SNK Fades into History

Something like this is blindsiding. It leaves one wondering about all the times they didn’t give SNK a second thought, until now, when it’s going away. It seemed eternal in the video game world but now, apparently, SNK, at first the makers of the ahead-of-its-time Neo-Geo in the states (and one of my favorite action games ever, Magician Lord), as reported by GameSpy, is closing. Here’s the quote, though they did not list an official source (SNK’s site is no longer there):

It is with deepest grief that In the Autumn of 2001, SNK will close the company history in its business. It was all of your favor and encouragement which made our passion running to make better games for SNK fans. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank and everyone of you for your continuous help and assistance rendered to SNK since its inocorporation in Japan July in 1978. Without your support, SNK Corporaton would not have been possible throughout 23 years of operation. With all our heart-felt gratitude, thank you once again!