SNK began making plans for "The King of Fighters 2000" in June 1999. Former producer Takashi Nishiyama was absent from the team for the first time in the series. Because previous regulars from "The King of Fighters" games were not playable, SNK took advantage of the striker system and give players the choice of using Goro Daimon among others as alternative assisting characters. SNK found the Bogard brothers, Terry and Andy, unbalanced in the previous game because one of them was overpowered as a striker; the company joked that this was also a result of the love between the siblings.