| The King of Fighters '94 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | SNK |
| Publisher(s) | SNK |
| Director(s) | Masanori Kuwasashi |
| Producer(s) | Takashi Nishiyama Eikichi Kawasaki |
| Designer(s) | Toyohisa Tanabe Haruo Tomita Yosisi Hashimoto |
| Artist(s) |
|
| Composer(s) | Masahiko Hataya |
| Series | The King of Fighters |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD |
| Release | Arcade
PlayStation 2
|
| Genre(s) | Fighting |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Arcade system | Neo Geo MVS |
The King of Fighters '94 (KOF '94) is a 2D fighting video game produced by SNK in 1994, released on the Neo Geo MVS arcade system, AES and CD home consoles. It was the first game in The King of Fighters series; KOF '94 is a crossover featuring characters from SNK's fighting game properties Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting and also includes revised versions of characters from their older games Ikari Warriors and Psycho Soldier, as well as original characters created specifically for the game. The plot revolves around the eponymous tournament created by a criminal, Rugal Bernstein.
SNK developed KOF '94 with the initial idea of using several games from the company in order to attract gamers who played these games. The characters' designs, as well as its innovative gameplay system based on using teams of three members, were both well received. The success of the game allowed SNK to produce a series of sequels in The King of Fighters series, starting with The King of Fighters '95, and the series itself eventually became the flagship franchise of SNK. In 2004, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the series, SNK released a remake subtitled Re-Bout for the PlayStation 2, with higher resolution graphics and 3D environments. KOF '94 has since been released as part of SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Wii, and individually for digital distribution on modern systems.