Aside from our next big updates on titles, regional and the rest of them we’re also soon be introducing some real fighter data…
Whilst we can not yet promise exactly what that entails from a current fighter list perspective, we are (as all good fight fans should be) students of the sport’s history.
One new feature we’re looking at are period specific scenarios. Ie the 40s or 80s. We’ve love to see how people feel about specific times/eras/periods.
80s for sure (and 90s). Although I would likely play about with all databases if available. (Save slots would be great for when this drops).
I expect most would like to play the period from when they were young though.
I have a suggestion for this as well. Say you start the game in 1980, real boxers could get introduced as youngsters which you can sign as you progress (as opposed to just new boxers). So in 1985 if you have an American gym, you could potentially sign a young rookie called Mike Tyson. Instead of just having a 1980 database with future boxers being made up ones. Sure you have similar in mind though.
So many boxers. Boxrec is an incredible source of info at least. They have ring magazines top 10 for every year so that’s a good start. It’s a huge job though. Your probably going to wish you never suggested it
Whilst I would like a current database I think the issue is that it would quickly turn into mostly made up boxers anyway. All rookies would be made up and they would quickly replace the current boxers as they get old and retire. And due to the nature of the game, you wouldn’t get many opportunities to use the current top guys. Would still be amazing in the early years though.
I also really pray you can do a hybrid of the 80s and the 90s obviously there will be Mike Tyson, Larry Holmes etc in the 80s database. But it would feel really incomplete if it didn’t include the greats of the 90s such as Riddick Bowe, Evander Holyfield to Lennox Lewis.
We can feel your anxiety that we didn’t add the 1990s to the poll!
How we do this is up for grabs.
We have versions of the game with various oldies in there who we fire in at random to see how the game works in a historic context.
It’s weird to see it working but it’s always interesting/cool to see an “real” guy in a completely different boxing world.
Out of interest will you be doing the database yourself? Huge fair play as it’s a lot of work. or will you have like a download centre where others can download ones created database?
I think the 60s-90s would be great. I tend to favor Heavyweights but you had some really good fighters in the smaller weight classes in the 80s and 90s. You have Ali coming onto his own in the 60s and the 70s was the golden age for Heavyweights with Ali, Foreman, Frazier, Spinks, and Norton with Larry Holmes emerging toward the end of the 70s. The 80s had Suger Ray Leonard and Duran among others with Larry Holmes being the top guy in the Heavyweights until Tyson and Michael Spinks. The 90s was also a great decade for Heavyweights with Tyson, Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield in addition to the successful come back of George Foreman. We even had Butterbean, the king of 3 round matches. You can’t forget Chavez either in the lower weights. After 2000, the heavyweight division was pretty bad except for the Klitscko brothers but we are seeing a resurgence the past 4 or 5 years with the likes of Tyaon Fury. Bottom line, having real boxers to simulate would be a wonderful addition. I think the biggest challenge will be making everybody happy because everybody has their favorites. It will be similar to Madden American football where some people will complain about the ratings and think they should be higher than they are. Besides that, I think it would really add to the game and would be a helluva marketing item to get many more people buying.
Data forms an enormous part of the game’s future. We are keen though for that to be the icing on the cake though and even keener to get the game world working as flexibly and fast as it will need to when we get to adding all the “other” weights and titles.
