Software:Matchpoint: Tennis Championships

From HandWiki
Short description: 2022 tennis video game
Matchpoint: Tennis Championships
File:Cover for the game "Matchpoint, Tennis Championships".jpeg
Developer(s)Torus Games
Publisher(s)Kalypso Media
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
Release
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Matchpoint: Tennis Championships is a tennis sports video game developed by Australian studio Torus Games and published by Kalypso Media. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S on July 7, 2022, followed by a Nintendo Switch version on October 20, 2022.[1][2]

The game features a career mode in which players create a tennis player and attempt to reach the top of the world rankings. It also includes exhibition matches, training activities, local multiplayer, and online cross-platform multiplayer. Its roster includes licensed professional tennis players such as Nick Kyrgios, Kei Nishikori, Amanda Anisimova, Daniil Medvedev, Garbiñe Muguruza, and Carlos Alcaraz.[3][4]

Gameplay

Matchpoint: Tennis Championships is played from a third-person perspective behind the controlled player. The player can perform flat, topspin, slice and lob shots, with additional controls for drop shots and volleys. After selecting a shot, the player uses an aiming marker to choose where the ball should land and can hold the corresponding button to add power.[5][3]

In the career mode, the player creates a customized competitor and enters tournaments to improve their position in the world rankings. Players can undertake training exercises and choose coaches, rackets and footwear that affect their attributes. The career contains 65 tournaments spread across six continents and 500 computer-controlled opponents with different combinations of strengths and weaknesses.[6] Before playing an opponent, the player can study their characteristics and attempt to exploit their weaknesses during the match.[7]

Outside the career mode, the game includes quick matches, tutorials and training activities. Players can use their customized competitor or select from licensed professional players. Multiplayer is available locally and online, with support for cross-platform play.[3][1] The game does not include doubles matches.[8]

Development and release

Matchpoint: Tennis Championships was developed by Torus Games, a video game developer based in Australia. According to head of production David McIntosh, the development team initially created a prototype to test its planned gameplay systems before discarding it and rebuilding the game on a stronger foundation. Large portions of the game were subsequently rebuilt as the studio worked to coordinate the animation system with the physics of the tennis ball.[7]

The development team studied slow-motion footage of tennis players to examine their movement and footwork. It divided player movement into two systems: movement while approaching and striking the ball, and movement between shots. Motion-capture production began approximately six months into development and resulted in further changes to the game's systems.[7] Professional tennis players were recorded using an Xsens motion-capture suit, with the team seeking to reproduce smaller movements that are difficult to perceive when watching tennis at normal speed.[6]

In discussing the team's influences, game designer David McIntosh stated that the developers examined earlier tennis video games, including the Top Spin and Tennis Elbow series, but did not want to reproduce their design directly. The studio instead sought to create its own interpretation of the sport, with an emphasis on anticipation, positioning and strategy.[9][7]

Publisher Kalypso Media announced the game in January 2022 for Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Nintendo Switch.[10] A Windows demonstration was made available during the February 2022 Steam Next Fest. It included a tutorial, quick-play mode and local multiplayer.[11]

The Windows, PlayStation and Xbox versions were released on 7 July 2022. The game was also made available through Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass at launch.[4][12] The Nintendo Switch version followed on 20 October 2022.[2][12]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic58/100 (PC)[13]
Review score
PublicationScore
IGN5/10[8]

Matchpoint: Tennis Championships received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[13] OpenCritic reported that 15 percent of critics recommended the game.[14]

Critics generally considered the basic tennis mechanics to be the strongest part of the game. Tristan Ogilvie of IGN described its tennis as smooth-playing and simple to control, but found that it was too difficult to miss shots. He criticized the career mode for lacking spectacle and meaningful progression and considered the multiplayer component underdeveloped, particularly because the game did not include doubles.[8]

Sammy Barker of Push Square praised the range of animations and considered the rallies satisfying, observing that the game suffered from less conspicuous animation warping than some other contemporary tennis titles. Barker nevertheless criticized its career mode, artificial intelligence and subdued presentation, concluding that it did not surpass Top Spin 4.[5] In an earlier preview, Barker compared its controls to those of Virtua Tennis, while describing its pace as slower and more realistic.[15]

Richard Seagrave of GameSpew similarly praised the amount of control offered by the aiming system and characterized the game as accessible but difficult to master. He found the on-court action enjoyable but criticized the artificial intelligence, presentation, commentary and limited licensed roster.[3] TheGamer's Lu-Hai Liang described the fundamental tennis as reasonably realistic and noted similarities to Virtua Tennis 2, but criticized the visual presentation, volley mechanics, career structure and repetitiveness.[16]

Other reviewers expressed similar reservations. HobbyConsolas considered the representation of tennis satisfying but found the graphics dated and the career mode repetitive, while The Games Machine praised some of the game's ideas but criticized its artificial intelligence and lack of modes.[14] Jordan Andow of The Outerhaven praised the controls and the flow of rallies, but considered the absence of doubles, limited roster, lack of licensed tournaments and restricted character-creation system to be significant shortcomings.[17]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Matchpoint – Tennis Championships". Kalypso Media. https://matchpoint-game.com/. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Matchpoint – Tennis Championships". Nintendo. 20 October 2022. https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Matchpoint-Tennis-Championships-2283307.html. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Seagrave, Richard (July 7, 2022). "Matchpoint: Tennis Championships Review". https://www.gamespew.com/2022/07/matchpoint-tennis-championships-review/. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Baseline Staff (July 7, 2022). "Medvedev, Muguruza, Fritz, Anisimova and Kyrgios among players featured in new tennis simulator video game "Matchpoint – Tennis Championships"". https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/medvedev-muguruza-fritz-kyrgios-matchpoint-tennis-championships-video-game. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Barker, Sammy (July 8, 2022). "Matchpoint: Tennis Championships Review (PS5)". https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps5/matchpoint-tennis-championships. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Parijat, Shubhankar (7 July 2022). "Matchpoint: Tennis Championships Interview – Career Mode, Multiplayer, Customization, and More". https://gamingbolt.com/matchpoint-tennis-championships-interview-career-mode-multiplayer-customization-and-more. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Bistak, Andrew (March 3, 2022). "Torus Interview with David McIntosh: Matchpoint – Tennis Championships". https://www.impulsegamer.com/torus-interview-with-david-mcintosh-matchpoint-tennis-championships/. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Ogilvie, Tristan (July 7, 2022). "Matchpoint: Tennis Championships Review". https://www.ign.com/articles/matchpoint-tennis-championships-review. 
  9. ↑ Pawlikowski, Matthias (February 17, 2022). "Matchpoint - The New Hope of Tennis Games. Interview with the Developer". https://www.gamepressure.com/editorials/matchpoint-is-a-new-tennis-game-interview-with-the-developer/zc525. 
  10. ↑ "Prepare for game, set, Matchpoint – Tennis Championships". Kalypso Media. 18 January 2022. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1345760/view/3148579620923895022. 
  11. ↑ "Prepare to Hit the Courts with New Matchpoint – Tennis Championships Developer Diary" (Press release). Kalypso Media. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2026 – via Games Press.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Henderson, Luke (July 1, 2022). "Matchpoint: Tennis Championships dates it Switch release and talks up cross-play". https://www.maxi-geek.com/con/matchpoint-tennis-championships-dates-it-switch-release-and-talks-up-cross-play. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Matchpoint: Tennis Championships Reviews". Fandom, Inc.. https://www.metacritic.com/game/matchpoint-tennis-championships/. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "Matchpoint – Tennis Championships Critic Reviews". https://opencritic.com/game/13354/matchpoint-tennis-championships/reviews. 
  15. ↑ Barker, Sammy (May 2, 2022). "Hands On: Matchpoint: Tennis Championships Could Be the Ace We've Been Waiting For". https://www.pushsquare.com/features/hands-on-matchpoint-tennis-championships-could-be-the-ace-weve-been-waiting-for. 
  16. ↑ Liang, Lu-Hai (July 7, 2022). "Matchpoint: Tennis Championships Review - Shiny Yet Unrefined". https://www.thegamer.com/matchpoint-tennis-championships-review/. 
  17. ↑ Andow, Jordan (July 6, 2022). "Matchpoint – Tennis Championships: Solid Fundamentals, Lots To Learn". https://www.theouterhaven.net/2022/07/matchpoint-tennis-championships-solid-fundamentals-lots-to-learn/. 
  • Official website
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.





Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Matchpoint:_Tennis_Championships&oldid=4626552"