FATAL FURY Joins the 2025 Esports World Cup Line-Up

The Esports World Cup Foundation has entered into a three-year partnership with SNK Corporation to integrate the Fatal Fury fighting game franchise into its annual multi-week tournament series. As part of this agreement, the upcoming title, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, will be featured as a competitive game during the 2025 Esports World Cup held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This inclusion marks a significant milestone for the franchise, which is returning to the market after a 26-year hiatus.

The Esports World Cup is an eight-week international competition managed by the non-profit Esports World Cup Foundation and funded by the Saudi Arabian government’s Public Investment Fund. The event is operated by the ESL FACEIT Group, which, like the game developer SNK, is a subsidiary of the Saudi-owned Savvy Games Group. The tournament features a diverse roster of titles, including major industry staples such as Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Rocket League, and Street Fighter 6.

While the partnership aims to expand the competitive footprint of the Fatal Fury series and engage a global audience, the event remains a subject of scrutiny. International human rights organizations frequently criticize Saudi-backed esports initiatives, characterizing them as efforts to improve the nation's global image through sports washing. Despite these concerns, the collaboration underscores the continued investment of the Saudi government in the professional gaming sector and its strategy to establish Riyadh as a central hub for international esports tournaments.