When Killer Instinct was first announced, before anyone even got their hands on the finished game, it was viewed by just about every internet commenter as a massive failure. With the fan favourite franchise being handed to untested developers and with the title opting for an eclectic free to play model, many players saw this franchise reboot as nothing other than a quick attempt to essentially cash in on the series' name recognition. But the game itself actually turned out to be a pretty solid fighting experience. One on one arena fighters in general are a dying breed in 2015, so for Microsoft to have a killer (sorry) release in the genre so soon in a console's life felt like a win for the gaming giant as a whole. Until the more established fighting franchises came along to provide a more robust experience, Killer Instinct served as both an appealing incentive to die hard fighting fans, as well a vital genre differentiator for next gen adopters.
