The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia is now the largest shareholder of historic fighting game developer, SNK.
SNK is a Japanese home and arcade game developer known for fighting game classics like King of Fightersand run and gun games like Metal Slug. Those unfamiliar with those games may at least recognize Terry Bogard, a recent DLC addition to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate who hails from King of Fighters. SNK is also known for creating the Neo Geo line of home and handheld gaming machines that ended in 2001.
SNK has had a somewhat tumultuous financial history. The company went under when the Neo Geo died and was purchased by Playmore Corporation in 2001, becoming SNK Playmore. The company was again purchased in 2015 by Chinese investors and mobile game developer 37Games for $63.5 million, which led to the name becoming just SNK once again.
Now, Saudi Arabia’s Electronic Gaming Development Company is buying controlling interest in SNK at 33.3%, with the bill being footed by Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who owns EGDC. The EGDC was created in an attempt to diversify its economy to consist of more than just oil.
Mohammed bin Salman has been accused of multiple human rights violations, including the assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, mass executions, and the trampling of LGBTQ+ rights. The Prince and his government were set to sponsor League of Legends developer Riot Games for a European tournament for incredibly short amount of time following intense backlash from the announcement.
SNK also had to deal with some negative reception surrounding a mobile ad produced by its Chinese owner, which featured King of Fighters star Terry Bogard assaulting two adult women and a minor. SNK quickly took to Twitter denouncing such a disgraceful use of their characters and filed for its Chinese owner to take the ad down.
Source: NintendoLife