THE EARLY life of Manny Pacquiao is ripe for the retelling. On the movie front, there’s Kid Kulafu, a 2015 flick produced with inputs from the boxing legend himself. If you want to hear about it straight from Manny himself, you could also pick up his 2010 autobiography, Pacman: My Story of Hope, Resilience, and Never-Say-Never Determination.
But to dramatize his life in a free-to-play mobile game? Now that’s something new.
“From nothing to greatness, from the impossible to endless possibilities, Pacquiao’s life must be shared with all of us," said Mike Ochosa, president of OMG Inc., the company that holds the exclusive rights to develop a mobile game using Pacquiao’s name, image, and likeness.
He added: "His story is compelling as well as inspiring. What better way to impart that sentiment to the world than through a mobile game app?”
Mobile games are an increasingly popular form of entertainment. In a report released on July 2020, analytics firm Statista said that mobile games are already the biggest video game segment, but also have “a huge growth potential for the coming years.” It projects that 29.15 million users will be playing games on their phones by 2025 — a 12.28 percent growth from this year’s 25.96 million.
"I first shared the idea to Manny almost 2 years ago thinking that his story has to be told to everyone who needs to hear," Ochosa said in an email to SPIN Life. "But, instead of a book, a movie or a tv show, the best platform to reach the youth and generations to come is through a mobile game. Manny eventually gave me his blessings and approval so that is how OMG Inc. was born."
With insights from Pacquiao himself, OMG Inc. crafted a story suited for the mobile game platform, including the introduction of characters that embody the boxer’s many challenges.
To help bring the idea to life, OMG Inc. tapped Ranida Games, a veteran mobile game developer that also created PBA Basketball Slam, as well as fighting games Bayani and Vita Fighters.
The result was Fighting Pride: The Manny Pacquiao Saga, which is slated to launch early 2021. A trailer for the game was released earlier this month.
According to a statement released by OMG Inc., players will accompany Manny Pacquiao on his life’s journey – from his beginnings in General Santos to the top of the boxing world. One of the game’s highlights will be Story Mode, where Pacquiao will face different social issues such as bullying and poverty while leveling up his skills and abilities.
Historical Mode is where players can relive Pacquiao’s greatest fights. There will also be an online player versus player mode.
All in all, OMG Inc. said, there will be 100 stages spread out across four chapters at launch. New chapters, opponents, and environments will arrive in future game updates.
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