SNK is adding rollback netcode to much-loved brawler The King of Fighters XIII, which should make for a smoother online experience. The catch is that the developer is essentially charging it for it, and players are making their displeasure known by review bombing the game.
The King of Fighters XIII is a superb fighting game and, ten years after it landed on Steam, developer and publisher SNK is giving the game some love by releasing a new, rollback netcode-enabled version of the game, dubbed The King of Fighters XIII: Global Match.
Rollback netcode, which predicts players’ next moves and ‘rolls back’ the game if it’s wrong, is a way of all-but eliminating the lag that can get in the way of online matches. SNK has retroactively added it to other KOF games, including The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match.
However, the way they’re doing it this time around is causing a stir. Rather than patching The King of Fighters XIII: Steam Edition, the version currently available on PC, they’re delisting that entry and releasing this new version, The King of Fighters XIII: Global Match.
SNK has confirmed that players who own the Steam Edition will be able to upgrade to Global Match for $7, but some players are unhappy about paying for something that, elsewhere, has been implemented for free.
“Other fighters like Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 got a free rollback netcode update. Why not this product? Shame on you, greedy SNK!,” reads one review. “If you want the rollback update you have to buy the new game.
Bravo SNK! What a greedy company!” reads another.
These reviews’ respective play times range from 30 minutes to 230+ hours, all echoing the sentiment that SNK shouldn’t be charging anything for the new netcode. The result, so far, is that the game’s recent reviews have taken a dive from Very Positive to Mixed.
Matters are complicated a little by the fact that King of Fighters XIII: Global Match is available on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, and this is seemingly based on those versions. However, those platforms only got Global Match, whereas the PC will have received two versions.
The King of Fighters XIII: Steam Edition will be delisted on Thursday, January 23 and The King of Fighters XIII: Global Match will launch on Thursday, February 20. Those who own the Steam Edition will still be able to play it, but newcomers will have to purchase Global Match.
Want to explore SNK’s back catalog? Many of SNK’s classic games are now on Steam. And if you prefer some blade-on-blade action, we’ve rounded up the best sword games.
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