SNK has postponed the release of The King of Fighters XV for the first quarter of 2022 due to COVID-19 concerns in Japan. The company made the announcement via a press release in English and Japanese.
Since the game’s announcement last year, SNK had been planning to release KOF XV sometime in 2021. However, it won’t be possible due to the latest development rise of COVID-19 cases.
“The development timeline we set out to reach in the beginning has been affected by the ever-still rising cases of COVID-19 within Japan,” The King of Fighters XV producer Yasuyuki Oda stated via a press release by SNK. “We have made the ultimate decision in the end that the product’s quality must come first, and so with that decision comes an altered release window.”
“We sincerely ask for your kind patience and understanding as our development teams continue to work hard on KOF XV as we draw closer to its release.”
SNK has been releasing character trailers almost every week, including those of Blue Mary, Leona Heidern, Ralf Jones, Clark Still, and many others.
[Source]: SNK: Versus Battle Fighting Game THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV now slated for Q1 2022 release – [Archive]; 対戦格闘ゲーム『THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV』発売時期を2022年第1四半期に変更 (via PR Times) – [Archive] – [Screenshot].