Cristiano Ronaldo Will Be Playable In the New Fatal Fury Fighting Game For Some Reason

While this reveal may seem completely out of left field, it’s slightly less of an outright shock for those who’ve been paying close attention to the game because back in September, Ronaldo put out a Tweet implying he was going to be featured in City of the Wolves in some way. Despite this, most likely believed the collaboration would be a cosmetic item, voice pack, or something else less absurd than a real-world soccer player being in a fistfight against guys who throw fireballs from their hands. In the announcement trailer, we see an uncanny Ronaldo summon a spectral ball of soccer energy before wailing on a defenseless Terry Bogard with a variety of special moves.

However, while it would be nice if this were simply a deeply weird crossover, unfortunately, there are several layers that make this situation more complicated. For starters, Ronaldo is a controversial figure who has been accused of sexual assault by several women, recently concluding a legal battle over these allegations. He had reportedly sent a $375,000 hush money payment to a woman back in 2009 related to an alleged sexual assault. After the same woman brought the charges against him again in a Nevada court case, the lawsuit was eventually dismissed on a technicality because her lawyer used documents that were acquired via hacking. Ronaldo’s own lawyer denied all the claims, stating that the sex was consensual.

Beyond this, some have speculated that Ronaldo was specifically chosen due to the fact he plays in the Saudi Pro League, which is funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). The PIF also holds a 96% stake in SNK, the longstanding publisher behind the Fatal Fury series. In recent years, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has heavily invested in sports, and increasingly videogames, like with its recent purchase of Pokémon Go developer Niantic.

These efforts have frequently been as criticized as “sportswashing” or now “gameswashing,” implying that funding this entertainment is the Saudi Arabian government’s way of deflecting attention from the country’s controversial reputation and numerous human rights abuses. Previously, SNK producer Yasuyuki Oda stated in an interview with VideoGameChronicle that the PIF didn’t exert influence over SNK’s creative decisions. While it’s possible that employees at SNK are Ronaldo fans who pushed for him to be in the game, that this was an internal SNK decision made to try and boost sales, or something else happened, the connections between SNK’s biggest investor and Ronaldo make it seem plausible the PIF could have been involved in some way. Whatever the real reason, it’s a bizarre call.