Games publisher Koch Media has an ever-expanding stable of development partners as it strives to make an indelible mark on the games industry, reaching across myriad genres for games of all types. Today they've announced a partnership with Japan-based SNK to publish the next installment in the longstanding fighting game series, King of Fighters.

And in this case, that next iteration is King of Fighters XV. Here's the official skinny:

The King of Fighters series is back six years after the release of KOF XIV with a great sequel that will undoubtedly live up to the fighting legacy the franchise has carried since its first release in 1994.

Stephan Schmidt, Director of Global Partner Publishing at Koch Media adds: “We are delighted to be working again with SNK and excited to support them with our local publishing offices around the world. It is particularly thrilling to be able to work on such a legendary fighting game franchise. I’m convinced that we’ll achieve great things together for the digital and physical release of this title.”

Since the original announcement of The King of Fighters XV, fans all over the world have celebrated every subsequent character that has been announced. Koch Media and SNK will be bringing The King of Fighters XV to new heights, allowing the latest title to pave the way towards a new future of fighting games.

Yasuyuki Oda, Chief Producer of The King of Fighters at SNK Corporation adds: “We are very pleased to work again with our overseas publishing partner, Koch Media. Through Koch Media's global network, I believe we can achieve fantastic results by spreading the appeal of The King of Fighters to game fans all around the world.”

What seems like a small thing is really a big win for SNK, whose presence outside Japan always needs a bit of localised love, and King of Fighters is still such a staple fighting game franchise, which equally marks as a good get for Koch Media.

King of Fighters is out on PC, PS4, PS5 and Xbox Series S|X in 2022.