<s>
Them	B-Application
's	I-Application
Fightin	I-Application
 '	I-Application
Herds	I-Application
is	O
an	O
indie	O
fighting	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Mane6	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Maximum	O
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
First	O
released	O
into	O
early	O
access	O
in	O
February	O
2018	O
,	O
the	O
full	O
release	O
was	O
on	O
April	O
30	O
,	O
2020	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
followed	O
by	O
Linux	B-Application
on	O
March	O
25	O
,	O
2021	O
and	O
a	O
beta	O
macOS	B-Application
version	O
was	O
added	O
on	O
October	O
27	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X/S	I-Device
on	O
October	O
18	O
,	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
project	O
is	O
a	O
spiritual	O
successor	O
to	O
Mane6	O
's	O
earlier	O
,	O
unreleased	O
fighting	O
game	O
Fighting	B-Application
Is	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
,	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
animated	O
television	O
show	O
My	B-Application
Little	I-Application
Pony	I-Application
:	I-Application
Friendship	I-Application
Is	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fighting	B-Application
Is	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
featured	O
the	O
six	O
main	O
pony	O
characters	O
from	O
that	O
show	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
Hasbro	O
sent	O
Mane6	O
a	O
cease	O
and	O
desist	O
letter	O
,	O
Mane6	O
discarded	O
the	O
assets	O
tied	O
to	O
the	O
show	O
,	O
while	O
keeping	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
fundamental	O
gameplay	O
factors	O
to	O
create	O
the	O
new	O
title	O
Them	B-Application
's	I-Application
Fightin	I-Application
 '	I-Application
Herds	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
creator	O
of	O
My	B-Application
Little	I-Application
Pony	I-Application
:	I-Application
Friendship	I-Application
Is	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
,	O
Lauren	O
Faust	O
,	O
offered	O
to	O
help	O
with	O
designing	O
the	O
new	O
characters	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
separate	O
effort	O
created	O
by	O
fans	O
not	O
associated	O
with	O
the	O
Mane6	O
team	O
released	O
their	O
Fighting	B-Application
Is	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
:	O
Tribute	O
Edition	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Mane6	O
My	O
Little	O
Pony-inspired	O
game	O
in	O
early	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Currently	O
,	O
there	O
are	O
six	O
playable	O
characters	O
,	O
with	O
two	O
more	O
purchasable	O
through	O
DLC	B-Protocol
,	O
all	O
of	O
which	O
have	O
their	O
own	O
unique	O
fighting	O
styles	O
and	O
moves	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
who	O
own	O
BlazBlue	B-Application
:	I-Application
Central	I-Application
Fiction	I-Application
,	O
Guilty	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
Xrd	I-Application
Rev	I-Application
2	I-Application
or	O
Skullgirls	B-Application
on	O
Steam	B-Application
will	O
unlock	O
special	O
cosmetics	O
for	O
their	O
in-game	O
lobby	O
avatars	O
inspired	O
by	O
characters	O
from	O
those	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
also	O
offline	O
single-player	O
modes	O
available	O
,	O
including	O
an	O
in-development	O
story	O
mode	O
and	O
player	O
vs.	O
AI	B-Application
fighting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Them	B-Application
's	I-Application
Fightin	I-Application
 '	I-Application
Herds	I-Application
is	O
a	O
fighting	O
game	O
based	O
on	O
sapient	O
four-legged	O
hoofed	O
creatures	O
from	O
the	O
world	O
of	O
Fœnum	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
being	O
threatened	O
by	O
the	O
return	O
of	O
carnivorous	O
beasts	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Predators	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
six	O
playable	O
charactersArizona	O
the	O
cow	O
(	O
voiced	O
by	O
Tara	O
Strong	O
)	O
,	O
Velvet	O
the	O
reindeer	O
(	O
Tia	O
Ballard	O
)	O
,	O
Paprika	O
the	O
alpaca	O
(	O
Marieve	O
Herington	O
)	O
,	O
Oleander	O
the	O
unicorn	B-Application
(	O
Alexa	O
Kahn	O
)	O
who	O
can	O
summon	O
a	O
demonic	O
being	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
Fred	O
"	O
(	O
Keith	O
Ferguson	O
)	O
,	O
Pom	O
the	O
sheep	O
(	O
Allie	O
Moreno	O
)	O
and	O
Tianhuo	O
the	O
longma	O
(	O
Kay	O
Bess	O
)	O
each	O
with	O
different	O
fighting	O
move	O
sets	O
and	O
unique	O
movement	O
options	O
such	O
as	O
flight	O
,	O
short	O
hops	O
,	O
double	O
jumps	O
,	O
or	O
air	O
dashes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
seventh	O
playable	O
character	O
,	O
pirate	O
goat	O
Shanty	O
(	O
Afi	O
Ekulona	O
)	O
,	O
was	O
also	O
released	O
as	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
due	O
to	O
the	O
crowdfunding	O
campaign	O
reaching	O
its	O
stretch	O
goals	O
;	O
she	O
was	O
later	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
base	O
roster	O
for	O
the	O
console	O
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
My	B-Application
Little	I-Application
Pony	I-Application
:	I-Application
Friendship	I-Application
Is	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
series	O
,	O
while	O
aimed	O
at	O
young	O
girls	O
and	O
their	O
parents	O
,	O
has	O
drawn	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
adult	O
fans	O
from	O
15	O
–	O
35	O
,	O
typically	O
male	O
,	O
who	O
are	O
often	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
"	O
bronies	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
show	O
's	O
characters	O
,	O
Flash	B-Operating_System
animations	O
,	O
adventure-themed	O
stories	O
,	O
and	O
occasional	O
pop	O
cultural	O
references	O
are	O
considered	O
other	O
draws	O
for	O
the	O
older	O
audience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fighting	B-Application
Is	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
grew	O
out	O
of	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
images	O
for	O
a	O
hypothetical	O
"	O
Marevel	O
vs.	O
Clopcom	O
"	O
game	O
,	O
parodying	O
the	O
Marvel	B-Application
vs.	I-Application
Capcom	I-Application
fighting	O
game	O
series	O
,	O
created	O
by	O
Anukan	O
,	O
who	O
would	O
later	O
become	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
Mane6	O
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
decided	O
on	O
using	O
the	O
Fighter	B-Application
Maker	I-Application
2D	I-Application
game	O
engine	O
,	O
despite	O
having	O
no	O
prior	O
experience	O
with	O
the	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Much	O
of	O
the	O
development	O
work	O
was	O
spent	O
in	O
trying	O
to	O
achieve	O
certain	O
effects	O
within	O
the	O
Fighter	B-Application
Maker	I-Application
engine	O
,	O
referred	O
to	O
by	O
the	O
team	O
as	O
"	O
taming	O
"	O
the	O
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
three	O
buttons	O
were	O
designed	O
to	O
mimic	O
the	O
light	O
,	O
medium	O
,	O
and	O
heavy	O
attacks	O
of	O
the	O
Marvel	B-Application
vs.	I-Application
Capcom	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
development	O
team	O
also	O
wanted	O
to	O
include	O
an	O
EX	O
system	O
like	O
the	O
one	O
in	O
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
IV	I-Application
where	O
pressing	O
two	O
attack	O
buttons	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
executes	O
a	O
special	O
move	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
the	O
initial	O
game	O
engine	O
,	O
Fighter	B-Application
Maker	I-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
only	O
register	O
two	O
simultaneous	O
button	O
presses	O
if	O
they	O
were	O
within	O
the	O
same	O
processing	O
time	O
frame	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
hinder	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Twilight	O
Sparkle	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
show	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
unicorn	B-Application
with	O
powerful	O
magic	O
abilities	O
,	O
which	O
the	O
Mane6	O
matched	O
with	O
Akuma	O
from	O
the	O
Street	O
Fighter	O
series	O
,	O
while	O
Rainbow	O
Dash	O
,	O
an	O
aggressive	O
pegasus	O
,	O
was	O
compared	O
with	O
Magneto	O
's	O
playstyle	O
in	O
the	O
Marvel	B-Application
vs.	I-Application
Capcom	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fluttershy	O
,	O
a	O
timid	O
character	O
within	O
the	O
show	O
,	O
does	O
not	O
fight	O
directly	O
,	O
but	O
instead	O
her	O
animal	O
companions	O
fight	O
for	O
her	O
,	O
creating	O
a	O
playstyle	O
similar	O
to	O
Eddie	O
from	O
Guilty	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
XX	I-Application
or	O
Phoenix	O
Wright	O
in	O
Ultimate	B-Application
Marvel	I-Application
vs.	I-Application
Capcom	I-Application
3	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
they	O
were	O
developing	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
Persona	B-Application
4	I-Application
Arena	I-Application
was	O
released	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
character	O
of	O
Kuma/Teddie	O
had	O
a	O
similar	O
move	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
each	O
character	O
's	O
moveset	O
was	O
tested	O
and	O
refined	O
based	O
on	O
testing	O
feedback	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
then	O
began	O
to	O
animate	O
each	O
character	O
,	O
first	O
by	O
creating	O
Flash-based	O
animations	O
and	O
then	O
transforming	O
these	O
to	O
sprites	O
needed	O
for	O
Fighter	B-Application
Maker	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
terms	O
of	O
the	O
engine	O
,	O
the	O
hitboxes	B-Protocol
for	O
the	O
ponies	O
were	O
more	O
horizontal	O
than	O
vertical	O
as	O
would	O
be	O
the	O
case	O
with	O
humanoid	O
fighter	O
characters	O
,	O
and	O
they	O
had	O
to	O
work	O
around	O
this	O
in	O
the	O
engine	O
to	O
accurately	O
model	O
attacks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
subsequently	O
renamed	O
the	O
new	O
game	O
to	O
simply	O
Fighting	B-Application
Is	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Now	O
known	O
as	O
Fighting	B-Application
is	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
:	O
Tribute	O
Edition	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
openly	O
available	O
for	O
download	O
and	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Mane6	O
team	O
also	O
gained	O
contributions	O
from	O
the	O
Lab	O
Zero	O
Games	O
studio	O
,	O
the	O
same	O
developers	O
of	O
Skullgirls	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Z-engine	O
allowed	O
the	O
Mane6	O
team	O
to	O
expand	O
beyond	O
the	O
limitations	O
of	O
Fighter	B-Application
Maker	I-Application
,	O
thought	O
they	O
kept	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
conventions	O
learned	O
from	O
working	O
with	O
Fighter	B-Application
Maker	I-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
3/4rd	O
views	O
to	O
reduce	O
the	O
horizontal	O
lengths	O
of	O
the	O
four-legged	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Skullgirls	B-Application
engine	O
also	O
brought	O
in	O
the	O
open-source	O
networking	O
code	O
GGPO	B-Application
(	O
"	O
Good	O
Game	O
Peace	O
Out	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
designed	O
specifically	O
for	O
overcoming	O
known	O
limitations	O
of	O
playing	O
fighting	O
games	O
online	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GGPO	B-Application
uses	O
a	O
system	O
called	O
"	O
rollback	O
"	O
that	O
delays	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
response	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
input	O
slightly	O
,	O
masked	O
by	O
character	O
animations	O
,	O
coupled	O
with	O
predictive	O
behavior	O
to	O
appear	O
to	O
give	O
zero-latency	O
gameplay	O
for	O
players	O
against	O
online	O
opponents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2015	O
,	O
the	O
Mane6	O
revealed	O
the	O
revamped	O
title	O
,	O
Them	B-Application
's	I-Application
Fightin	I-Application
 '	I-Application
Herds	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
suggested	O
by	O
Craig	O
McCracken	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
funding	O
was	O
successful	O
with	O
a	O
final	O
funding	O
amount	O
of	O
,	O
meeting	O
the	O
stretch	O
goals	O
to	O
offer	O
the	O
game	O
on	O
OS	B-Application
X	I-Application
and	O
Linux	B-Application
computers	O
alongside	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
a	O
seventh	O
playable	O
character	O
,	O
a	O
goat	O
,	O
stages	O
and	O
stories	O
based	O
on	O
that	O
character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
had	O
gained	O
support	O
from	O
Humble	O
Bundle	O
for	O
publishing	O
;	O
in	O
turn	O
,	O
Humble	O
Bundle	O
had	O
reached	O
out	O
to	O
publishers	O
of	O
other	O
fighting	O
game	O
developers	O
to	O
bring	O
themed	O
assets	O
into	O
Them	B-Application
's	I-Application
Fightin	I-Application
 '	I-Application
Herds	I-Application
,	O
including	O
Guilty	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
Xrd	I-Application
,	O
BlazBlue	B-Application
:	I-Application
Central	I-Application
Fiction	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Skullgirls	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shanty	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
March	O
25	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
alongside	O
the	O
Linux	B-Application
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
macOS	B-Application
port	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
October	O
27	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
August	O
18	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
versions	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X/S	I-Device
would	O
be	O
made	O
available	O
on	O
October	O
18	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Them	B-Application
's	I-Application
Fightin	I-Application
 '	I-Application
Herds	I-Application
received	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
"	O
reviews	O
according	O
to	O
review	B-Application
aggregator	I-Application
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Them	B-Application
's	I-Application
Fightin	I-Application
 '	I-Application
Herds	I-Application
was	O
supposed	O
to	O
be	O
one	O
of	O
four	O
games	O
used	O
for	O
the	O
open	O
tournaments	O
in	O
the	O
revamped	O
online	O
version	O
of	O
Evo	O
2020	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
cancelled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
Them	B-Application
's	I-Application
Fightin	I-Application
 '	I-Application
Herds	I-Application
and	O
Skullgirls	B-Application
were	O
used	O
for	O
the	O
online	O
events	O
due	O
to	O
their	O
capable	O
forms	O
of	O
online	O
play	O
enabled	O
by	O
GGPO	B-Application
,	O
along	O
with	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
11	I-Application
and	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
,	O
which	O
were	O
both	O
developed	O
with	O
internal	O
versions	O
of	O
rollback	O
netcodes	O
.	O
</s>
