Characters ĭue to positive response to the marketing of The King of Fighters XIV, director Yasuyuki Oda said in August 2017 The King of Fighters XV was possible, but the company SNK also wanted to focus on other franchises. The story focuses on how Verse, the creature from KOF XIV, has caused mayhem and a woman known as Chizuru Kagura gathers the fighters Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami in order to look after the seal of the snake demon Orochi. Since Max Mode activations in neutral were almost nonexistent in King of Fighters XIV, the developers are giving more incentive to players to not just use it as a combo extender. Neutral state in XIV was not seen often so in XV attack power and guard crush are increased when neutral is activated. In XIV, combos from quick activation was the main way max mode was used so the gauge consumption was increased from 1 to 2 to prevent players from being overwhelmed. It will also be adjusted as it is apparently quite strong in the demo. Shatter Strike was designed mainly as a defensive system but it can be used offensively when making use of guard points. Destructoid compared it with a fully charged Focus Attack from Street Fighter IV. The single button "Rush" from The King of Fighters XIV reappears to help newcomers perform combos and super moves easier. The game features a wide variety of online modes, including Ranked Match, Casual Match, Room Match, and Online Training. It also reincorporates the common MAX Mode system where fighters can use stronger techniques once energy bars are filled. The parry system also returns under the name Shatter Strike. Like its predecessors, The King of Fighters XV uses a fighting system involving teams composed of three fighters. Kyo ( left) using Shatter Strike against Iori.