Tyson, Ali weigh in for Fight Night Round 4

EA Canada takes reins of shuttered Chicago shop's sim boxing series; entering 360, PS3 ring in 2009.

The gaming industry, like the boxing ring, is a fickle beast, and if you're not on the top, you're nobody. EA Chicago learned that lesson in November when its handler, Electronic Arts proper, abruptly shut the studio down due to poor performance in the retail ring. Though the publisher said that the Fight Night series would continue to train at one of its other internal studios, it would do so without EA Chicago's effervescent general manager Kudo Tsunoda, who landed at Microsoft Games Studio in January.

Iron Mike, before the crazy...mostly.

Today, EA officially confirmed that Fight Night Round 4 is in development at EA Canada and will arrive for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2009. With Take-Two's contender Prizefighter featuring the loquacious stylings of renowned fight promoter Don King, EA will in kind be tapping the pugilist celebrity pool. The company said that feral boxing powerhouse Mike Tyson will join The Champ, Muhammad Ali, as playable fighters in the game.

As with other EA Sports franchises, Fight Night Round 4 will receive a fresh bout of features and updates. EA Canada will be targeting realism with a new physics-based animation system, which is designed to give fighters more control over their blocks and maneuvering. This mechanic will also allow for a greater variety of punches, with missed, glancing, and knockout blows all now included.

With Fight Night Round 4's main event scheduled for next year, EA Sports will be debuting its newest boxer, the arcade-style FaceBreaker, this September. FaceBreaker will be released on the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii under the newly branded EA Sports Freestyle label.

131 Comments

  • Crim

    Posted Jan 23, 2009 4:17 pm PT

    This game better have, along with Tyson and Lewis, Foreman, Hearns, Mayweather, Khlitzhko, Marciano and Joe Lewis. (sorry for listing just Heavyweights. :-/

  • JLL17

    Posted Dec 17, 2008 2:21 pm PT

    While I do agree with you that boxing is an art, you have to look at the weight classes. In the heavyweights you are supposed to knock you opponent out because a man who weighs over 200 pounds isn't trying to go the distance, he wants to knock your block off. That is what made Mike Tyson great, he did what a heavyweight champion is supposed to do, at least until he ran into James "Buster" Douglas, and on top of that he is still to this day the youngest man to ever become the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion.

  • danbrake

    Posted Nov 13, 2008 5:16 am PT

    i think mike tyson is well over rated but is a good boxer all he does is ko's boxers that is what boxing is not about boxing is an art people forget that to easily its not about droping ur oppnent

  • LostSoul1974

    Posted Oct 29, 2008 7:55 am PT

    You know, when EA Chicago closed shop, I'd somewhat given up on the Fight Night franchise. Just a moment a co-worker said that Round 4 was in fact in development, so I had to look it up on Gamespot. I hate I overlooked this.

  • Axel_Kenpachi47

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 2:26 pm PT

    i hope mike's illegal blow is a bite to the ear

  • MSTHEAT1

    Posted Sep 26, 2008 10:01 pm PT

    This game,just like all the other fight nights b4 it,will be the best boxing sim made. Quality fighters and fights,great boxer style reproduction and awesome graphics and sound.Only NHL is better at reproducing it's sports feel and dynamics. Can't wait !!

  • Gova17

    Posted Sep 8, 2008 6:32 pm PT

    fight night sucks!!! they never put the best boxers like Miguel Cotto Antonio margarito Floyd Mayweater Ivan calderon Shane Mosley Mayorga the best controvential boxers that we like to see in a game ........

  • Gova17

    Posted Sep 8, 2008 6:32 pm PT

    fight night sucks!!! they never put the best boxers like Miguel Cotto Antonio margarito Floyd Mayweater Ivan calderon Shane Mosley Mayorga the best controvential boxers that we like to see in a game ........

  • dj_c4

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 12:45 pm PT

    Yes! I can not wait for this! Fight Night is one of the VERY FEW games from EA I like.

    Face Breaker SUCKS (least the demo does). I see they want to try and get that super punch out, ready 2 rumble theme but i wasn't feeling it at all.

    Fight night round 3 was so good and I cant wait to see how awesome the next one will look now that they can design for this gen of consoles better.

  • bennyblanco50

    Posted Jun 18, 2008 8:06 pm PT

    Man i cant wait for FN round 4, i a big boxing fan 4 real my dade! but as far as new boxing wish fights i would love to see a Cotto V.S. Mayweather (the best body pouncher v.s. the fastest pouncher) anyone feel me on that? i hope those two get a chance to throw down in the game. And im very happy to see tyson real skills get some respect in video games (only EA could bring that to life, ill beat a ton on that belive it). peace
    your boy benny blanco and if anyone wanna check your boy out, see on xbox live (blanco842006) holla at you boy

  • TheNotoriousBYC

    Posted Jun 18, 2008 5:45 pm PT

    Mike Tyson's Punch Out! FTW~

  • Kobe720

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 10:41 pm PT

    its going to also have lennox lewis

  • NovaSky

    Posted Jun 16, 2008 4:09 pm PT

    thank god cause I got scared, Prizefighter sucked sooooo bad, this is the one game that EA can kill 2k at!

  • G30R63

    Posted Jun 16, 2008 10:56 am PT

    **** mayweather

  • Hoodlumz

    Posted Jun 14, 2008 2:42 pm PT

    Finally my Dude TYSON gets to be in a real boxing game thank you EA that man deserves it and for all the haters watch a old Tyson fight but don't look away cuz you will miss the fight thats how quick and powerful he is

  • deusman

    Posted Jun 11, 2008 9:54 am PT

    FINALLY, this game is going to have alot of cleaning up to do after that crappy prizefighter awww too bad a 360 exclusive couldn't cut it

  • edwardnortan

    Posted Jun 8, 2008 9:33 am PT

    ermmmm what about mawweather?

  • RhysDaye

    Posted Jun 6, 2008 10:37 am PT

    this game is going to be amazing. All the good games are coming out in 2009 and i cant wait that long

  • Liana_o3

    Posted Jun 2, 2008 10:43 pm PT

    @_@ excited. )

  • is0lati0n

    Posted May 31, 2008 11:46 pm PT

    OMG 2009, I CAN'T WAIT THAT LONG. This will - I repeat, WILL, kill every other boxing game out.

  • Mr_Impossible

    Posted May 31, 2008 7:17 am PT

    I'm looking foward to playing the Fight Night Round 4 game.

  • swisdwag

    Posted May 22, 2008 10:00 am PT

    So now that Tyson has officially made a comeback to videogames, will we see a surprise cameo from Don King in this next installment?

  • Ghost_702

    Posted May 21, 2008 9:52 pm PT

    Can't wait.

  • thenephariouson

    Posted May 21, 2008 2:22 pm PT

    Fantastic! been waitin for this for a long time. Cant Wait!

  • poedon01

    Posted May 20, 2008 4:19 pm PT

    Me and Iron Mike are gonna "EAT" evander for lunch!!!!!!

  • trystkl1826

    Posted May 20, 2008 12:25 pm PT

    One of my favorite game series is Fight Night. I do hope that there are more fighters and more depth in this upcoming debut. When I play Fight Night Round 3, I have a sense of longing like there is something missing in the game. I became bored with the limited amount of fighters. The pro-shop seems to be complicated. Maybe there is an easier way to look at all of the items in the shop.
    All else is awesome, which is why I'm anticipating the new release.

  • tarugista

    Posted May 12, 2008 11:04 pm PT

    The only reason to buy this is to experience Mike Tyson...And Im in!!

  • ej1041

    Posted May 11, 2008 5:16 am PT

    Manny woooooooooooooo!!

  • JReefer1

    Posted May 9, 2008 1:40 pm PT

    Iron Mike is in "this game", I'm in.

  • scrymonster

    Posted May 9, 2008 8:28 am PT

    Lets just hope that "adding" features they don't mean "taking away" and by "give fighters more control" they don't mean "take away control" ... I'm a huge FNR3 fan and I'm basing my reservations on how EA's handled the Madden franchise over the last few years.

  • jqm1978

    Posted May 8, 2008 6:25 pm PT

    In the words of one of the greatest "wordsmiths" of all time; Mike Tyson.."I'm gonna eat his children!"..."Praise Allah"!

  • cooldude03

    Posted May 8, 2008 1:55 pm PT

    Yes thank you! This is the best gaming news I've heard in a while. I was making the mistake of believing Facebreakers was taking the place of Fight Night. I'm so glad I was wrong. I was going to boycott Facebreaker but I guess I'll go ahead and check it out. Props to EA, good save.

  • ashuncc2

    Posted May 8, 2008 11:16 am PT

    Get news! I still play FNR3. Plus, being able to play as that pyscho but loveable Iron Mike sounds like the good ole' days.

  • blackace

    Posted May 8, 2008 11:06 am PT

    As long as it's as good or better then the last Fight Night game, I'll most likely get it. My only complaint about the last FN3 was it was rough on my hands. After fighting 3 or more matchs, my hands started cramping up. I couldn' play it for long periods of time, that's for sure. Game was a blast though.

  • Sk8ter_213

    Posted May 8, 2008 10:54 am PT

    sounds good.

  • EddyG0RD0

    Posted May 8, 2008 10:31 am PT

    im getting it only for Mike Tyson

  • blacklodus

    Posted May 8, 2008 9:58 am PT

    I really hope they use the old mike that was a bad A@@ and not the latest mike that can't beat up a old lady .

  • magic_dragon

    Posted May 8, 2008 9:49 am PT

    Looking forward to this. Go ali!

  • frank242

    Posted May 8, 2008 9:46 am PT

    o my god i dream fight night on the wii wold be fantastic.

  • abw1977

    Posted May 8, 2008 9:22 am PT

    Ninten007, there really would be little competition. Ali is 4 inches taller than Tyson and his reach is even more so...

    Anyhow, glad to see it back and, actually, glad to see Tyson finally in the game.

  • jdsports

    Posted May 8, 2008 9:21 am PT

    i wont buy the game if amir khan is not in it and a lot of other boxers and i hope the story mode is longer this time

  • TheSilverArrow

    Posted May 8, 2008 9:13 am PT

    This is one of the best online games ever. How many other 1 vs 1 games do you play or have? Thought so......

    EA HAS TO fix the "pull out" problem.

  • Le-Beave

    Posted May 8, 2008 9:01 am PT

    Should be awesome!

  • corn999

    Posted May 8, 2008 8:44 am PT

    nice nice, I cant wait for this one.

  • j15reed

    Posted May 8, 2008 8:42 am PT

    Man I just hope they fix the parry move so ur fighters not sittin there for 5 seconds while someone combos on u but other then that Im glad to see it back

  • Ninten007

    Posted May 8, 2008 8:28 am PT

    Finally we can settle the age long debate of Ali vs. Tyson. Ali would KO tyson easily in his prime. He would just play mind games with that gorilla and the next thing you know, there is a 7 punch combo that sends Tyson to the mat. Tyson's hands can't hit what his eyes can't see; Ali is gonna float like a butterfly and sting like a bee!

  • ocdog45

    Posted May 8, 2008 8:03 am PT

    been waiting forever!

  • stfolife

    Posted May 8, 2008 7:42 am PT

    I want Mayweather....

  • jimmyand360

    Posted May 8, 2008 7:33 am PT

    Fight Night Round 4? I can not wait!

  • imortiferus

    Posted May 8, 2008 7:11 am PT

    Pleasse bring back DLH, Felix Trinidad, Fernando Vargas, Miguel Cotto!!!!

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