Halfbrick Studios announced Thrill of the Fight 2 this weekend, which the studio will co-develop alongside the original’s sole developer Ian Fitz.
The original Thrill of the Fight, developed by Ian Fitz, is one of the most engaging and successful boxing games available on VR headsets. Three years ago, Fitz said that he was in the very early stages of “trying to start a sequel” to Thrill of the Fight, but said it was still too early to know what it might look like. The sequel is now being co-developed by Fitz and Halfbrick Studios. The latter is primarily known for popular mobile releases such as Jetpack Joyride and Fruit Ninja, alongside Fruit Ninja VR and the upcoming sequel, Fruit Ninja VR 2.
In a video announcing Thrill of the Fight 2 (embedded above), Halfbrick stated that it will be “co-developing with the original creator Ian at every step until launch and beyond” and that the partnership will see them “combining [their] joint knowledge, passion and vision of where the game needs to go to ensure it’s a worthy sequel.”
Six years on from the original’s release, Halfbrick says that “players needs have evolved.” The studio outlined plans to stay true to the original’s authentic mechanics in the sequel, while also making some adjustments:
“Although what makes the first game great is the authentic nature of the gameplay, we feel there’s plenty of room to improve the mechanics to make fights feel more fair and more realistic. If you are landing the bigger combinations and blows, you should be winning the match. Improving the audio and visual feedback in the game will let players know how effectively they’re dealing strikes, allowing them to make adjustments mid-fight to get the win.”
The other big addition in the sequel will be support for multiplayer, allowing players to virtually compete against each other in the ring.
Halfbrick Studios gave no details on platforms or a release window for the upcoming sequel – keep your eyes peeled for more details in the future.
