Fight Night Boxing Franchise on Indefinite Hold, Focus is on EA Sports UFC

[JayBee74]

Quote: Originally Posted by JerseySuave4

No surprise. Is there really that big of a demand for a boxing game? I love boxing but even I have to say that there isn't much appeal to the general public other than Mayweather and a few other names. And Mayweather will cost too much to be in an EA game so whats the point of buying the game without Mayweather?

I'm not sure it's mostly about what boxers are in the game. Revolutionary gameplay will bring the video game sports fans in.

[iLLmatic]

What killed this game was the absence of the authentic feel to the sport. It'll be interesting to see how the advancements in UFC may possible be a good thing for any future FN games as a lot of the innovations will no doubt be used in any future versions of the FN series.

So much about fight sports is the environment and atmosphere in and out of the ring and until EA gets that right, I think it's a good thing to stop making boxing games. The only real draw to FN was the ability to fight as real boxers, old and current, but unfortunately, the in games physics and respect to real life replication of the actually fighters true skills and abilities made the games replay value drop quickly. You can only fight George Foreman and so many other fighters so many times before you realize that this game didn't do any justice to the fighters who had very distinct and specific styles and it was a let down when you didn't see the ability to replicate those styles into the game. Whether hardcore or novice fan, true to life fighter styles shouldn't be sacrificed for those of the demographic that want FN to be "rock-em sock-em robots" in video game form.

I'd love to see the team from MLB The Show or even the Rockstar team take a stab at it as both have shown an innate skill for attention to detail in their games, but that is a crack pipe dream.

[SHAKYR]

Some say boxing is dead and some of these game producers(EA) are contributing to the hype because their lack of passion and knowledge of boxing translate into the product(Fight Night). Boxing is still making money and has million of fans worldwide. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the highest paid athlete two years in a row.
EA needs to stop blaming the sport of boxing and give the fans what they want and not what they think they need. Fans want the game to be similar to what they see on TV or a live match. The fans want a deep game with depth in various areas like the customization, controls, career, features, and things that apply to the sport in general.

If boxing was dead why are sites like these flooded with fans and posts everyday.

BoxRec: Total members 42649

East Side Boxing: Total Members 30,969

BoxingScene : Total Members 162273

SaddoBoxing: Total Members21,697
MaxBoxing: Total Members 19,439
And a large number of other boxing sites exist.

If boxing is dead how can a text-sim site exist after years without a new game? They just produced another game under new creators( P.I.S.D. Ltd.) only because the original game owner(Andreas Raht) kept getting side tracked with other priority projects and the demand for another game was high.... For a Text-Sim game?!? Yes!

I started a Title Bout Champion Boxing Twitter that I just relinquished to the new owners/creators because the guy in charge of PR couldn't believe how many followers I had. The point I'm trying to make is that a game that has realism and depth of a sim, but no graphics like that of console game has a following. So, why can't a company like EA take a chance and give fans the realism and depth of a Text-Sim. The Champion Mode was a waste of resources and turned the hardcore fans off.
Fight Night can be a major seller if the producers stop trying to be so casual friendly...No, too casual friendly and ignore the overall mechanics of boxing. If boxing is dead let the fans have overall control and freedom to create the boxing universe they want in a game.

Quote: Originally Posted by DEFTFUNDAMENTALZ

Kind of figured as much. I hope that 2K will throw their hat back into the ring.

I'm pushing them. I have had contact with a few representatives and producers from various companies and 2KSports.

Quote: Originally Posted by ps3veron

Shame, we need another developer for boxing titles.

This time EA's Fight Night team is taking off for the UFC game is leaving room for other companies to walk on the scene.

Quote: Originally Posted by believeinnow

I don't see there being anyone else jumping on the authentic boxing scene for the time being since the sport doesn't have a marquee boxer to rally behind. I wouldn't mind an arcade boxer or something light-hearted (like a punch out game for 3DS or the WiiU). But, I think once the EA UFC game launches, the potential of expanding to accommodate both sports is possible.

The arcade approach with tiny bits of sim/realism is what hurt the current game. Fans want Fight Night to be more of a boxing game and not an arcade fighter.

Quote: Originally Posted by footballfan41

Really, Please Please another developer for boxing titles....EA ties all these titles up with money so no one other can make them, and no one but the gamers get burned.........

EA can't own boxing because it's not like football and other organized sports.

Quote: Originally Posted by JerseySuave4

No surprise. Is there really that big of a demand for a boxing game? I love boxing but even I have to say that there isn't much appeal to the general public other than Mayweather and a few other names. And Mayweather will cost too much to be in an EA game so whats the point of buying the game without Mayweather?

Big demand?!? There is a huge demand! Boxing didn't start with Floyd Mayweather Jr. nor will it end with him. A boxing game with more freedom to customize how you want it to play out is the key. I have a Facebook group with fans and boxers who will support a boxing game if it showed the realism and excitement the sport can give you.

Quote: Originally Posted by ccoaxum

agreed, n putting old boxers from the past is getting old smh, don't blame EA

Old, historic, and Hall of Fame boxers have nothing to do with EA's Fight Night Champion or any of the games failing. Fans love the what if scenarios in sports games. I know for a fact these boxers don't take space from adding another boxer fans want in the game. So, what's the problem with them being in the game? No one is forced to use them and they give you the option to remove them from a list in career mode.

Quote: Originally Posted by JayBee74

I'm not sure it's mostly about what boxers are in the game. Revolutionary gameplay will bring the video game sports fans in.

I think EA's producers should stick with boxing and not gimmicks. I have heard the complaints from various sports gaming sites and their own sites. Fans want to have an experience with the tools that each boxer is know for bringing to fights; nothing more nothing less.

[SHAKYR]

Quote: Originally Posted by iLLmatic

What killed this game was the absence of the authentic feel to the sport. It'll be interesting to see how the advancements in UFC may possible be a good thing for any future FN games as a lot of the innovations will no doubt be used in any future versions of the FN series. So much about fight sports is the environment and atmosphere in and out of the ring and until EA gets that right, I think it's a good thing to stop making boxing games. The only real draw to FN was the ability to fight as real boxers, old and current, but unfortunately, the in games physics and respect to real life replication of the actually fighters true skills and abilities made the games replay value drop quickly. You can only fight George Foreman and so many other fighters so many times before you realize that this game didn't do any justice to the fighters who had very distinct and specific styles and it was a let down when you didn't see the ability to replicate those styles into the game. Whether hardcore or novice fan, true to life fighter styles shouldn't be sacrificed for those of the demographic that want FN to be "rock-em sock-em robots" in video game form. I'd love to see the team from MLB The Show or even the Rockstar team take a stab at it as both have shown an innate skill for attention to detail in their games, but that is a crack pipe dream.

Exactly! I agree.

[JerseySuave4]

Here's the problem. Boxing is dying. As much as hardcore boxing enthusiasts don't want to admit it, it is. NFL, NBA, MLB, NASCAR, NHL, Soccer, PGA, UFC all are more followed daily in the United States than boxing is.

Floyd Mayweather may be the highest paid athlete yearly but he fights 1-2 times per year and is irrelevant the rest of the time. You ask a casual boxing fan, meaning someone who doesn't follow it much but watches the big fights, who someone like Canelo Alvarez is and they couldn't tell you. And that's the guy everyone wants Mayweather to fight.

The truth is Floyd Mayweather is the last relevant boxer in the United States. Pacquiao is fighting over in China, no one really cares about him anymore because he got dropped cold. Heavyweight division is a joke. And the guys who are really worth watching are these young guys nobody knows and isn't going to take the time to invest in.

Boxing does a terrible job promoting the sport. Not enough boxing coverage. The explosion of the UFC came because you began to see UFC on FX all the time. They had The Ultimate Fighter but they were also showing old fights constantly. It helped people to learn the sport and more importantly know the brand. With the explosion of the sport, more young wrestlers and athletes are more interested in learning MMA than boxing.

Boxing will never truly die. It will always have appeal Internationally. But in terms of American popularity, boxing is easily behind all of those other sports. Part of what contributed to the fall is Promoters and too many weight classes/belts. There are 100 different weight classes and 50 different belts per weight class. Now that's an exaggeration but the point is that boxing has become a clusterf**k to keep up with in terms of who is champion, who is in what weight class, etc. You got Promoters setting up guys with 15-20 cupcake, hand picked fights to build a resume, then they get some alphabet belt. You don't get the fights you want, when you want them. You do in the UFC because fights are made by the organization, the promoters & fighters don't pick and choose.

In terms of Fight Night, there's just not enough of a demand to make a boxing game. If there was then games would be getting made. You can't keep throwing in the same rosters they've had in because most of those guys are retired so basically it becomes a Legends game just so you can have some guys in the game people recognize. They can't afford Mayweather so the 1 guy everyone would want in the game wouldn't be in the game.

SHAKR, you are one of the hardcore boxing fans. You are the exception. That twitter thing you showed didn't even have 1,000 followers. yes boxing websites exist. The sport is still out there and there is a fan base that needs to get their info from somewhere. None of those things prove there is a high demand for a boxing game. Within your circle and the websites you visit there is obviously a demand for it because you are going to specific types of websites.

Floyd Mayweather vs Robert Guerrero didn't even break 1 million PPV buys despite what Showtime will tell you. Showtime & Mayweather will tell you it broke $1 million in the same way the Mets will announce they have 25,000 people at the game when the stadium is empty.

Quote:

" Quote: From today's ESPN.com boxing chat: Edwin (LA, California) Do your sources still say the Mayweather PPV got under a million buys even with the updated data? Dan Rafael (12:21 PM) Absolutely yes. I am not going to get into a pissing contest with Showtime but I have good industry sources who swear on their children that this fight will not reach 1 million buys, much less be "in excess" of 1 million and I believe them. These are people with no dog in the fight who I respect and have known for many years and trust. I am told that the number right now is about 870,000 buys. It would take some major anomaly for it to gain another 110,000 plus to go over 1 million. People can believe it or not. I dont really care. If it does 870 or 1M it's not like I make an extra dime. So that's where I stand. 870,000 buys would be Mayweather's lowest total since in years, on par with the December 2007 fight against Ricky Hatton, which did a reported 850,000 buys. That's not to say there's not a ton of money made from 870,000 buys, either -- but if that's the number, look, there's just no way to get around or spin the fact that this would be a disappointment for everyone involved. "

I'm a boxing fan, i enjoyed the Fight Night series although I skipped the last game because I wasn't feeling the whole story mode type thing. But I think you when you say there's a huge demand for a realistic boxing game you're basing it on the boxing websites, boxing-gaming websites you go to which will obviously be calling for the same thing. But there's not a high demand for the sport at the moment from the general public and there's even less of a demand for a boxing game from the general public otherwise someone would be making a game. Truth is if you went up to any casual sports/combat sports fan and asked if they'd rather have a UFC or boxing game they'd most likely say UFC because it's something they see and are familiar with more often.

[JayBee74]

Quote: Originally Posted by JerseySuave4

You ask a casual boxing fan, meaning someone who doesn't follow it much but watches the big fights, who someone like Canelo Alvarez is and they couldn't tell you. And that's the guy everyone wants Mayweather to fight.

Casual boxing fan, oblivious to everyone except Floyd Mayweather?

I don't get the casual boxing fan tag. You are either a fan or someone not interested in the sport.

I know some boxing fans, I don't know any casual boxing fans.

[Complex]

Sad...just sad

[Jukeman]

Lol this UFC game better be good.


Is this deja vu?