Non-season "season pass"

[Shoah Kahn]

The store page states that the "DLC" characters will not be sold as a separate "Season Pass 1", and that only a "Deluxe" version of the game will be available for purchase.

This means that there is only an effective "base" game being sold, ironically dubbed "Deluxe", for which some of its roster will be missing at launch. In other words, even though the product will be incomplete until Q1 2026, customers will be expected to pay full price for what will amount to months of the game being in "early access"; as distinct from having the option of holding out on the DLC component, until they can see what is actually on offer (only Ken and Chun Li have been announced so far).

So, here we are, in 2025, when so-called "downloadable content" is no longer being sold as additional content to a base game -- in and of itself reprehensible for a genre billing itself as "competitive", as is very chess pieces are divvied to the highest bidders -- which customers can take or leave (as was the DLC apologist mantra of the past decade and a half); but, it (DLC) has now stooped to being used as an excuse to release unfinished products for full RRP. Nice 👌🏻😐

(NB: Strictly speaking, it says that they have "no plans at this time to sell the base game and Season Pass 1 individually"; which could well be wording deliberately used to leave the door open for them to do a backflip on later... which would make it even more dastardly, given those who bought in early would then have, by definition, been duped.)

[SiamezeFunk]

I certainly agree that it's kinda confusing to title it "Deluxe Version" when there's no other version (especially since that naming convention is pretty standard for a lot of games, like "normal", "deluxe" and "ultra" or something).

In terms of content I think I can understand your critique and your points - personally I'm rather happy with a launch roster of 17 (SF6 launched with 18 if I remember correctly), and seeing that Season 1 will offer 5 characters, two of which will be released in summer 2025, which seems quite close to the launch of the game.

[Shoah Kahn]

There is no "Seasons 1", though -- that's the point. The game is the game, which in and of itself is fine (22 characters), and would even be a refreshing change back to the "old school" model of buying a complete game for full RRP. The problem is that they are not releasing the full game at launch; rendering it an effective "early access" title -- indeed so, given the slew of balance and content patches that such a model will have baked in with it -- that they still expect people to throw down full RRPbux for it.

Moreover, AFAIK -- Kain aside, who I now realise is in the "base" roster (haven't been following the developments of late) -- we don't even know the full roster of the DLC (Andy and Joe?); which makes the deal even more shady. If we 100% knew the complete, "Deluxe" roster, one could argue that they are simply buying in faith, knowing that SNK will deliver. However, by treating what was meant (?) as add-on content / actual DLC as simply the main roster being belatedly added -- belatedly being the operating adverb, given that the final of the five erstwhile DLC's will drop almost a year after launch -- is just, plain insulting. On top that, they even leave the door open for hocking the content separately later on!

Why even call the game "Deluxe" if it's incomplete and just the effective base game, unless you think your audience are dim cowsoomers to be taken advantage of...? 🤨

[Breeze]

You might have a point if the game was launching with only 5 characters, but a 15 - 20 starting roster is fine and acceptable for a 1v1 fighter. Consider the S1 characters a free bonus.

Are you telling us you'd rather wait until early 2026 to play this game, when all the characters are 100% finished? Then I don't think you want to play this game at all and are just here to troll, fake-outrage, or shill other games (based on your other posts I've seen on this forum, this is very likely true).

[Shoah Kahn]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Breeze:

Are you telling us you'd rather wait until early 2026 to play this game, when all the characters are 100% finished?

Yes... In the context of a half-baked game that's being developed on the run, yes. After all, there are a million games to play, and aside from those who have terminal diseases or meet with mishaps between now and Q1 2026, a properly refined game is always better than one that is a work-in-progress.

Why not release it as an early access; or as multiple, timed betas with each additional character drop?... The answer to that [rhetorical] question is, obviously because that would kill any hype (citation needed), and would lose SNK many sales by the time the game debuts proper; which largely attributable to these games not being even as remotely as deep and rewarding as the older titles (see: a 1999 game having all the "hype moments" at Evo 2024), and cannot hold player interest for much past the whatever months worth of honeymoon period they garner after launch ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Jaq]

The reality of gaming in 2025 is that people expect regular content updates, or they'll say the developer doesn't support their games and the game is abandoned. What SNK has done here is the best remaining compromise: You get your steady updates without immediately being shaken down for more money. If even this is going to draw the ire of people who just want to be mad about things, then it is truly a No Win situation.

[Shoah Kahn]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Breeze:

If the base game is ready to be played, then why wait MONTHS for the DLC to also be finished? This game's already been in development for years, but no, because you're having a fuss about 5 FREE dlc characters you want everyone else to wait another 10 months to play the game. F U dude

The "DLC" is the base game... By SNK's very disclaimer, there is no "Season Pass 1" DLC, and the remaining characters are, by implication, simply not ready to be released. Heck, the fact that two of the series' stalwarts, Andy and Joe -- the Ken and Guile of the Fatal Fury world -- are being hocked as a part of that so-called "DLC", tells us that they simply could not finish the game by deadline, and it's an effective "early access" product as such.

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Jaq:

The reality of gaming in 2025 is that people expect regular content updates, or they'll say the developer doesn't support their games and the game is abandoned. What SNK has done here is the best remaining compromise: You get your steady updates without immediately being shaken down for more money.

That's likely the most accurate explanation of their thinking behind the retail model they have chosen... But, if it is true, it means that the industry has torn up the vendor-client contract, in order to dupe its customers... which is invidious.

[Breeze]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Shoah Kahn:

The "DLC" is the base game... By SNK's very disclaimer, there is no "Season Pass 1" DLC, and the remaining characters are, by implication, simply not ready to be released. Heck, the fact that two of the series' stalwarts, Andy and Joe -- the Ken and Guile of the Fatal Fury world -- are being hocked as a part of that so-called "DLC", tells us that they simply could not finish the game by deadline, and it's an effective "early access" product as such.

Ursprünglich geschrieben von The literal store page:

- Base game
- Season Pass 1

- DLC Character 1 (Scheduled for: Summer 2025)

- DLC Character 2 "KEN" (Scheduled for: Summer 2025)

- DLC Character 3 (Scheduled for: Fall 2025)

- DLC Character 4 "CHUN-LI" (Scheduled for: Winter 2025)

- DLC Character 5 (Scheduled for: Early 2026)

Please actually read details about the game and stop making up crap to fake-outrage about.

[Shoah Kahn]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Breeze:

Please actually read details about the game and stop making up crap to fake-outrage about.

Pot > kettle > "black"...

* FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves will only be available in this Special Edition format.
* There are no plans at this time to sell the base game and Season Pass 1 individually.