SNK's American Division Officially Announces Name Change

SNK NeoGeo USA Consumer Corporation, the U.S. publishing arm of SNK Playmore Corporation, has officially announced that, effective December 17, the company will be known simply as SNK Playmore USA Corporation. The name change brings the U.S. division in line with its Japanese parent company, which consolidated all of its divisions world-wide under one brand last month. Original arcade and console manufacture SNK was forced into bankruptcy in 2001, but the name and key properties, such as Metal Slug and The King of Fighters, were bought up by former founder and CEO Eikichi Kawasaki for his new company Playmore. The company has since begun to support the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Game Boy Advance, rather than sticking to its own proprietary NeoGeo hardware. "The name may have changed, but the business model remains the same," said Ben Herman, president of the newly renamed division. "SNK is and always will be about bringing great games to the marketplace."