Ladies and Gentleman, introducing the new boxing game in town from 2K Sports Don King Presents Prizefighter for the Xbox 360. What you are about to read is from the live conference call today with executive producer Matthew Seymour, Don King and Larry Holmes. Joystickwidow.com invited me to sit in on this interview and I want to thank them for the opportunity. We are presenting this cooperatively so it is a little different than our normal interviews or coverage of conference calls. I also want to thank Chase at AccessPR for arranging the call.

You may have read about Don King presents Prizefighter or may even have seen a little footage. It certainly is an interesting concept for the boxing genre. It is being billed as an interactive documentary with the emphasis on the real life of the sport. Don King gave hours to the team talking about his own experiences. I grew up watching Don spin his magic of words and without a doubt he knows the sport. Both Joystickwidow.com and Xboxsolution.com was asked to provide a few questions. Throughout this recap I’ll place in the questions where I think they fit most.

Asked by Joystickwidow.comTo: Don King

Q: Is there one thing in particular you look for in a young boxer to know whether they will have the possibility to become one of “The Greats”?

A: Mind over matter is really the key. If he has the physical attributes but not the mentality, he will not be able to be a great boxer.

Throughout the call everyone kept using the words a “real experience”. It’s not just in the ring or the training that will make up the career mode. Money, women, fame and records are just as important in creating the “real experience”. Gamers will interact with the AI characters throughout the 30-35 hours+ single player mode including Don King himself. Of course you will get a chance to play as Larry Holmes or any of the fighters in the game. 2K wanted to give boxing fans more than just the fighting and it sounds like a cool concept. It will also have an online mode with a ranking system. You can even have a stable of fighters meaning if you start out as a heavyweight, you can then train and go through the middle weight ranks and so on.

Asked by Xboxsolution.com

To: Larry Holmes

Q: Is there any one fighter you regret never fighting if so who and why?

A: I wanted to fight George Forman. I have always wished Don King would have arranged that fight. I know deep down I could have beat the man and always regretted not having that chance. George knew he couldn’t beat me and I wanted to prove that to myself. The one thing that is great about the game is that you have the chance to prove yourself in the game. It’s a lesson in real life and that is what the game is all about.

Larry Holmes comments to each of the questions asked to him had a theme and it wasn’t hype of for show. The man kept saying you have to believe in yourself, your talents and fight for them while keeping a cool head. He spoke about his fight with Gerry Cooney and the fact the crowd was against him due to the fact he was a black man. His short recap of that fight and what he went through was really something and he ended it by saying he had to keep a cool head if he was going to beat the man. It sounds like the game is promising to give gamers a realistic game while still making it fun for the casual gamer to play as well. You may have heard rumors that the blood effects were removed to keep the T rating. This is not true; they just don’t make it a main focus.

Asked by Joystickwidow.com

To: The Developers

Q: In working with Mr. King, what did you find to be the hardest item or request to implement in the game?

A: Taking the hours and hours of stories from Don King and then trying to add them into the game. It was a real challenge due to some of the adult content that the stories had.

Matthew made it clear that Don King was hands-on and had a vision of what he wanted. They also made no bones about talking a little smack about going up against “The other guy” by saying “we bring a more realistic and total boxing game to the Xbox 360″. The team wanted as much experience as possible so they brought on members of the studio that worked on the Rocky games. You really can’t have an interview about boxing without a little smack talk, but 2K seems very confident that Prizefighter is what boxing fans are waiting for.

Asked by Xboxsolution.com

To: Don King

Q: You are so well known in the world of boxing with that in mind what were a few things you knew you had to have in the game? Example effects or certain fighters etc and do you feel that you accomplished those things with the game now that it is finished?

A: The emulation of the real life of a boxer feeling the emotion and what the physical experience is all about. A real non-censored view of the sport of boxing is the key to the game. I wanted to bring the truth of the sport alive for the first time. What it takes to be a champion is what I wanted to really emphasis.

It was very interesting to hear all the questions and unfortunately, time was limited. I took away some key things from the conference call. 2K is proud of this new boxing game and thinks it has what it takes to be a hit with gamers. Will it be the ultimate boxing game? I can’t predict that but I am certainly interested on playing the game when it hits next week. Feel free to post comments on our forums and I will do my best to answer anything I can. I have always said competition is good for the gaming industry and it looks like 2K is coming out swinging.

Written by Charlie McCracken and Rich Reed

Filed under: Interviews • News • Xbox 360

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