SNK apologises over “offensive” advert for SNK Allstar with Terry Bogard

SNK has apologised and pulled an advert for mobile spin-off game SNK Allstar, which sparked fan backlash over depicted actions by franchise mascot Terry Bogard. 

Developed by Superprism Technology Co. Limited, SNK Allstar is an officially licensed King of Fighters spin-off for mobile, featuring fighters from across King of Fighters, Samurai Shodown, The Last Blade and other SNK titles. 

A CGI trailer for the game however caused controversy through its portrayal of SNK mascot Terry Bogard, who hits multiple female characters on the posterior while driving his motorbike. 

After some backlash, SNK Global released a statement condemning the advert, stating it was not up to their ethical standards and was created by a licensing partner without their knowledge. 

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...asking for the ad to be taken down immediately. We sincerely apologize to our fans that such an offensive ad managed to make it to public release and hope for your understanding. We will strive to do better in the future along with our partners. (2/2)

— SNK GLOBAL (@SNKPofficial) October 28, 2020

 “SNK has become aware of an advertisement for a product created by our licensing partner which was not up to our ethical standards,” the statement reads. “SNK played no part in the creation of the ad, had no prior knowledge of its content and has filed a complaint with the partners involved asking for the ad to be taken down immediately.

“We sincerely apologise to our fans that such an offensive ad managed to make it to public release and hope for your understanding. We will strive to do better in the future along with our partners.”

Terry Bogard was added to Smash last year (Picture: Nintendo)

The advert has since been pulled from official platforms, although it’s still available to watch below if you fancy a cringe. 

Terry Bogard was recently released as a DLC character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which gave the character even greater exposure to a wider audience.