Killer Instinct (2013) 10th anniversary update announced at EVO 2023

Lead designer James Goddard took the stage at EVO 2023 to announce Killer Instinct's update, and Iron Galaxy has also confirmed its involvement.

TJ Denzer

August 5, 2023 12:22 AM

Image via Iron Galaxy Studios

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In 2013, Killer Instinct blew minds with its return and continued to do so for years on end as it released seasonal content and characters, and even moved between developers in its continuation. It’s been some time since we heard anything new about the game, and while a new one would be nice, EVO 2023 treated us to the surprise that the original devs still have interest in making new things for the stellar game. 2013’s Killer Instinct is set to get a brand new update, and it will rebalance the game, improve its matchmaking, and offer 4K support for the Xbox Series X/S

It was co-designer and Killer Instinct lead James Goddard who made a surprise appearance at EVO 2023 to announce the update. There, Goddard revealed that a massive update is coming to Killer Instinct that will launch before the end of 2023. It will feature the latest balance changes to the characters, better matchmaking, and even 4K support for the latest Xbox consoles. Iron Galaxy Studios (which took over development for Seasons 2 and 3 of the game) would also confirm its involvement in the update.

Killer Instinct Head James Goddard takes the stage at EVO to announce a new balance patch and major update coming to the game that was released in 2013! #KillerInstinct #EVO2023 #FGC pic.twitter.com/CqPIf1Q9K9

— Shacknews (@shacknews) August 5, 2023

Killer Instinct making an appearance at EVO 2023 was an absolute shocker for many, and not just because PlayStation now owns EVO and it’s pretty apparent Sony and Microsoft (publishers of KI 2013) are not friends. It’s more shocking because the last time Killer Instinct saw any major news about new content was when Phil Spencer mused in 2021 that he’d like the franchise to continue. There are no lack of passionate fans that have pleaded for a proper Killer Instinct 2, ourselves included. However, it seems this 10-year anniversary update is what we get for the time being.

We don’t know when the Killer Instinct 10-year anniversary update is coming at this time – only that it will be here before 2023 ends. As we await further details stay tuned for more updates on the game right here at Shacknews.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.