Publisher Electronic Arts is reportedly preparing to revive the beloved Fight Night boxing franchise after a new instalment has ‘entered early development.’
The fan-favourite series debuted with Fight Night 2004 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox and has had five entries to date.
However, the Fight Night series has been dormant since the release of Fight Night Champion in 2011 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and iOS devices.
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Now, EA is ready to wipe away the dust from the franchise after giving the ‘green light’ for a new title.
According to Video Games Chronicle, the next Fight Night is in development under the codename ‘Moneyball.’
But VGC reports that boxing fans might have to wait for the new title due to EA Canada’s plans.
The publisher has decided to ‘temporarily pause its core development’ on the unannounced Fight Night title to focus on the next EA Sports UFC entry.
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A studio-wide email sent to EA Canada staff informed them that they want to prioritise EA Sports UFC 5, which is expected to be released in late 2022.
EA Canada planned for Fight Night to enter production alongside UFC, but it was difficult to enlist staff needed for the boxing title due to ‘strong marketplace competition.’
And they were not prepared to divide their senior creatives across both titles, with the main focus placed on the UFC project.
Fight Night’s development has been halted “for the time being” in the hope of meeting a “high quality” standard for UFC 5.
“We’re very excited about UFC 5 and… we want to eliminate the split focus that several members of our leadership team have had over the past while so we can solely focus on delivering migration and UFC 5 at high quality,” reads the email.
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An Electronic Arts spokesperson told VGC that it did not respond to “rumours and speculation.”
Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn had been vocal about the desire of working with EA Sports to bring back the Fight Night franchise.
The Matchroom chief revealed that boxing fans have asked him on multiple occasions if the classic EA Sports series could be revived.
Hearn has since hinted that he would be interested in creating his own title to rival Fight Night after claiming EA Sports didn’t “seem interested in boxing.”
Featured Image Credit: EA Sports