Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves May Have the Most Unexpected Guest Character

As a long-time fan who has seen the evolution of fighting games, I must say that the potential inclusion of Cristiano Ronaldo in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is nothing short of mind-blowing! If this collaboration results in a playable character for CR7, it would undoubtedly be an unprecedented move even within the genre.

The highly anticipated “Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves” scheduled for 2025 is generating significant buzz as one of the year’s top fighting games. However, the announcement that soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will have a role in the game has stirred even more excitement than the initial surprise unveiling. Although the specifics of his involvement with “Garou” sequel are still unknown, if he appears as a playable character, it would be a groundbreaking move, setting a new precedent for the fighting game genre.

There’s already been a wave of hype surrounding the shocking addition of SNK’s Mai Shiranui and Terry Bogard in Street Fighter 6 as DLC, a call-back to the era of frequent crossovers between the company’s IPs and Capcom. Compared to the potential for a real-life person to be making it into the world of Fatal Fury, however, even those sorts of collaborations pale in comparison in terms of predictability.

A Character Slot in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Might Be Filled By Cristiano Ronaldo

SNK is No Stranger to Collaborations

Over time, SNK has built a reputation for collaborating with various companies and blending characters from different games in their titles. Notably, SNK’s popular King of Fighters franchise is a fusion of characters from series like Art of Fighting, Samurai Shodown, and Fatal Fury. This has earned SNK the nickname as a gathering place for classic fighting game IPs. However, these crossovers have primarily occurred between characters under the same development company or within the same arcade environment. The idea of crossing into real life has yet to be explored.

Ronaldo’s Tease Has Fueled Speculation That He May Be Playable

The scenario stems from a post on Cristiano Ronaldo’s official X/Twitter account where he shared a video with undisclosed collaboration details, hinting at a possible connection between him and the game “Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves.” The short clip suggests a character emerging from behind a metal door in a soccer stadium, possibly signifying that Ronaldo might be joining the established roster of the game.

Cristiano Ronaldo in Fatal Fury Stands Out as a Weird Crossover Even in the Context of Fighting Games

Real-Life People as Guests Push New Boundaries

Unusual characters are often featured in fighting games, such as the Terminator or the Joker from Mortal Kombat, or Negan from Tekken. They have become well-integrated elements within the games they were introduced. The union of Mortal Kombat and DC Universe in a single game, specifically Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, is particularly noteworthy as one of the most unique collaborations between franchises. The only link between these two franchises is their ownership by Warner Bros.

Regardless of how ill-fitting any of those instances may have been, none of them went so far as to include an actual living person in a video game release as opposed to the fictional characters they have portrayed. While it could be argued that Cristiano Ronaldo has made several appearances across the likes of FIFA and EA Sports FC as a high-rated player, those are far from the visually striking combat of SNK’s fighters.

The Only Connection Between Sports and SNK is Business-Related

Much like DC’s connection with Mortal Kombat is largely based on business ties, it seems that Ronaldo and Fatal Fury share a similar link through commercial interests. Given his current team, Al-Nassr FC, has an owner connected to the Saudi Arabian foundation that owns a significant stake in SNK, this partnership could potentially generate substantial buzz for the return of Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves.

2024-09-29 02:04