The crowdfunded Indiegogo Shaq Fu revival, Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn, is back. Slated for a 2018 spring release, co-developers Saber Interactive and Big Deez Productions have partnered with an independent publisher to bring the game globally to digital and retail. The publisher, Wired Productions, is releasing the game on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Switch owners that purchased NBA Playgrounds before June 10, 2017, will get a free copy of Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn.
Unlike the original SNES and Sega Genesis incarnation, Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn is not a traditional fighting game. In the transition to a beat ’em up, players will still control Shaquille O’Neal as he fights hordes of enemies using combos and weapons that range from shuriken to katanas. According to the Wired Productions Managing Director, Leo Zullo: “Shaq Fu has an incredible legacy in the history of video games, and we’re delighted to be part of the team shooting to earn Shaq his place in the future of video games”
The original Shaq Fu was a 2D fighting game released on October 28, 1994, for the Genesis and SNES with Game Gear, Game Boy, and Amiga ports to follow in 1995. Published by Electronic Arts and developed by the defunct Delphine Software International, Shaq Fu achieved legendary status as one of the worst video games of all time. Often criticized on the same level as Atari 2600 “classics” E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Pac-Man along with the infamous PlayStation platformer, Bubsy 3D, it’s a miracle that this revival project exists.
There is even a website dedicated to destroying every copy of Shaq Fu. This site has a Terms of Service agreement entitled the “Declaration of Opposition” calling for all involved to cancel A Legend Reborn along with a formally issued apology from Big Deez Productions and Shaquille O’Neal.