Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers, a classic fighting game originally released in 1998, has been revived and shadow-dropped on Steam. It is the second Fatal Fury game in 2025 to hit Steam, following the launch of Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves in April.
Being a long-running franchise, Fatal Fury has various game releases under its belt and consists of a few different subseries, such as Real Bout and the Wolves lineup. Moreover, Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers is a highly popular vintage entry that first came out for SNK's arcade machines. It was also one of the final hit games from the Japanese developer in its original form before going bankrupt in 1999, after which the IP was bought by a couple of different companies before the Saudi Arabia-based Misk Foundation purchased a 96.18% stake in it in 2022.
Hardest Characters to Master in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Ranked
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves features a variety of classic characters, as well as some unorthodox newcomers. These are the hardest to master.
Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers Makes a Surprise Comeback
Moving on from Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves' launch a few months ago, SNK discreetly rolled out an updated version of Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers on Steam on September 28. It is a 2D fighting game that packs 23 diverse playable characters, from fan-favorites such as Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui to new characters such as Li Xiangfei and Rick Strowd. Notably, the game comes with rollback netcode, meaning online multiplayer lobbies (support for up to 9 players), tournament mode (three different formats), and more are available. Apparently, Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers is the first game in the NeoGeo Premium Selection, a name under which SNK plans to bring back its popular arcade games for modern audiences.
Apart from the aforementioned features, the revamped version of Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers comes with certain new additions as well. On one hand, players can now use the Gallery Mode to check out 59 different art pieces, including key art and character portraits of the Fatal Fury roster. On the other hand, they can unlock achievements and use them as their avatar for online matches. Further, the Practice Mode has also received a makeover, with game speed settings, hitbox viewer, and recording settings added into the mix.
SNK saw its former CEO, Kenji Matsubara, step down from his position less than a month after Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves' release, suggesting the title sold below expectations. Now, with things in flux at the company, it seems reasonable to fall back to its vast catalog of hits and modernize them for longtime fans and newcomers alike.
Steam is a digital video game storefront and program developed by Valve that allows gamers to purchase, play, and mod their titles all through one convenient program.
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