Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves was the first game in the series in 26 years, but it failed to live up to expectations. SNK invested heavily in marketing, with in-ring WWE advertising during WrestleMania, a heavy online and YouTube campaign, and celebrity endorsements including Cristiano Ronaldo as a playable character and famous DJs for the soundtrack. However, a month after its release on April 24, 2025, SNK CEO Kenji Matsubara stepped down.
On May 12, SNK announced that Matsubara would be moving into an advisory role, continuing to share his expertise. During his tenure, he strengthened development, sales, and marketing, transforming SNK into a global publisher. The chairman of the board of directors will serve as interim CEO. The company thanked Matsubara for his contributions to the company's transformation.
The game's sales were disappointing: on Steam, the peak online was only 4,592 players, and in Japan on PlayStation, 10,000 copies were sold in two weeks. The future of the project is in question - it is unknown whether it will be able to gain popularity or remain a failure.