A new Fight Night may be on the horizon!
Boxing fans have been craving for a boxing video game to come out, even with the backwards compatible Fight Night Champions game being making its way to the newer systems. The port lacked enough novelty to interest fans, what with its shortage of relevant active fighters. However, it seems that could be coming to an end.
Undisputed female middleweight champion Claressa Shields, in a recent interview, revealed that a new game is in the works.
“I got a call the other day. The PS4 is coming out with Fight Night 4 I believe, and they want to have me on the game system. I’m stoked.”
If true, and EA sports is working on a game for the PS4 exclusively, the boxing community will be in a frenzy. The community has not seen a new boxing video game since 2011. Only a company like EA Sports can pull this off, considering the amount of resources and influence developers need to get current fighters to sign on.
HISTORY OF THE GAME
Originally, the Fight Night series was a successor to the previous EA Sports boxing game series, Knockout Kings. Said series was also the off-product from the 1995 3D game under the title Foes of Ali.
When Fight Night was introduced back in 2004, the game cover featured former pound-for-pound kingpin Roy Jones Jr. Boxing fans were excited about the game and it’s ability of making fantasy match-ups.
The series would continue the trend of having famous fighters on the cover. In 2005, Fight Night Round 2 featured Bernard Hopkins, followed up in 2006 with the historical fight between Arturo “Thunder” Gatti vs “Irish” Micky Ward.
In 2009, the boxing community went bananas with the announcement that “Iron” Mike Tyson would be part of the games franchise. Everyone was eager to play Tyson vs Ali or change historical outcomes to have a different ending.
After a five year hiatus, the game series would return in 2011 with Fight Night Champions. It featured a story mode, however, it was the first time the cover didn’t feature an actual fighter.
EXPECTATIONS
There will be high expectations for the game during the developmental phase. Given today’s technical advancements, graphics will have to be life-like. Game play needs to be smooth, along with a better ranking system in the championship title run. One of the biggest gripe most fans had was the challengers had poor records but ranked high.
They will even have to make it more realistic to the modern era of cross promotions, switching promotional companies, signing bonuses and even a social media outlet to help with building a fan base.
This game, if done right, can change everything. Fans will be looking to make current dream match-ups. Errol Spence vs Terence Crawford will undoubtedly be top of the list of dream fights. EA sports has a golden opportunity given the popularity rise of the sport, and we are all waiting to see what will happen next.
By: Garrisson Bland
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