SNK has said the new and completely redesigned King of Fighters XII will be available in early 2009 across the US.
Confirmation came by way of Kotaku, who heard the news from SNK marketing manager Yoshihito Koyama at the Tokyo Game Show 2007.
This PS3 and 360 instalment will be a significant step for SNK, as it will discard the character sprites that have been used in the fighting series for almost a decade.
Instead, everything is being redesigned, creating a style described by Koyama as “3D mixed with 2D". It also goes some way to explaining the lengthy development time.
King of Fighters XII is currently unconfirmed for Europe.
King of Fighters XI was released here in the summer at a budget price, and earned itself a pat on the back from us for a splendid return to form.