SNK Dropping Traditional NeoGeo Hardware

Thanks to GameSpot for its news discussing SNK's decision to shift its arcade development platform from the original NeoGeo MVS cartridge format to Sammy's Atomiswave. A spokesperson for Sammy commented: "The NeoGeo's games have been played worldwide, but it ran on a 16-bit board that had reached its limits", and the SNK Playmore development chief lamented: "There have been talks in the past about when we'll stop supporting the NeoGeo, but this is going to be the real end. And that's really an indescribable feeling." Fan site NeoGeo For Life points out current NeoGeo MVS title Samurai Spirits Zero Special, the last in an era for SNK, while the GameSpot article explains: "Three new titles have been announced for release on the Atomiswave: The King of Fighters 2004, Samurai Spirits AW, and Metal Slug 6."

Comments

I suppose it was inevitable...

[Fred Or Alive]

Someday it had to stop, but it's been a bloody good run for the system, outlasting just about any other platform ever, or at least 16 bit ones (I think the Famicom outlasted it.) And quite a few very good games. Metal Slug, King Of Fighters, League Bowling, Real Bout etc. Now if only I could afford one...

it probably makes better business sense too, seeing as emulation and piracy might become a bit less of a problem, at least until a Dreamcast emulator is playable (Atomiswave is basically a cartridge based Dreamcast[1].) Sega's last console platform's afterlife is continuing...

[1] Which has been done before, as Sega Naomi arcade boards are basically a Dreamcast + extra RAM (Naomi 2 has an extra PowerVR GPU and a T&L chip as well.)