A genre-twisting revival of SNK’s classic Samurai Shodown fighting game franchise will be launching on the upcoming SuiPlay0x1 gaming device, the creators of the Sui blockchain, Mysten Labs, announced on Wednesday. The crypto handheld console aims to rival Valve’s Steam Deck by playing PC and crypto games, and is set for release in 2025.

Samurai Shodown was first launched in 1993 and spawned numerous fighting game entries, with a 2019 reboot more recently renewing the franchise in the minds of gamers.

Now with Samurai Showdown R, the series has shifted into a mobile massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). This Sui blockchain game is developed by LumiWave, under license from SNK, with a version prepared for the upcoming SuiPlay0x1.

“We’re incredibly excited to bring an iconic game like Samurai Shodown R to the SuiPlay0x1,” said LumiWave CTO Hanho Seo, in a statement. 

The new version of the game is set to be an MMORPG where gamers interact with each other to battle in events and raids. In-game assets will be tradable between players in a “decentralized environment,” per the statement

By using the Sui layer-1 blockchain, players will be able to own NFTs that dynamically change based on in-game progression. The game also promises to abstract gas fees and wallet creation away from the player.

“The launch of Samurai Shodown R on the SuiPlay0x1 exemplifies how Web3 gaming can offer compelling, player-driven experiences without the traditional barriers of entry like wallets or gas fees,” said Mysten Labs’ Head of Gaming Partnerships and Investments, Anthony Palma, in a statement.

Samurai Shodown R is set to launch on mobile, and now also the SuiPlay0x1 handheld gaming console that was revealed earlier this year.

Playtron and Mysten Labs confirmed that the SuiPlay0x1 will come with 512GB of SSD storage, strapped with an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U CPU and AMD Ryzen 780M graphics card. It will have a 7-inch screen and will run on the Linux-based Playtron operating system.

Pre-orders for the gaming device opened up in September at $599 (plus shipping and tax) price point, comparable to Valve’s 512GB Steam Deck at $549. 

It is currently unclear whether the SuiPlay0x1 version of Samurai Shodown R will be different to the mobile version in any way. However, the specs on the gaming device mean that it could likely run at higher graphical settings if the developers enabled it to, at least compared to most smartphones.

Samurai Shodown R is one of the first games to be announced specifically with optimization for the SuiPlay0x1. That said, it’s safe to assume most (if not all) of the Sui games will be available on the device in some form.

Edited by Andrew Hayward