EA's Fight Night Champion first in the series to receive 'M' rating

There%26rsquo;s no pretention to boxing. The players aren't tackling each other for a leather ball, or getting into scuffles in between slapping a rubber puck around. It%26rsquo;s just two guys wailing on each other until one falls over and doesn%26rsquo;t get back up (at least for a while). Men have died or suffered irreparable brain and/or nerve damage for a chance at the title.

Yet the utter brutality of the sport has ever been an %26lsquo;E-10%26rsquo; or %26lsquo;T%26rsquo; rated affair%26hellip; until now. According toKotaku, EA%26rsquo;s next Fight Night Champion title will be rated %26lsquo;M.%26rsquo;

The fifth iteration of theFight Nightseries will mark not only its first 'M' rated title, butEA Sports%26rsquo; first as well, and for good reason. Campaign mode tells the story of Andre Bishop, a boxer who will go from %26lsquo;punk%26rsquo; to %26lsquo;pro%26rsquo; in the wake of his father%26rsquo;s death. The story will be about more than bone shattering jabs and uppercuts as Andre navigatesthe cutthroat culture of professional boxing; from bad agents, rigged fights, and a healthy portion of good old fashioned smack talk.

FNC will also let players fill the%26hellip;uh%26hellip;boxers of and touch gloves with 50 world-class pugilists including the %26lsquo;Great One%26rsquo; Muhammad Ali, and today%26rsquo;s leading champ Manny Pacquiao.

From prison yard brawls to the final nap on the canvas, FNC intends to weave a tale of "brutality, uncertainty, betrayal, and redemption" according to EA%26rsquo;s site, with plenty of bloody brows and heartfelt cursing in between.

Fight Night Champion is slated for release in 2011.

Nov 15, 2010