a new AAA title.
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