A quick mistake by SNK has accidentally revealed that The King of Fighters 15 was prepared to be announced and released in 2021. The initial announcement was intended for January 6th, however, it has since been postponed, and a number of screenshots have mistakenly been released alongside a King of Fighters 14 press release.
This news regarding The King of Fighters 15 comes courtesy of a Spanish press release, possibly one that was put together before the upcoming trailer was postponed. Along with pictures of some longtime series favorites, these released images also include a proposed release window for the next installment in the franchise.
One of the images shared in the press release very clearly states that King of Fighters 15 will release in 2021, though the exact month and day are not included in this early image. This is often the case for early reveals of the release date of games that are still in development, as this gives a much wider window for the developer and publisher to work with between the game going gold and the marketing lead-up to launch. Considering that the postponed announcement was initially scheduled for January 6th, it's likely that players may want to expect either a late Summer or Fall launch while SNK prepares for the future marketing rollout.
The images that have also released with this accidental announcement are also an incredible show of what the next characters in King of Fighters will look like when the game does release. These are also screenshots taken from early footage that is still a work in progress, so there might still be some polish and redesigning to come in the future. Regardless, the images already feel like the game is working to step up from King of Fighters 14, and should be a quality addition to the series from a visual standpoint.
It's still too early to comment on any aspects of the upcoming title's gameplay, as even these King of Fighters 15 images weren't intended to be seen quite yet, and they don't elaborate much on the fighting. The history and community of the series might speak for itself, but that is biased speculation at best, and players may want to wait until the announcement trailer officially launches before making any impressions of the game. For now, fans can at least be excited to know that more content is coming to the series throughout the year.
Source: Gematsu