SNK Playmore

SNK Playmore at a Glance

If you are browsing PlayPile looking for a publisher with deep roots in arcade history, SNK Playmore is a notable Japanese entity active from 1991 through 2023. The company emerged after founder Eikichi Kawasaki created Playmore Corporation in 2001 to save the original SNK's properties following a bankruptcy. Playmore rebranded as SNK Playmore Corporation in July 2003 before reverting to the original name in late 2016. They have released 51 titles on our site, with 36 published and 28 developed by them. Their output peaked heavily in the 2000s with 32 games, while the 1990s saw only six releases and the 2010s and 2020s produced nine and two titles respectively. The company specializes almost entirely in fighting and arcade genres, accounting for 42 of their total catalog. They also have a strong presence in shooters with 15 titles. Their platform reach is diverse but leans toward older hardware. Arcade machines are the most common home for their games with 23 releases, followed by PlayStation 2 at 18 and PlayStation 3 at 16. They also support PC, Neo Geo AES, and various portable consoles like the Nintendo DS and PSP. Quality trends show a generally positive reception despite a small sample size of rated games. Out of 26 titles with scores on IGDB, the average rating sits at 70.8. There are four great-rated games scoring above 80 and nineteen good titles falling between 60 and 79. No game in their catalog has received a poor rating below 40. Their highest-rated works include Money Puzzle Exchanger from 1997 and several entries in the Metal Slug series, such as Metal Slug Advance and Metal Slug 2. Recent activity has focused on re-releasing classic fighting games like The King of Fighters XIII and Metal Slug 3, though some modern ports have received mixed scores around 63 or lower.

Release Timeline

Rating Distribution