Nearly a year ago, ATLUS signed on to publish THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIII in North America. We were excited to become a part of such a legendary franchise. The title’s quality was readily apparent, a fact further supported by its positive reception in Japanese arcades.

We reached out to the biggest KOF communities around the world, connecting with sites like DreamCancel, Orochinagi, SNK-Capcom, and others. With the help of their fantastic and passionate community organizers, people like Oscar Oyarzabal, Neil Cambre, Alan Francois, and Giby Zia, we were always in the right places at the right times and were able to arrange or participate in numerous events through which to promote the game. We are endlessly thankful for all of the help they offered us, for all of their advice, and for all of their passion. We had some fighting community people on our staff, but there’s no way we could have been able to reach out to the community as effectively as we did without their help.

I was at Evo 2012 this past weekend and left the hall amid chants of “K-O-F.” For anyone who was there, or who watched it online, it was an unforgettable Top 8, and one of the most exciting Grand Finals ever.. The air in the ballroom was absolutely electric. For myself, witnessing the rise of THE KING OF FIGHTERS at Evo was a thrill. For the people who’ve been working hard in the KOF community for so many years, it must have been something much more. Truly, it was a moment that couldn’t have come without their dedication.

Congratulations to Mad_KOF and Bala; their back and forth battle was the epic stuff of legend. While there may have been a winner and a loser when all was said and done, their commitment to leaving it all on that Evo stage ultimately made all of us feel like winners, and further validates those who’ve tirelessly devoted their time and energy to the KOF series.

From all of us at ATLUS: thank you!

Aram Jabbari
Manager of Public Relations and Sales
ATLUS, a brand of Index Digital Media, Inc.