Dimps, Nishiyama\\'s company, recently released Freedom Wars Remastered in January 2025, a reworking of a PlayStation Vita game for modern consoles. According to Alalshikh\\'s tweet, development on the new boxing game is set to begin soon.

The Saudi Arabian royal family has shown a growing interest in Japan\\'s gaming industry. In April 2024, it was announced that the Saudi Crown Prince\\'s foundation had acquired 100% of the shares of Japanese game company SNK. The Ring Magazine has also been involved in promoting SNK\\'s upcoming game, Fatal Fury: City of Wolves, through a boxing match collaboration at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on April 26, 2025. Nishiyama, who previously worked at SNK in the 1990s, is known for creating the Fatal Fury series and contributing to other flagship SNK titles like Metal Slug and King of Fighters.

The 10 Best Fighting Games

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Japanese fans have expressed a mix of surprise and curiosity about the The Ring x Dimps collaboration. Reactions range from enthusiastic exclamations of \\\"What?!! I want to play it!\\\" to anticipation about the final product. X user @ryo_redcyclone, known for his Street Fighter content, commented on the news, reflecting on Nishiyama\\'s past work: \\\"Commenting on the first Street Fighter, Nishiyama said: \\'I chose to focus on street fighting because established sports are restricted by rules.\\' This time he is making a game based on boxing, a sport with rules, so I’m curious to see how it will turn out.\\\"

There is some concern among fans about whether the structured rules of boxing will limit Nishiyama\\'s creative freedom, especially given the unconventional characters and moves seen in his previous fighting games. For instance, Street Fighter\\'s Balrog, a Mike Tyson lookalike, uses moves like kicks and the Buffalo Head, which clearly violate professional boxing rules. It will be fascinating to see if The Ring and Dimps\\' new boxing game opts for a realistic portrayal of the sport or if it will break the rules in true Nishiyama fashion.

Home News Street Fighter Creator's Saudi-Backed Boxing Game: Japanese Fans' Reaction

Street Fighter Creator's Saudi-Backed Boxing Game: Japanese Fans' Reaction

Author : Harper Update : May 14,2025

Exciting news for gaming and boxing enthusiasts alike: Takashi Nishiyama, the legendary creator behind Street Fighter, is teaming up with The Ring magazine to develop a brand new boxing game. This collaboration was announced by Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, on his official X account. Alalshikh, who acquired The Ring in November 2024, shared that the untitled game will feature original characters and leverage the combined expertise of The Ring's boxing authority and Dimps' extensive experience in game development.

Together with legendary Japanese video game designer Takashi Nishiyama, I am proud to announce a forthcoming boxing game presented by The Ring featuring original characters.

This strategic partnership between myself and Nishiyama brings together our unmatched authority in… pic.twitter.com/LRWyyZzkpz
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) May 5, 2025

Dimps, Nishiyama's company, recently released Freedom Wars Remastered in January 2025, a reworking of a PlayStation Vita game for modern consoles. According to Alalshikh's tweet, development on the new boxing game is set to begin soon.

The Saudi Arabian royal family has shown a growing interest in Japan's gaming industry. In April 2024, it was announced that the Saudi Crown Prince's foundation had acquired 100% of the shares of Japanese game company SNK. The Ring Magazine has also been involved in promoting SNK's upcoming game, Fatal Fury: City of Wolves, through a boxing match collaboration at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on April 26, 2025. Nishiyama, who previously worked at SNK in the 1990s, is known for creating the Fatal Fury series and contributing to other flagship SNK titles like Metal Slug and King of Fighters.

The 10 Best Fighting Games

View 11 Images

Japanese fans have expressed a mix of surprise and curiosity about the The Ring x Dimps collaboration. Reactions range from enthusiastic exclamations of "What?!! I want to play it!" to anticipation about the final product. X user @ryo_redcyclone, known for his Street Fighter content, commented on the news, reflecting on Nishiyama's past work: "Commenting on the first Street Fighter, Nishiyama said: 'I chose to focus on street fighting because established sports are restricted by rules.' This time he is making a game based on boxing, a sport with rules, so I’m curious to see how it will turn out."

There is some concern among fans about whether the structured rules of boxing will limit Nishiyama's creative freedom, especially given the unconventional characters and moves seen in his previous fighting games. For instance, Street Fighter's Balrog, a Mike Tyson lookalike, uses moves like kicks and the Buffalo Head, which clearly violate professional boxing rules. It will be fascinating to see if The Ring and Dimps' new boxing game opts for a realistic portrayal of the sport or if it will break the rules in true Nishiyama fashion.