SNK (1978-2001)
Background
SNK Corporation is a Japanese video game company best known for creating the Neo Geo console in 1990, and made successful franchises such as Fatal Fury, Metal Slug, and The King of Fighters. In the late 1990s, the Neo Geo saw a decline in popularity due to the hardware being obsolete compared to the Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64, and the upcoming Sega Dreamcast. The company went into a fast decline with the Neo Geo Pocket, and then SNK was sold to Aruze, who owned SETA. SNK made a deal with Capcom to create fighting games based on the characters. SNK closed down all American operations on June 13, 2000, and employees went on to form Dimps and BreezaSoft. Eikichi Kawasaki left SNK along with executives to form Playmore on August 1, 2001, and bought out SNK's intellectual property rights on October 30, 2001.
1st Logo (1984-1988)
Logo: On the title screen of the game, we see the text "SNK" in a serif font with pointy edges.
Variants:
- On Psycho Soldier, SNK's emblem appears on the left side.
- In later years, the text was blue.
Technique: None.
Music/Sounds:' None.
Availability: Seen on arcade games from the era, beginning with Gladiator 1984 and Jumping Cross, and ending with Paddle Mania.
2nd Logo (1988-2001)
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Logo: On a black or white background or superimposed on the opening credits or scene of the game, we see the bold text "SNK" in a blue futuristic font.
Variants:
- In later years, the slogan "The Future is Now" is shown above the logo.
- Like the last logo, the logo was shown on the game's title screen.
Technique: None.
Music/Sounds: None or the opening theme of the game.
Availability: Common. Seen on all SNK games of the era (especially those on Neo Geo).
3rd Logo (1997)
Logo: On a black background, we see a camera that pans up to see the letter "S" from the previous logo. The camera shifts at an angle, and then the letters "N" and "K" zoom out at an angle, revealing the SNK logo from before. Then the logo flashes and the SNK logo from before flashes in. The word "PRESENTS" then fades in below.
Technique: CGI animation.
Music/Sounds: A whoosh sound, ending in a drone.
Availability: Seen on many Hyper Neo Geo 64 video games from the era.
4th Logo (1998)
Logo: On a black background, the SNK logo from the last logo in white that zooms out. The word "PRESENTS" slides in, and then the logo turns blue.
Technique: 2D animation.
Music/Sounds: A droning synth theme.
Availability: Seen on the Hyper Neo Geo 64 arcade game of Off Beat Racer/Xtreme Rally.
5th Logo (1999)
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Logo: On a black background, we see dust that forms the SNK logo from the previous logos.
Technique: 2D animation.
Music/Sounds: A chime sound.
Availability: Rare. Seen on plenty of arcade games from the year.
6th Logo (2000)
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Logo: On a black background, we see a laser that draws the SNK logo from the previous logo in outlined form, with a trail effect, and then it flashes white, and the logo is on a white background. The slogan "The Future is Now" wipes in above the logo.
Technique: 2D animation.
Music/Sounds: A laser sound, followed by an ominous whoosh.
Availability: Rare. Seen on several SNK games from the time period.
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SNK (1978-2001) |
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