Atari announced today plans to publish a new iteration of the Ready 2 Rumble series, Ready 2 Rumble Revolution. Developed by AKI Corporation, the game will feature a roster of eighteen fighters all based on celebrities from the worlds of sports, music, and movies.

Players will throw punches using their Wii Remote and Nunchuk combination as well as, "special moves, combos, extreme knockdowns and special "Rumble" combos." The game is set to include a single player mode, Championship Mode, and classic one-on-one multiplayer matches.

With the series being published by Atari and developed by AKI Corporation, this removes the original owner of the property, Midway, entirely out of the equation. Given the state of the company just last week, the Ready 2 Rumble property may have shifted hands in an effort to buoy the sinking company.

Ready 2 Rumble Revolution will be available for Wii in spring 2009.

Atari LACES UP ITS GLOVES as 'Ready 2 Rumble Revolution' WARMS up FOR ITS Wii DEBUT

The Best-Selling Boxing Franchise Returns with a Huge Roster of Celebrity-inspired Fighters Looking to Land the KO Punch in Spring 2009

NEW YORK, December 2, 2008 – The hilarious Ready 2 Rumble franchise is flexing its muscles and planning a major, star-studded return to the ring in spring 2009 with the launch of Ready 2 Rumble Revolution, the newest game in the much-loved series. Bringing the franchise to Wii™ for the first time, the game retains all the knockout features of best-sellers Ready 2 Rumble Boxing Round 1 and Round 2, while delivering a knockout punch of style and attitude. Tailored to take advantage of the motion-controlled realism of Wii, Ready 2 Rumble Revolution makes landing a punch more fun than ever.

"Ready 2 Rumble Revolution is poised to take back he title as the undisputed champion of arcade boxing games and we hope to reach an even bigger audience than ever thanks to the huge popularity of Wii," said Phil Harrison, President of Infogrames, the parent company of Atari. "The outrageous celebrity caricatures paired with a fun boxing experience made even more over-the-top thanks to the Wii controllers will make the newest version of this famed franchise a must-have for all fans of boxing and physical fun on Wii."

"Ready 2 Rumble Revolution will put the swagger back into the boxing ring and promote an adrenaline-boosting, positive will to win attitude in the hearts and minds of fans of all ages," said Gaspard de Dreuzy, President of Stereo Mode and executive producer of the game.

Sure to satisfy newcomers and boxing fans alike, Ready 2 Rumble Revolution features a roster of 18 wildly caricatured cartoony boxers based on celebrities from the worlds of sports, music and movies. Celebrities enter the ring as larger-than-life "Rumble-ized" versions of themselves. Players will step right up and see if they can knock these super-sized egos down a peg or two!

The game is hosted by "The Voice of the Champions" Michael Buffer, famous for his "Let's Get Ready to Rumble®" trademark call. Characters are brought to life with hilarious moves, detailed facial animations, damage textures and fighting techniques including special moves, combos, extreme knockdowns and special "Rumble" combos. An all new Championship Mode lets gamers create their own unique boxer and nurture his skills through mini-games, developing him as a fighter and creating a completely personalized Ready 2 Rumble Revolution experience.

Developed by AKI who bring their formidable fight game know-how to the franchise, Ready 2 Rumble Revolution brings a virtual boxing arena to the living room and delivers a fun and intuitive experience in either single player or multiplayer mode. The Wii controllers provide would-be pugilists with an intuitive and realistic feel. Using the Nunchuk™ controller as one glove and the Wii Remote™ controller as the other, players dodge, weave and throw the big punches to KO their opponents.

Virtual heavyweights can fight from the backstreet gym all the way to the big Las Vegas showdown with vivid new visuals bringing the five spectacular ring environments to life. The arcade experience is made even better thanks to advanced Artificial Intelligence allowing more strategic fights.