No Move, Kinect for Fight Night Champion

By Robert Purchese Published 2 August, 2010

"Beyond the fitness of most gamers" - EA.

EA's work-in-progress boxing game Fight Night Champion will not support Move or Kinect motion controls, gameplay producer Brian Hayes has told Eurogamer.

Hayes said playing the upcoming PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 game with Sony and Microsoft's new motion sensing toys would be too tiring for "most gamers".

"It's a little bit too twitch-based, not to mention the fact that standing on your feet for three minutes and throwing punches is something that, believe it or not, might be beyond the fitness level of most gamers!" Hayes told Eurogamer.

"Even Microsoft hasn't said they're expecting to see games like Fight Night usable with the Kinect control system.

"The motion-based control systems, since they are very new and aren't on the market yet... Fight Night Champion has not been developed and is not currently being developed to utilise those.

Nevertheless, Hayes said exploring Move and Kinect in a future EA Sports boxing game is "on the table".

"Somewhere down the road, if a Fight Night game or an EA Sports boxing game was going to be using motion controls, you'd want to see a more tailored experience as opposed to a side-profile camera perspective that you're used to seeing in a Fight Night game.

"It's definitely something that's on the table in terms of exploration for us, but Fight Night Champion is not being developed for Move or for Microsoft Kinect."

Hayes went on to say that the likelihood of Move controls being patched in to Fight Night Champion was "slim". However, this could change should EA find Move controls "tremendously easy and not risky" to retroactively fit.

"It comes down to the fact that the games that are going to do best on those motion controls are designed from the ground-up to work with those systems," offered Hayes.

"That's certainly the approach I would want to take if we were going to explore something like that."

Fight Night Champion is due out next year on PS3 and Xbox 360.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (33) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Eraysor #1 2 years ago

    Never in a million years could Kinect accurately map the punches anyway.

  • Hantheman #2 2 years ago

    Fair point really.

  • onezeonx #3 2 years ago

    So they wont support Move because he thinks ALL us gamers are fat slobs!

    Well i could do it...........and im a fat slob :D

  • Vice.Destroyer #4 2 years ago

    I couldn't do it, and I am not a fat slob.

  • Shikasama #5 2 years ago

    Eraysor, it probably doesn't ahve to map the punches aprticularly accurately. I imagine they'd look for the motion of the arm to decide what type of punch was thrown and body position to see if it corresponded to a 'hit zone'.

  • MiniAmin #6 2 years ago

    "might be beyond the fitness level of most gamers!"

    I was gonna write something in angry protest... but then I got a cramp in my arms.

  • Darren #7 2 years ago

    It wouldn't have hurt to have included some optional training games that supported Kinect and Move though for those that fancy trying it?

  • ipressbuttons #8 2 years ago

    I box in amatuer ranks and we only go 3 rounds and that drains most people so they are being honest :') would have been a cool feature though

  • M_of_the_sys #9 2 years ago

    @ipressbuttons

    Yeah I would imagine most people would be hard pressed with 1 round.
    It's a shame not to have the option though. This is something I would've looked forward to.

  • alcides #10 2 years ago

    but kevin butler said :

    The move has space recognition not only to punch like *this* *bam* but also like *this* *sw00p*.
    Because real boxers don't fight like *prairie dog stance* : *Ehe-EEH--Ehe-hEEew*

  • Mkwone #11 2 years ago

    I'd knock myself out before i'd finish the first round.

    I would like to have seen it implemented though. just to try it.

  • des #12 2 years ago

    Good...one game saved from gimmicky motion controls

  • ipressbuttons #13 2 years ago

    @M_of_the_sys

    They should see if mini games work well, so for kinect maybe one which tasks you to shadow box for 1 minute and then jog on the spot for another, so like a fitness game. For move becuase it's accurate they could try a first person view mode in which you're facing a heavy bag and when a section is highlighted you have to hit it with the right punch.

    Just something like a little add on would be nice, guess something fitness like would attract the casual crowd as well :')

  • Dolly #14 2 years ago

    I'll be saving all of my punches for Milo.

  • Negotiator #15 2 years ago

    Beyond my fitness, I don't think so Mr. EA.

  • The_Bloody_Kettle #16 2 years ago

    I remember wii boxing taking it out of me after a few games, and that wasn't be as taxing as Fight Night would be.
    And I play Rugby on a regular basis.
    This kind of activity is very energy intensive.
    Most gamers could manage about 10minutes I think, with the occasional breather, trouble is most people would want to play in more than 10 minute stints.

    They won't design something to be kinect/move based until they know that people will buy it.

  • schnide #17 2 years ago

    Aside from the legitimacy of these comments, it's a nice little easy piece of PR these days to mention your game and whether it'll support motion controls or not.

  • HarryTuttle #18 2 years ago

    A really good first person boxing game is just about the only thing that could convince me to buy a kinect right now, so I guess this is a shame, but honestly I have to agree with EA. I've been doing martial arts for a while now and bag work is about as tiring as it gets. Fitness isn't my only concern either; the canned animations of wii boxing leave me totally cold and a game using one-to-one motion control would reveal rather swiftly that most folk are pretty terrible at boxing. I seem to remember the devs of The Ashes saying they chose not to use 1-to-1 tracking on the wii version because everyone bar professionals would get bowled out for a duck. Hell, 1-to-1 wouldn't even work anyway as there's nothing for your fist to recoil from... The more I think about kinect the more it seems utterly fucking useless.

  • Shikasama #19 2 years ago

    Raining_Upwards - So spend hundreds of thousands developing a game mode that most people won't be interested in, hose that are interested won't really be able to play very well and is still sitting on rather unproven tech, just to protect your feelings when they make the accurate statement that most gamers would be too unfit to use it properly?

    I mean... yeah, fuck you EA, I'm built like a greek ADDONNIS. Stay Alpha baby.

  • TRUTH #20 2 years ago

    FN 4 is probably my fav game esp fighting online - skill and thought needed. Also the fluidity is able to this standard thanks to analogue control.

    How on earth will you be able to keep your eyes on the screen when your blocking-dodging-counter punching-moving...etc etc; also way to complicated to use Move or Kinect to imitate the skill and movement and feel of proper simulated boxing as in FN 4...Glad EA didn't go the simple route of dumbing everything to suite silly Move or Kinect movement.

    Joypads are still the best way to play games, esp as you have more precession, better control, accuracy, flexibilities with options for control and much more feeling of control then what ever Move or Kinect give - which has it's use, but more suited for the odd game or gimmicky stuff!
    Edited by TRUTH at 02/08/10 @ 18:03

  • TwitchyMcTwitch #21 2 years ago

    "They won't design something to be kinect/move based until they know that people will buy it. "

    There we go. I was waiting for someone to bring that up. That's the real reason why they won't support the devices. lol


  • SilentNinja92 #22 2 years ago

    Im not exactly unfit but whilst I could maybe play a game like this in short bursts, it would taje the fitness of someone who purpously excersises to play such a game for anything like an hour.

  • Power_n_Glory #23 2 years ago

    Now for me, a boxing game with Kinect would be a potential seller. I have no intentions of getting it on launch because there isn't a single game I can think of that's a must buy.

    But Fight Night, a serious boxing game - I would consider. First person view would be perfect, like the first person view on the replay. You see all the blood, sweat and face tissue ripple as you jab and hook opponents.

    They'd have to slow down the pace because the current game is too fast and a bit of a slugfest arcade game anyway, but I don't see what the problem is. Part of the challenege and fun would be going 12 rounds with a Champ without getting knocked out. It's a fitness game plus serious boxing sim. You start off as an ameatur boxing 3 rounds, maybe go to the Olympics and box short competitive rounds, but advance to pro where bouts get longer and your doing 12 rounds for the title.

    It doesn't have to be 3 minute rounds, that can be a hardcore setting, 1 minute rounds would be okay, you get your break inbetween rounds and listen to the corner men....it would be great. Yeah, you get tired and sweaty but it's also a fitness game for sports fans. I wouldn't mind playing a fitness game that isn't Yoga!

    Come on EA, make it happen and try something different. Take risk for once.

  • FrankCannon #24 2 years ago

    If you are curious if you are up to the job try 1 minute of shadow boxing

  • dirtysteve #25 2 years ago

    @FrankCannon - better suggestion, challenge Brian Hayes. :)

  • niteninja #26 2 years ago

    Boxers and mixed martial artists are probably the fittest athletes in the world, Ive seen pro footballers puke up in the ring after only a lite sparring session.
    Edited by niteninja at 03/08/10 @ 01:01

  • Zebula77 #27 2 years ago

    Sounds like a lot of fun, using Move/Kinect with fighting games. I've got a heavy bag set up in my work out space and I can testament to it being very tiring indeed, but great fun.

    In any case, it couldn't possibly be as bad as EA's "total control" analog stick system (most inaccurate, random control system ever).

  • M_of_the_sys #28 2 years ago

    @Zebula77

    I have to disagree. Personally, I liked it and didn't have any problems with accuracy. Each have their different preferences though and it's good that they gave everyone a choice in the end.

  • Zebula77 #29 2 years ago

    True, months after the release they decided to put in face button controls. By that time I'd already returned it to the shop. :p

    I dunno, I just found FN4 to be frustrating in the extreme (especially against the cpu who would almost always catch me with a counter-jab or something and rock me). I actually prefer FN3.

  • Tinrib72 #30 2 years ago

    If there was a game that would convince me to buy into kinect then boxing would have been it. I'm not fit by any standards and my once a week session on the squash court takes it out of me, but to have a virtual boxing game at home would be reason enough to get a sweat-a-thon going in the comfort of my living room if only for a few minutes a day. Nothing on Wiifit or sports compels me to play them.

    Come on EA, at least include a mode seperate from the main game that could incorparate it.

  • BuddyChrist #31 2 years ago

    "How do I pause the game!? My nuts itch!"

    - inadvertantly puching yourself in the nuts during a title fight. Priceless.

  • Retro_ #32 2 years ago

    Too much lag in my arms never mind Kinect !

  • Brizzo #33 2 years ago

    @Shikasama... thanks for taking that one. -BH