1978 - SNK Electronics Corp. is founded as the Shin Nihon Kikaku ("New Japanese Project") Corporation by Eikichi Kawasaki in Osaka, Japan. Though initially founded to produce software and hardware components for buiness clients, the company quickly decides to cash in on the big arcade boom and develops coin-op games.

1979-81- SNK releases its first games: Ozma Wars (1979), Safari Rally (1980), and Vanguard (1981). Vanguard becomes a precursor to Gradius and R-Type.

1981 - SNK Corp. of America is founded in Sunnyvale, CA. The company decides to shift its focus solely on video games.

1985 - The company signs up as a third-party licensee for Nintendo and opens up SNK Home Entertainment in Torrance, CA.

1986 - Ikari Warriors, released for the Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga, and NES, puts SNK on the map.

1989 - While other companies focus on 16-bit systems for the home, SNK refocuses on the arcade and comes out with the NeoGeo Multi-Video System. This arcade cabinet allows for up to six separate games to be loaded in one cabinet.

1990 - The Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System is released using the motherboard from the arcade system. Though it was the most powerful home console of its time featuring arcade-perfect translations, sales lagged due to the gargantuan sticker price of $599. As a result, the price is lowered to $399 within a few months, though additional game cartridges still sell for a whopping $200 each.

1991 - Street Fighter II ignites the arcade fighting game craze; SNK cashes in on the craze by releasing Fatal Fury (Garou Densetsu).

1992 - SNK releases Art of Fighting as a response to Capcom's Street Fighter II: Champion Edition. Use of scaling characters and backgrounds in the game would later be used in Samurai Shodown games.

1994 - NeoGeo CD released in Japan on Sept. 9, 1994. Though the first run of 25,000 consoles sells out, customers complain of slow loading times and the system falls nearly flat in a 1995 North American release.

1990's - SNK remains in a fighting game war with Capcom, releasing in total 6 Fatal Fury titles, 4 Samurai Shodown titles, and 10 King of Fighters titles. While King of Fighters was known as a "Street Fighter beater," the series had many unique elements that included being able to select a team of three characters instead of the usual one. Rival Capcom responds by releasing X-Men vs. Street Fighter and Marvel vs. Capcom in a deal with Marvel.

1997 - Neo Print Photo Sticker Machines released.

1998 - 16-bit handheld Neo Geo Pocket released, then completely squashed by competition from Nintendo's GameBoy Color two months after its fall release.

1999 - Neo Geo Pocket Color is released in spring of 1999.

2000 - January - Pachinko maker Aruze acquires SNK after the company goes into the red. Though Aruze intends to use SNK licenses to make pachinko games, it does very little to support SNK video game production. Founder Kawasaki leaves and starts BrezzaSoft.

June - SNK officially closes shop outside of Japan. SNK shareholders sue Aruze and accuse the company of being responsible for operational losses.

November - Capcom develops and publishes Capcom vs. SNK.

2001 - August - CEO Kawasaki forms Playmore, and purchases rights to older titles like King of Fighters and Metal Slug.

2002 - Playmore sues Aruze for continuing to use unauthorized SNK properties in pachinko machines and wins. SNK NeoGeo USA Corporation formed in 2002.

2003 - May - SNK announces at E3 that they intend to begin distribution again on arcade machines with new games.

June - SNK NeoGeo USA Consumer Corporation opened in Wall, New Jersey, in order to publish classic arcade titles on home consoles and handheld gaming systems.

2004 - September - SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom to be released on Xbox with Xbox Live support.