<s>
(	O
KOF	B-Application
2001	I-Application
,	O
or	O
KOF	O
'	O
01	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
fighting	O
game	O
produced	O
by	O
Eolith	O
for	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
eighth	O
game	O
in	O
The	B-Application
King	I-Application
of	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
series	O
,	O
the	O
third	O
and	O
final	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
NESTS	O
Chronicles	O
"	O
story	O
arc	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
produced	O
following	O
the	O
closure	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
SNK	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
in	O
Japan	O
only	O
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
stand-alone	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
version	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
in	O
Europe	O
in	O
a	O
two-in-one	O
bundle	O
with	O
the	O
preceding	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
The	B-Application
King	I-Application
of	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
2000	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
the	O
original	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
version	O
and	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
version	O
were	O
included	O
in	O
The	B-Application
King	I-Application
of	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
NESTS	O
Hen	O
compilation	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
King	I-Application
of	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
2001	I-Application
is	O
the	O
last	O
KOF	O
game	O
to	O
feature	O
the	O
Striker	O
System	O
to	O
date	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
year	O
has	O
passed	O
since	O
most	O
of	O
South	B-Application
Town	I-Application
was	O
decimated	O
by	O
the	O
now-destroyed	O
Zero	O
Cannon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
King	I-Application
of	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
2001	I-Application
includes	O
10	O
teams	O
of	O
4	O
fighters	O
,	O
a	O
sub-boss	O
,	O
a	O
final	O
boss	O
,	O
and	O
three	O
strikers	O
,	O
totaling	O
45	O
combatants	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eolith	O
took	O
interest	O
into	O
developing	O
The	B-Application
King	I-Application
of	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
due	O
to	O
the	O
franchise	O
's	O
popularity	O
in	O
Korea	O
and	O
wanted	O
to	O
please	O
the	O
fans	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fearing	O
disappointment	O
from	O
returning	O
fans	O
,	O
Eolith	O
decided	O
to	O
maintain	O
the	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
common	O
parts	O
from	O
The	B-Application
King	I-Application
of	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
while	O
adding	O
new	O
elements	O
to	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
originally	O
envisioned	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
Dream	O
Match	O
"	O
game	O
like	O
The	B-Application
King	I-Application
of	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
'	I-Application
98	I-Application
and	O
The	B-Application
King	I-Application
of	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
2002	I-Application
,	O
but	O
ultimately	O
was	O
the	O
third	O
canonical	O
entry	O
in	O
the	O
NESTS	O
Chronicles	O
storyline	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
working	O
on	O
it	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
played	O
The	B-Application
King	I-Application
of	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
'	I-Application
98	I-Application
alongside	O
the	O
developers	O
to	O
see	O
if	O
they	O
could	O
include	O
a	O
character	O
within	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
preparing	O
the	O
boss	O
characters	O
,	O
the	O
original	O
team	O
was	O
dissatisfied	O
with	O
Zero	O
's	O
portrayal	O
in	O
The	B-Application
King	I-Application
of	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
2000	I-Application
which	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
inclusion	O
of	O
the	O
real	O
Zero	O
retconning	O
the	O
former	O
boss	O
as	O
a	O
clone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SNK	O
faced	O
struggles	O
with	O
making	O
Zero	O
as	O
they	O
wanted	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
boss	O
that	O
surpassed	O
Krizalid	O
from	O
The	B-Application
King	I-Application
of	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
'	O
99	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
Game	O
Machine	O
listed	O
The	B-Application
King	I-Application
of	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
2001	I-Application
on	O
their	O
December	O
15	O
,	O
2001	B-Application
issue	O
as	O
being	O
the	O
second	O
most-successful	O
arcade	O
game	O
of	O
the	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PS2	B-Device
port	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
sold	O
39,022	O
units	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
