Originally released in 1994, Killer Instinct is a series of fighting games with a rich history, having been launched on several consoles and published by various companies, including Nintendo.
The latest iteration served as a reboot and was released almost ten years ago for Xbox and PC. Despite the game’s popularity among the fanbase, it has seemingly been abandoned by Xbox.
However, during EVO 2023, a surprising announcement was made. Killer Instinct will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a massive update for Xbox Series X|S consoles.
Why it matters: Killer Instinct has not received an update since 2018, and a new update will help balance gameplay and provide support for newer Xbox consoles, allowing newer players to experience the game.
"You guys made this happen!"
We are honored to share the stage with the head of Killer Instinct, James Goddard, to bring the news about the massive update coming to KI!https://t.co/pRm0CRum2y | #Evo2023 pic.twitter.com/lXlLfYIaan
— EVO (@EVO) August 5, 2023
The announcement was made by the Head of Killer Instinct, James Goddard.
It has been revealed that Xbox will be collaborating again with Iron Galaxy for this update. The update aims to address matchmaking issues, with servers transitioning to Microsoft Azure PlayFab, as previously announced this year.
Additionally, the update will bring fighter balancing, a much-needed aspect given that the last update was five years ago. For the unfamiliar, balance patches are common in the fighting game industry.
This helps to ensure developers can address player feedback, nerfing overpowered characters or abilities while bringing weaker characters up to par for a more balanced roster and gameplay.
Moreover, the game will now offer 4k support for Xbox Series X|S. This should help the game’s appealing visuals shine further through the new consoles.
Despite the game having a small community, the upcoming update holds the potential to revive the title.
Older classics like Marvel vs. Capcom 3 have seen renewed interest in recent years. In the case of Marvel vs. Capcom 3, it is also being featured at Evo as a main title, despite being over a decade old.
This could mean that the latest update for Killer Instinct could lead to a similar interest in the game, potentially bringing it to the main stage of the biggest fighting game tournament in the future.
Aside from older classics, 2023 has proven remarkable for new fighting games. With the recent release of Street Fighter 6 and highly anticipated games like Tekken 8 and Mortal Kombat 1 coming soon, it is an exciting time to be a fan of the genre.
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