In what could only be described as an early April Fools stunt, footballer and actor Cristiano Ronaldo is moving from the field to the fighting arena as a playable fighter in the upcoming Fatal Fury: City of The Wolves. It’s unclear why this is happening but it probably has to do with the connections between developer SNK and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
“One of the top football players in the world,” reads his character description. “He uses his time off to visit South Town to hone his new football skills. The various techniques he has developed playing football make him an unstoppable force, even to seasoned fighters.” While scientists work tirelessly to deduce whether footballers can actually make capable fighters, Cristiano Ronaldo will nonetheless become a character you can select and not use in Fatal Fury: City of The Wolves.
Ronaldo will bring some of his expertise in football into Fatal Fury with his own set of moves that include a jumping headbutt, an ‘Echo Shot’ where he kicks a football at his opponent (probably a rare chance it doesn’t miss) and a slide tackle. His trademark ‘siuuu’ celebration will also be in the game. It’s okay to turn down your volume if you ever reach this point.
As for how this oddity happened, Ronaldo currently plays football for the Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr. 75% of the club is owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, controlled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It just so happens that the prince owns the Electronic Gaming Development Company, which acquired 96% of Fatal Fury developer SNK back in 2022.
Anyway, Tekken 8 won Best Fighting Game last year at The Game Awards and plans to introduce assassin and martial artist Anna Williams to its next season’s DLC roster.
Fatal Fury: City of The Wolves launches on 24 April 2025 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Unfortunately, you can watch the Cristiano Ronaldo trailer below.
Source: SNK Official
