SNK veterans’ new project Black Finger JET is back up and running 

Black Finger JET, a side-scrolling shooter being made by veterans of SNK’s classic Metal Slug, has been saved from financial difficulties by the United Arab Emirates-based studio Red Dunes Games. Red Dunes Games will be co-developing and publishing the title. 

First announced in May 2023, Black Finger JET is the first game to be developed by Kohachi Studio. Kohachi Studio is led by Shinano Ishiguro, a former employee of SNK Playmore (now SNK). When Black Finger JET was exhibited at Tokyo Game Show 2023, it generated a buzz of excitement for a new run-and-gun game developed by veterans of popular series like Metal Slug and R-Type.  

However, Kohachi Studio has been experiencing financial difficulties. According to the game’s main artist and planner Akio, the project was even abandoned at one point. In his X post, Akio goes on to explain that after TGS 2023, they received various investment offers from companies, but it was Red Dunes Games that offered them “unbelievable terms.” This suggests that Red Dunes Games are giving them very generous support. Kohachi Studio’s CEO Ishiguro echoed Akio’s pleased surprise at how their fortunes changed: “After meeting (Red Dunes’ Games’ CEO) Sultan, who loves Japanese games, the whole team was thinking ‘This is like a story from a manga!?’”  

.

On July 9, Red Dunes Games and Kohachi Studio issued the following joint statement on X about their partnership. In the statement, Red Dunes Games’ CEO and Creative Director Sultan Al Darmaki is described as “a passionate gaming enthusiast” with a deep appreciation for previous games developed by members of Kohachi Studio. Retweeting the post, Akio described Al Darmaki as Kohachi Studio’s “savior.” The partnership will allow Kohachi Studio “to bring (their) vision to life and reach a wider audience of gamers.”  

Black Finger JET will also be exhibited at Tokyo Game Show 2024. Those who attend on September 28 or 29 (the days on which the event is open to the public) will be able to try playing Black Finger JET at their booth. 

Black Finger JET will be released on PC (Steam). 

Written by. Verity Townsend based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2024-07-09 14:43 JST)