Who is DJ Salvatore Ganacci? Addition of the artist to the ‘Fatal Fury’ lineup as a playable character leaves the internet dumbfounded 

Japanese video gaming and interactive entertainment company SNK announced DJ and record producer Salvatore Ganacci as a playable character for their upcoming fighting game, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves.

The announcement trailer, FATAL FURY: CotW × Salvatore Ganacci, was released on April 3, 2025. It showed a classroom full of kids, each answering the teacher's question of what they wanted to be when they grew up. One said doctor, another replied mood manager, and a third said poker table.

Meanwhile, the child, identified as young Salvatore, was seen sketching and stating, "I want to be in a video game." He was soon seen leaving the classroom and the school premises, walking home, and playing with a Neo-Geo cartridge.

A genie soon appeared from the device and granted him a wish, to which Salvatore Ganacci was seen replying, "I wish that I could be in Fatal Fury." As he transitioned from a little boy to a teenager, then a young man, and finally into his current form as a world-renowned artist, he even put on the blue jumper, seemingly preparing for his role in the game.

The trailer wrapped up with the genie granting the kid another wish. However, he didn't wish for anything else but rather played himself as a Fatal Fury character on TV, as the genie was heard saying, "Sometimes, dreams come true, anyway."

This came less than a week after they announced Cristiano Ronaldo as a playable character, first teased in September 2024 on the football star's personal X account. The now-viral trailer announcing Salvatore Ganacci's inclusion in the game has left netizens dumbfounded, with many reacting in disbelief on the social networking site X.

“Wtf are these cameos? Are y’all ok over there?” a fan asked.

“I'm never getting excited for another SNK revival ever again,” another fan wrote.

“Really losing interest in the game at this point. Who is this for?” a person wrote.

Others continued to weigh in.

“Ok, now this is too much! The game is low-key turning into Fortnite!” another person wrote.

“If Ronaldo was the only real person in the game, it'd have just been a funny meme Now we've gone a bit too far and this just looks kinda sad and desperate,” a user wrote.

“Ok, now that's a stretch. CR7 was fine, but we want to see SNK characters in an SNK game, not real-life celebrities that definitely don't appeal to gamers,” wrote another.

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All you need to know about Salvatore Ganacci amid his Fatal Fury announcement

According to EUSC Wiki fandom, Salvatore Ganacci's real name is Emir Kobilic. He is a Bosnian-born Swedish music producer and DJ well-known in the electronic music scene. The 39-year-old rose to fame in 2014 after collaborating with Jillionaire of Major Lazer for the hit single, Fresh, which was dropped under the label of Universal Music/ Republic Records.

Ganacci signed a record deal with REFUNE the following year. Between 2017 and 2019, he performed at the Tomorrowland Festival in Belgium and Airbeat One, which quickly made him an internet sensation.

He also partnered with Ingrosso, Enya, and Garmiani and helped remix Swedish House Mafia's 2018 track, Antidote. Salvatore Ganacci has worked as an artist, songwriter, and executive producer on several projects, including the songs Talk, Take Me to America, and Horse, under his professional name and pseudonyms, such as Youthman.

Salvatore Ganacci is the co-founder of the radio show THOR, which airs on Sveriges radio P3. He was a football player in his youth.

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Besides being a playable character on Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Salvatore Ganacci will also be contributing to the original music of the game. He will further supervise the collaboration between 11 other famous DJs from across the globe for the game's music remix.

SNK also released a full gameplay and character trailer for Salvatore Ganacci, where his character, a "justice-dealing artist," was seen fighting forces after arriving in the fictional South Town "for inspiration" to help finish his latest and "hopefully greatest anime music video." The description further added:

"When his good friend Duck King tells him about the KOF tournament on the horizon, Salvatore decides it just might give him the spark he needs. Combining DJing and martial arts, Salvatore is nothing if not versatile—mixing music, muscles, and mayhem, leaving even the most formidable opponents stunned and disoriented by his extraordinary abilities."

It concluded with the words, "Rev it up, unleash your fury," written on the screen. Sean Chiplock will voice the role in English, and Hinata Tadokoro will voice the role in Japanese.

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is slated for an April 24, 2025, release. It will be available on PlayStation 4 and 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S via Steam and Epic Games Store. Ken Masters and Chun-Li will also appear as guest characters.