Sonic the Fighters has taken a huge step towards decompilation, it has been revealed.
Decompilation is a complex process that turns 'executable' code back into human-readable source code, and is a vital step in 'recompiling' games as native PC ports.
"The first functioning 'decomp' of Sonic the Fighters has been pushed to the github repo," reports biggestsonicfan. "It's currently all assembly language, but if you know anyone who likes to fiddle with documentation, formatting, or tools, I need all the help I can get!"
It's important to note that successful decompilation does not guarantee that a game will get a native PC recompilation, but if it does happen, then fans can expect a better frame rate, boosted resolution and other enhancements.
Originally released in arcades in 1996, Sonic the Fighters was developed by Sega's AM2 division. Running on the Model 2 arcade hardware, it was never ported to any home system during the '90s but would eventually find its way to PS2 and GameCube as part of 2005's Sonic Gems Collection.
Since then, it has been released digitally on the PS3 and Xbox 360 and was included as a bonus game in Lost Judgment (2021) and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (2023).
Editor's note: This piece has been amended to more accurately represent the current state of this project. We apologise for any confusion caused.