RIGHTING WRONGS

As well as being a 2D technical marvel, Windjammers 2 represents an outstanding example of IP rights negotiation on the French developer’s part. Even though the original game was released for its systems, SNK never owned the rights to

Windjammers, so the company was unable to commission rereleases as it had done with the King Of Fighters and Metal Slug series. When Data East closed in 2003, its employees took the rights with them as they moved on to different companies. Part of Dotemu’s work in preparing the ground for this sequel was to track down these employees in Japan and to convince them to collaborate, both on the

Windjammers remaster and this eventual sequel.