SNK's RPG mobile spin-off, SNK AllStar, is probably only really known to die-hard fans of SNK, due to it featuring a massive roster of characters from several of its franchises, like Fatal Fury, King of Fighters, and Metal Slug (not to be confused with the King of Fighters AllStar mobile game, which featured a crossover with WWE this year).
However, it rather quickly and suddenly gained a lot of publicity and not in a good way. Recently, a new ad for the game began making the rounds on social media and, though brief, generated a lot of controversy for its content.
The ad is entirely CGI and has three characters - Mai Shiranui, Blue Mary, and Kula Diamond - sitting at a food stand. Fatal Fury star Terry Bogard then drives by on a motorbike, slapping their their behinds in quick succession. Aside from the obvious sexism on display, it should also be noted that Kula is canonically only 14 years old, meaning Terry essentially sexually assaulted a minor.
Even SNK fans took umbrage with the ad, stating that it is wildly out of character for Terry, an otherwise all-loving and charismatic hero, to do something like this. It's possible that there was no ill will behind the ad's creation, given that Terry immediately receives comeuppance by crashing his motorbike and left at the mercy of the three women, but fans were still upset regardless.
As such, SNK put out an apology over Twitter, where the company states that it had no involvement with the ad's creation and has filed a complaint with its partners to have the ad be immediately taken down, though it's likely still available to watch online somewhere.
This isn't the first time SNK has got in trouble for something like this. Earlier this year, shortly after the release of DLC character Iroha for Samurai Shodown, the game's official Twitter account retweeted a number of images of that Iroha's butt, accompanied by inappropriate comments. Many felt uncomfortable with the objectifying and the account soon deleted the posts and apologised for the misconduct.
In less controversial news, SNK has re-released another of its Neo Geo Pocket Color titles for the Nintendo Switch: The Last Blade: Beyond the Destiny, another samurai themed fighting game that clearly never got as popular as Samurai Shodown.
Retro enthusiasts also still have to look forward to a classic arcade cabinet due for release next month. The cabinet will come with 50 titles from SNK's library, including eight Fatal Fury games that feature Terry in a far more positive light.