Nintendo's Punch-Out!! Series May Be Dead And Buried For Good

Wouldn’t Nintendo remove the original NES game from the NSO if stereotyped characters is a big concern?

I really hope this is just a whispered rumor!
I wouldn't think at a post-Arms Nintendo, they'd be in a rush to make a new Punch Out. But hopefully down the line they could get a studio that isn't Next Level Games to whip something up. Punch Out 99, anyone? Maybe Arms-Out?

I would rather the Wii version get a Switch/Switch 2 re-release.

A shame really, since the Wii one is really good boss rush game and my favourite Punch-Out.

I loved Super Punch Out! on the SNES which I only discovered and played through in the last 5 years. Would be a shame not to resurrect this series again in the future

I truly feel like that nintendo can do a modern day punch out game with out the cartoon style stereotypes by just making some new original characters and include some of the original nes characters but remake them to be more culturally accurate to their specific country of origin. And as for the game play style just keep it the same with some sort of new twist like a new art style or new interesting gameplay mechanics.

This doesn't sound like a very credible rumor to me. For one thing, Street Fighter exists, and for another, not like it's stopped them from putting the old games on the Switch or from having Spirits of those versions of the characters in Ultimate.

That said I've really never especially cared about Punch Out anyway.

Wii punch out was amazing!
Also his smashbros appearance was hype!

So figure Luigi's Manion 4 is in the works rather than a new Punch-Out right now?

@LadyCharlie Honestly Punch out 99 sounds like an interesting idea for nintendo to go after with their old dead franchises, anyone up for a Star Fox 99 style game based on the muitl player mode from the 64 game 🎮....

I... don't care that much, as long as we get a new ARMS game instead. 🤷🏽

While Punch-Out was never intend to be a success in Nintendo's eyes it at least help get them known in the west back then when Iron Mike Tyson help to promote the first console game. My hope is that like Kid Icarus, 1080, Advance Wars, Dr. Mario, Panel de Pon, and F-Zero that they return to make something new with the IP every once and a while.

@Nintendomatt64 @LadyCharlie I am always down for more "99" titles! Still waiting on Sper Mario 99 to return for the 40th...

@Magician Yeah I'd say that's more likely considering the fact that Luigi's Mansion 3 did pretty well on switch 🤔.....

You lost me when you said they were drunk...

The stereotypes in Punch Out are part of what makes it so fun. Especially in the Wii game everything was so exaggerated and ridiculous that you had to laugh.

People nowadays would have a breakdown if they tried anything like Punch Out Wii again though so maybe it’s best they leave it be.

with today modern audience, that feel hurt for everything, i would be nearly impossible to have a new Punch-Out, without risking insulting anyone.

...Considering the fact that Punch-Out characters were considered for ARMS at one point, pretty sure that's an indication of Nintendo maintaining interest in the series. They also seem willing to revive virtually any IP - if anything's off-limits, it's going to be stuff like Time Twist, not Punch-Out.

After playing all the games in the series minus Arm Wrestling, I'm convinced the stereotypes are part of Punch-Out!!'s identity. Remove that and you're left with the gameplay, which while good, may not be as good without the humorous characters.

Having said that, I understand that making a Punch-Out!! with the stereotypes intact seems a bit harder these days.

Imagine taking a supposed "drunk developer" as a source? Hahahahaha. Punch Out will come out again, only God knows when.

Back in the day I beat Tyson's Punch Out and Super Punch Out and really liked what I played of Wii Punch Out, so I'd be sad to see the series end. It wouldn't be surprising, though, given the humorous caricatures that are probably too edgy in this PC age. They lampooned everyone, all types of races and cultures, so at least they were fair! But that does not fly nowadays.

I wonder if that risk of backlash was part of the reason that Nintendo pulled ARMS out of their magic hat - the fantasy designs in that game are family-friendly enough.

As we weigh the end of Little Mac & friends, I propose a toast to our comrades Soda Popinkski and his big brother Vodka Drunkenski.

The best way to make a new Punch-Out!! is by focusing on new characters. My one nitpick with POWii is that Disco Kid was the only new face in the entire cast.

Even some characters maybe shouldn't come back, that shouldn't stop them from making a game at all.

@slowpoke_tail Absolutely! Still mad that one comic series never happened.

As much as it hurts to say, I genuinely think ARMS has more potential as a franchise.

I would love to see more and new games in Punch-Out!

The reasons listed in the article sound like nonsense. More likely, Nintendo is using its vast gaming resources to put out more popular and profitable franchises than Punch-Out .

I don’t really buy this, as it’s not like Nintendo has distanced themselves from the Punch-Out series. Both the NES and SNES titles are on NSO, and plenty of the characters in their Wii format are spirits in Smash.
If some of the more iffy caricatures were removed or smoothed out, I don’t think anyone would complain.
It would also require the general public to notice an element of Punch-Out besides Tyson, so I think we’re okay.

The Magypsies supposedly being the reason Mother 3 was never localized turned out to be BS so I do not believe this rumor at all

I do love the Wii Punch Out, but did realize during a recent playthrough that basically every character you fight is very stereotyped. They are all kind of charicatures anyway with their country of origin being the only thing known about them, so they used that to build their personalities. And while I still enjoyed and found it comical without it intending to be offensive, I think nowadays it would get huge backlash if Nintendo ever re-released it.

Only people from USofA would complain about something like this.

They are the ones that complained against Smash Bros. "stereotypes" too.

I agree it’s just not got enough game to sell at £40 anymore. But I could see it form part of a collection eg a Nintendo treasures type collection with other titles not quite worthy of a full stand along title anymore.

@slowpoke_tail

Am I crazy for wanting a crossover game? I feel like Nintendo has two franchises they are sitting on with two rabid fan bases, they may as well just moosh them together and make a decent crossover somehow.

I know it’s not perfect but I worry we aren’t getting Punch Out or Arms anytime soon if neither are announced as a launch title for Switch 2. But hopefully I’m just a negative Nancy and proven wrong!

@LexKitteh yep, I totally see Nintendo not viewing it as worth the trouble in 2025. Best I hope for is a digital only remaster release with the doc Louis feature added in, released under the radar lol. But with the amount of time people invest in online complaining I could see Nintendo writing it off as not worth the bad PR.

Garbage politically "correct" (yet hypocritical) world we now live in.

I put as much faith in the words of a drunk resetera user as i put in any of the three branches of the United States Federal government.

People really like to equate dormant to dead and buried. This is speculative nonsense. Nintendo doesn't just pump out new titles from all their properties on fixed schedules. If a series hasn't gotten a game in a while it means they're waiting for appealing marketing conditions and probably some creative spark to reinvigorate the concept.

What am I not getting? The gameplay looks boring and the characters look lame. And that’s not because some “woke” thing. The characters are so unimaginative and cliche I rather they make a Dog Man boxing game.

Get capcom to make it. They still stereotype their characters in SF but at least make them cool. I vote for Piston Honda to be a Ryu expy. (I mean he kinda is but make it really on the nose).

A sad day if true, Punch Out it's/ was a series that if Nintendo took more care off, would be selling in the millions (same fate as Metroid, wasn't made by Miyamoto = not worth taking care off)

Like many I would rather see other Nintendo franchises get new titles on Switch 2. But I'd also rather see Mike Tyson fight Little Mac than a Youtuber.

Understandable. In this day and age, Punch-Out strays to close to sociably questionable boundaries. What was considered ok back in the 80s-2000s when the prior games came out just would not fly in today's landscape. For those that recall, something as small as Mr. Game and Watch having a certain move taunt in Smash Bros got a lot of flak to the point it had to be removed despite it showing up in the original game back in the 1980s. But it is a crying shame, there are few games that match the puzzle-fighter genre that Punch-Out had. The only game that came somewhat close to channeling the Punch-Out spirit was the indie game Pato Box

A new Chibi Robo over Punch Out?

What is wrong with you? New Punch Out any day!

Punch-Out is the Nintendo tentpole that almost kinda was. Hope it gets the movie treatment someday.

lol load of nonsense

Sad but true. A game like Punch-Out would receive tons of backlash in today’s overly sensitive society. I can imagine an entertainment company wouldn’t dare to burn its fingers on it.

It’s a shame, because the stereotypes were really fun characters that made the game shine.

I personally really liked ARMS, so at least we have something kind of similar. Sure, it's not the same, but still a lot of fun.

@LadyCharlie eh, no thanks. I don't think Punch-Out(or most other games for that matter) would benefit from being given the 99 treatment.

Stereotypes have always been part of Punch-Out!!'s character design.
So maybe it's better then to leave it behind and better that if Nintendo wants another boxing game, come up with another franchise.

"Said it on ResetEra."

Come on, 99% of the backlash against that game probably came FROM ResetEra.

It would just need some creative marketing and a few small cuts and changes to character names…

…I’m thinking if they change the name of the main character to “Little Maga” they could leave the rest of the game pretty much as is.

I've never been a big fan of the Punch-Out gameplay, personally. What resonated with me was the humorous cultural stereotypes, so if they made a new Punch-Out game that removed those, it would be devoid of anything interesting for me, personally.

Given the events of the past couple years, I think people are finally coming to the realization that overzealous political correctness and the constant need to walk on eggshells makes life tedious and miserable. Not saying we should deliberately try to offend people. But we all need to laugh at ourselves every once in a while.

As an Appalachian, I would be honored to see my people stereotyped in Punch-Out. I've got a few character concepts here, ahem... Redneck Randy. Hillbilly Hank, Methhead Melvin, Food Stamp Frank, uh... Glenn Cestuous.

Feels like Wii Punch-Out actually did a decent job finding balance between a stereotype and caricature. And it's not like Nintendo has left the series dead and buried if they're referencing it in the Mario movie of all things (and celebrated in Smash).

This rumor doesnt feel like it has much legs, given how hard it can be to predict Nintendo's next moves. You'd be convinced a franchise was long dead, only to drop out of nowhere during a random Direct.

I love PUNCH-OUT!! as a series. The Wii version was probably the best we could have hoped for in terms of a new entry. I can always boot it up on the old WiiU for a go, but I do look forward to some sort of revival (unless ARMS really was supposed to be the new PUNCH-OUT!!).

Is there any way to quantify this so called "backlash"? From what I remember, there were only one or two scathing reviews at the time, likely written more for engagement than out of genuine dissatisfaction from the authors.

If a new one were released today, the most probable outcome would be a week's worth of fabricated outrage, which the average consumer, disconnected from the constant buzz of the internet, would remain completely unaware of. After that, life would go on, and the game would ultimately succeed on its own merits.

Besides, I don't see how this game is any more offensive than Street Fighter, which has characters like E. Honda, Dhalsim, and Zangief, who are all stereotypes as well, and nobody seems to care.

The truth is, Nintendo is probably just sitting on it like all their other niche IPs outside of Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon, because it didn't sell that well at only around 1.7 million copies

"I got someone from, let's say a studio close to Punch-Out, drunk at a bar..."

Uhhhh... okay then! I still want an HD remake of the Wii version, though. I remember a video on YouTube by Gaijin Goombah, who talked about the positive characteristics of the Wii Punch-Out characters (except for Super Macho Man and Aran Ryan, who were total jerks), as well as the attention to detail in the languages they spoke.

So, if this is true, it makes me sad, because the Wii Punch-Out did so much right in trying to avoid negative stereotypes.

First I've heard of any backlash over the character design. I highly doubt that's the reason we haven't seen a sequel.

This feels...untrue? Like it doesn't seem very Nintendo logic to me. The poor sales probably did it, but that other stuff just seems like a standard gamer fantasy of "the woke" killing franchises.

That being said, I'm also of the opinion that not every franchise needs to be revived. Companies should be allowed to grow and change over time and make new things without being chained to the past all the time. So even if this isn't true, it's fine if there's no more Punch Out. (But that being said it's also fine if they give the IP to a fresh dev who has a good idea what to do with it too. I just like new ideas, honestly.)

Why do people ALWAYS assume with stuff like this that just because theyve had stereotypes means they're just. dead. like they're gone forever theyre some cursed ancient eldritch mothdronaruian demon artifact you can't touch or else curse the human realm forever. Literally making a punch-out game without stereotypes is the easiest thing in the world, just lean into the absurdity with characters like Alice and Ape III and Mad Clown. It is such a non-issue that's insanely easy to fix and I can guarantee you that it sure ain't the reason Nintendo hasn't touched the franchise for so long, they embrace and flaunt mario enemies and baddies constantly and you could argue a lot of those goobers have the rubberhose donut lips initially popularized by menstrel shows and the like, but they still use them because it's literally a massive non issue that affects noone. The reason they likely haven't touched punch-out in so long is because they simply view it like F-Zero; a franchise they still value as part of their company, but don't see any reason to give it new entries as their other fighting style games like kirby clash, smash bros, and all the fist swinging boxing sport games are more popular. It's unfortunate, yes, but it's also just how companies work with their IPs. And it's not like Punch-Out is dead forever or smth, people were saying Metroid was dead for good during the 2010's, only for nintendo to pull the insane triple whammy with dread, prime remastered, and Prime 4 with Sylux as the main villain. I'm positive someday we'll see Punch-Out make a comeback, it's just Nintendo is more interested in doing other stuff currently. It's nothing deeper than that and it certainly isn't because of the wii game having the tamest stereotypes I've ever seen in a piece of media, that's for sure lol.

Also like. Come on now be FR. A drunk, now-long ex employee of the studio who made a wii game almost like 15 years ago now is never going to be a remotely reliable source, "My dad's friend worked as a janitor in George Lucas' mansion" level BS right there😂

I could see them turning Punch Out into a bit more of a story involved game (not TOO heavily), where you follow Little Mac and his journey to the top, and all the struggles along the way. The matches would still be the main course, but it could give the game some more tasty meat.

That said, I never found stereotypes to be that big of a deal to get one's panties all twisted over. It's just a silly gag. Who cares? Frankly, I'd be honored if there'd be a boxer in there who entered the ring with wooden shoes, a big cheese wheel on his head, wearing a tulip and windmill style boxing shorts, and had a typical Dutch folklore tune as his theme song. It's funny. Not offensive.

Why not make a new Punch Out with a brand new cast of opponents then? The Wii game was great for brining the classic NES opponents to life with such a beautiful modern presentation, but since we've already had that, there's no reason to keep using the classic characters, is there?

The poor sales compared to other Next Level Games projects was probably the actual nail in the coffin. It’s the kind of series that will always be a legacy title but that doesn’t necessarily justify a brand new entry. And the 80s-90s stereotypes are part of the legacy.

The NES original holds up great as a lightning-fast single player arcade/puzzle experience, on CRT with zero input lag. To make it more accessible and multiplayer, the ARMS format makes way more sense.

Everyone talking about the characters being stereotypes as a negative needs to touch grass. They're harmless and fun.

Now, why the series might deserve to be dead is because that Wii Punch Out had the audacity to be a full-priced game instead of a WiiWare title.

Considering Nintendo did a great job with the cast of Arms, I think they'd be more than capable of making a new Punch-Out game without the stereotypes. Hell, you could bring back all the old boxers and NOT make them stereotypes anymore. Look at at what Capcom has done with its Street Fighter cast. Sticking with Nintendo, look at the great work they did with the supporting cast of Splatoon. Imagine a new Punch-Out game with that same kind of energy and diversity. It's entirely possible, I'm just saying.

To my knowledge, there is no other game quite like Punch-Out so it seems silly to can it.

@Wakkawipeout Speaking of Arms, I always felt that was the "spiritual successor" of the Punch-Out series!

No lie, I spent the past week watching Punch Out footage on YouTube. (Particularly, Maximilian Dood's streams.) And I just kept thinking, what a great series. So much potential. Would have been great to see as a generational system seller. And it never made ANY sense that a new one wasn't made for Switch.

...Idk. I feel they could easily fix up any stereotyping issues, IF that's the primary reason new sequels haven't been made. Just refine the classic characters a tad while focusing on new ones. But what a shame if THAT is the reason Punch Out has been kept on the shelf.

Well, if you ask me, it's highly unlikely that we'll see another Punch-Out!! game, but not because of stereotypes. Nintendo always likes to experiment with gameplay, and if they can't come up with a fun new gameplay gimmick, they basically put the entire franchise on the back burner. It's what they did with F-Zero until F-Zero 99 came out. It's also why they didn't put a Star Fox game on the Wii.

The issue with Punch-Out!! is the fact that there really isn't much room to introduce new gameplay gimmicks. If anything, ARMS was a spiritual successor to Punch-Out!!, but even then, there's little they can do with introducing new gimmicks to that game as well. I guarantee you, even Nintendo, as creative as they can be, will eventually run out of new ways for people to play games.

Wish they would port the Wii version to Switch. Genuinely loved this game.

It’s absolutely more about sales potential and the core gameplay being too simple for its own good, could have existed as a cheap download only series but Nintendo isn’t very interested in doing stuff like that so its dead in the water.

Thats nothing. I got all the NL staff drunk and they told me everyone who's commented so far is a 'funkin' whiny buncha coats who talk a load of ship' or something along those lines*

Ok, but seriously if they made a new one with a new cast, you can bet there'd be a backlash from some that 'it doesn't include all the favourites so its no longer Punch-Out!!' or any other route i could imagine. During the Pokémon gigaleak, I noticed Nintendo and TPCi have been making an effort to make sure representation is handled well. I guess Nintendo would be damned if they do, damned if they don't. Personally, the NES, SNES and Wii versions still exist and the series is represented in a manner of ways in Smash so its legacy exists no matter what.

*obviously this is a joke but really i wouldn't blame them if they thought it sometimes 😛

@axelhander Media is a powerful thing that actually can shape the way we think and look at the world. It's easy to say stereotypes are harmless, but ask yourself what group are you in the first place?

If you are among the majority then stereotypes might mean nothing. If you are a minority well that can actually vary and have an effect. If media constantly depicts one group in a negative way, then over time one can start to actually believe it to be true.

Stereotypes do actually have a harmful and negative effect on those who are stereotyped. To pretend is doesn't is strange. As a minority in America, I lived through it and still do. From the harmless to the worst of it.

@Axecon

"For those that recall, something as small as Mr. Game and Watch having a certain move taunt in Smash Bros got a lot of flak to the point it had to be removed despite it showing up in the original game back in the 1980s."

(suggestion: explain the "move taunt" mentioned here)

@Mario500 This article from Polygon does a pretty good job at explaining the situation better than I could. https://www.polygon.com/2018/11/7/18071936/super-smash-bros-ultimate-mr-game-watch-racist-move

I am all for removing stereotypes and making sure culturally insensitive material is removed or not put into a game. You will never see me argue that.

I will argue this particular story just sounds like hearsay or just barroom chit chat that isn't necessarily the truth or entirely accurate to what is going.

Like it was said in the article, developing a new one without those stereotypes is the obvious answer. I suspect Nintendo probably just don't see the audience for it. Though I like to think if you created a fun, exceptional experience, you might grow or develop an audience.

The Wii game is so well made i don't know how they could improve upon it. Just give us an HD port on Switch.

As for stereotypes... people need to lighten up. Stereotypes exist for a reason, and people of various ethnicities frequently make fun of their own cultural stereotypes. Big deal.

I would Ike to see ARMS 2 for Switch 2 and new Kick boxing games like K-1 Grand Prix.

I really liked the game on Wii. That Disco character was my favorite at the time.

The Wii game is one of the very few ones where all characters spoke in their own languages without having a forced accent, grammatical error and they all were done in a good way. Think of it like Street Fighter IV or Team Fortress 2 characters, they all came from various places in the world with their own cultural quirks yet still were good characters with an actual personality beyond these.

Yeah, I'm very skeptical of this. I don't think Nintendo would kill the series over racial stereotypes. (I mean, their mascot is literally an Italian stereotype.)

The gameplay in Punch-Out just doesn't cut it today as a major release. Hardly was justified even in the Wii era. It's just way too simple of a premise for a modern game.
So yes we will never see a new entry in the franchise, but not because of stereotypes ...

"I got someone from, let's say a studio close to Punch-Out, drunk at a bar once and asked about a new one."

Amazing journalism. Give him the Pulitzer.

Come to think of it, if Punch-Out!! is out of the question, maybe they could do LEGS (the follow-up to ARMS) or the return of Teleroboxer, remember that one?

As others have said, if my country (Mexico) was represented in Punch-Out!!, the last thing I'd be is offended. I know Masked Muscle exists, but I'm referring to Poncho Pedro, who has a mustache and wears a sombrero and a poncho. When you punch him, tacos come flying the same way sushi comes from Piston Hondo or money from Super Macho Man. His Bout theme would be a mariachi rendition of the Punch-Out!! theme.

I honestly was (and still am) dying for a Switch port of Punch-Out!!! (Wii). It had it’s flaws but it’s still a really fun game. I don’t’ see much chance of a new game, though. Although, that would be great. I’m also just gonna throw out that I’d rather have a new Star Fox than a new F-Zero. Though I haven’t really played F-Zero that much. If I ever pay for the NSO Expansion version again, I will be sure to check out F-Zero X ( the original wasn’t very appealing). F-Zero 99 also looks fun. Still, I’d take Star Fox over F-Zero. Speaking of Zero, where’s Mega Man 12/Mega Man X9/ Mega Man Legends 3/ Mega Man ZX (subtitle)?

@Edu23XWiiU
Agreed. Journalism fail. Click bait.
Edit: I mean by the Twitter person, not Nintendo life.

I mean the arcade games were the worst and they are on arcade archives.

Oh, FFS. Now Punch-Out's cancelled?

Are you guys trying to ruin 2025 before it's even begun?

The fact that this drunken hearsay was published at all will only serve to generate "controversy" that would otherwise have never existed and risks further jeopardising the future of the series (which wasn't exactly shining bright to begin with).

And let me guess, even the most grotesque and unflattering of European stereotypes are fair game, but God forbid that any form of media features any comical Asian or African stereotypes. 🙄 It's absolutely ridiculous that anybody in their right mind would find something to be offended about when all of the characters are so cartoonishly over-the-top.

Welcome to 2025, where "Punch-Out" is deemed "problematic". 🤦🏻‍♂️

Which caracters nowadays arent stereotypical or ofend someone ?

Drunk hearsay, sure. Characters sigh. I mean ideas wise Punchout can go many directions, cartoony/realistic, gameplay ideas, F Zero GX type interviews (cough F Zero out of ideas aka sales)/minigame like Rhythm Heaven Fever had a wrestler with a reporter minigame,, good too.

Then again how many Retro studios projects went nowhere.

Quirks/nonsensical things for characters could apply. Rhythm Boxing/Nintendo Switch/Wii Sports.

Ah Teleroboxer/Arms take. Something different. Tentacles, slime or tails. Hmm. What texture/material?

Upgrades, different animations.

No wonder no Disaster Day of Crisis too silly to revive/forgotten.

Why not like Theme/Two Point Hospital does fake diseases/sicknesses. But I doubt it.

I don't mind quirks on reality but prefer fiction.

Is there a rule in Punchout development it 'has' to reference reality? Who says? Nintendo? I know for Metroid Prime devs said what lines it had to fit so I get why, but does Punchout?

If something like Kingsley's Adventure can have a coffee/tea drinkers (I think it was) quest/town, why not. It's super silly. Sure Soda Pop but I mean.

That Theme/Two Point Hospital thing came to me just as quick as Foamstars game modes did. Just think a bit of how to present them, maybe even a robot, pencil drawing, hologram, dark Little Mac, anything is possible.

Or do they 'have to be human' or close to reality?

I get stereotypes but I mean just don't have real countries, have fictional locations/countries/towns, backstory about them, & special moves in bios.They do in many games, like fake cars designs in many racing games (sure no magic power they run on but I mean people could if they think hard enough). Valkyria Chronicles & Advance Wars Reboot Camp are fictional countries/power source. Offer fictional ideas then real world connections as a base.

Why does it take me no time at all to think about this but many can't even have it cross their mind?

It's like the Ratchet 3 crates, regular/bomb box, how is a x2 bolt multipler & wrench power up are so hard for them to come up with? Stealth box on PS3. Strong ones used in 1 game only. The 'oh were out of box ideas' idiots. That dev deserved the beer after the bet because other devs were just not thinking enough, prototyping/rushed game (MP limited things) that landed well with audiences aside. (Useless Podcasts YT). It's moments like this why I laugh. Time/ideas.

Not saying my ideas are good or boosting my ego, they aren't. Thinking outside the box/Nintendo's IP limits. It's not hard to have an imagination as an adult? Give me Minecraft Cauldron in Nether logic or liquid XP machines (my mod idea) any day. Or block/tofu to squids in Splatoon. Thinking smart about creativity no matter how silly it is.

Couldn't care when based on reality, doesn't immerse me more compared to gameplay, I couldn't care in the slightest but for some reason people seem to because they lack better ideas or think it's artistic or whatever.

I couldn't care less what war, what car, what brand/product, whatever it's related, make it up. It's a video game seriously, think better about these things.

Or is it audiences have no imagination so devs have to limit things for audiences to immersive/it's too weird. Sigh wouldn't surprise me.

Sure it's boxing but it's cartoony. There is a lot of flexibility there. They don't have to be based around some European country or some Asian or whichever. Make it up. Or is that too hard? Do audiences have to relate too much?

Let's hope that one person is wrong.

Just my thoughts about the Punch Out!! series:

NES Mike Tysons Punch Out was and still is among my top 5 NES games. It was a HUGE groundbreaking game when it came. Absolutely amazing game! 10/10

SNES Super Punch Out was great! Nice graphics and gameplay. But it wasn’t that special compared to other games in 1994. But I still love it. 9/10.

Wii Punch Out. Obviously the best looking game in the trilogy. But the time has passed and while it is a great game it feels very old school. 8/10.

I wish there will come another Punch Out game, as it is one of my top 10 favorite game franchises!

Perhaps this is just me coping, but I really doubt this rumour is true. It's giving the same energy as "my uncle works at Nintendo, trust me bro."

I loved Punch Out as a series. Every year that goes without a new entry is a punch in the gut for me. The NES version was one of the first video games I ever played in my entire life. All the characters are lovable, it's my favourite part. Bear Hugger is just the best, and I'm saying that as a Canadian. Even the worst offenders like Great Tiger have personalities besides their nationality. He has funny conversations with his clones and aspires to have a rap career despite lacking any trace of talent. They did research to make sure the characters speak their languages correctly. Piston Hondo speaks in a poetic dialect, introducing himself with what samurai would say before battle. That's a great touch! Again, I think it's done respectfully.

As already noted above, Nintendo wouldn't even be running older entries on NSO if they gave a hoot about design controversies here. Chances are the series just sank down the priority pipeline with the company exploring other variably similar venues like ARMS and Ring Fit Adventure.

I guess if they were worried about stereotypes then they wouldn't continue to even have access to the Punch-Out!! games currently. They easily could come out with a new Punch-Out!! game that doesn't tick any offensive stereotypical checkboxes. So I'll take this information with a grain of salt.

Amazing series. Its a shame that if another punch out wasn't green lit sometime.

A drunk guy that was in the industry 15 years ago. Are we seriously doing this level of BS now?

Let's face it nobody should report on something that obviously crap and the only reason why it's being blown out of proportion like that is because we've got a whole very vocal minority of alt right weirdos that simply can't pass such an opportunity to call anything they can woke and the end of civilization. Let's not go there and apply common sense to our journalism please.

EDIT : also I did not even hear of a backlash when the Wii game came out and I was a huge vg nerd back in the days so geeze must have a real hot topic out there!

And finally isn't ARMS the follow up to Punch Out? It definitely is and it's an awesome game at that so let's get more arms with maybe some crossover characters to celebrate the legacy? Somebody mentioned Arms Out what an excellent idea and a great way out of this non issue.

Punch Out without stereotypes would be uninteresting and not worth it.

I like the wii game, I hope at least nintendo remaster it for switch 1 or 2, just add 1080p and 60 fps.

@steely_pete Yup, and I don't think anybody mind the stereotypes, same with street fighter series.

"Someone from, let's say" is a credible source these days?

The stereotypes got me to listen to Soda Popinski’s choral version of the Punch-Out!! music in the Wii game, and for that I’m forever grateful. ❤️

Its the stereotypes of the characters which helps give the game so much charm. People really need to stop looking for offence in everything.

Punch Out was “dead” until Next Level Games explicitly requested to work on it. If you’re not a tentpole Nintendo franchise, you kind of need someone to champion you to see any sort of update. Metroid has Sakamoto, Pikmin has Miyamoto etc.

Hoping at least for a remaster or being put in a Wii NSO.

What is a good stereotype?

The characters are a huge part of the charm for punch out!! Hope to see the gang again soon

Love to read all the positive comments regarding ARMS, having had so much fun with this game. Would love a sequel, I think there's so much potential and also room for improvement.
Punch Out on the other hand isn't something I've played enough to really care. I did get the Wii game on the Wii U, but still need to give it a try!

they're in a lose-lose situation:

a) stick with the stereotypes, get called out by one side for persisting cultural stereotypes, then the other side pile on defending the stereotypes
b) create new characters, get called out by one side for rewriting history, then the other side pile on defending the changes

either way they get roped into it and end up playing right into the hands of those who want these ridiculous culture wars to continue.

therefore they're better off sidestepping the issue for now and concentrating on other projects.

I feel like it would be easy to just find another way to design unique boxers to sidestep the issue. Like have them all be themed based on stuff like animals, food, elements, etc. I think as long as the gameplay is good and the new characters are fun most people won't care.
Silly thought: have them be based on Nintendo hardware. The first boss is Mr. U or The incredible virtual boy.

ARMS is proof of this potential in my opinion as they have a set of bizarre and unique fighters that don't revolve around pre-existing stereotypes.

This article is complete nonsense.

Or, perhaps, we can let the PC crowd stuff their ideology where the sun don't shine and just enjoy video games.

After all, these people complain the loudest but often never buy the products they complain about.

Ya know as a mixed race person who's been playing games since its beginning I believe stereotypical characters are just part of the game's charm and those who are offended need to get a life.

I have family from Jamaica and found Bob Charlie from Super Punch Out to be hilarious. Stereotypes are not meant to be taken seriously and I think there are ways to do it in a Punch-Out sequel.

For instance, companies are protected by law for doing parodies. So having boxers that represent caricatures of famous celebrities would be a great way for the Punch-Out series to evolve.

Just imagine having to box against WVBA fighters that resemble P. Diddy, Kanye West, R. Kelly, Donald Trump, Hulk Hogan, Vladimir Putin, Elton John etc. If they stick to celebrity caricatures, the series could easily live on imo.

All I want is a new F-Zero featuring the cast of Punch-out.

@Turbo857 I agreed until you said P Diddy. After what happened, putting him in anything would result in more backlash than Concord.