- SNK has come under fire for generative AI use
- Its Season 2 trailer for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves features several short AI-generated scenes
- Season 2 will also boast the “Most Valuable Fighting Game Tournament”
Developer SNK has found itself in hot water after posting a trailer for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves’ forthcoming Season 2 characters.
The trailer, which you can see here, appears to make liberal use of generative AI technology. Well, not just ‘seems’ as pretty much all the telltale signs are there. From light source overcorrection and creepy expressions, to horribly wrong details on characters and the overly ‘shiny’ look, it’s pretty much an open and shut case.
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Fans of the game have taken to social media to express their disgust at SNK’s decision to make use of generative AI technologies.
“Imagine bragging in your trailer that you have the most money of any tournament while refusing to pay animators to make your trailer,” wrote one Bluesky user.
Another who was the moderator for the official City of Wolves Discord server announced that they would be stepping down from the role in the wake of the controversy.
The trailer says that Season 2 will run alongside the “most prized fighting game tournament” and will start on January 22, 2026. The game is also part of the main roster of fighting games at this year’s EVO Championship event.
What’s also alarming in my opinion is that Season 2’s grades are released on a monthly basis, as confirmed by SNK.
It will be one per month from January to June, making a total of six grades. Four of these have been revealed as Kim Jae Hoon, Nightmare Geese, Blue Mary and Wolfgang Krauser – all fan favourites. The last two remain a mystery, though one has been teased to potentially be Fist of the North Star the main character Kenshiro.
I find this alarming because once a month is a shockingly fast cadence in the modern fighting game space. Typical game like Tekken 8, Street Fighter 6, and Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising will add DLC characters once every three to four months, roughly.
The relatively high pace that SNK implements here leaves nothing (so far) in the latter half of the year, and this may be a sign that the team is ending development on City of Wolves. I’m also a bit concerned that such a rushed schedule could lead to balance issues or unintended character behavior, but the jury is out for now.
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