Tennis World Tour

Lore & Background

The game was developed by Breakpoint Studio and published by French publisher Bigben Interactive, who hurried it to market when it was only 20% complete. Speaking to French publication Le Monde, Bigben founder Alain Falc said the game was 'only 20% completed a few weeks before its release' but needed to be released to capitalise on the French Open and avoid 'losing the benefit of marketing campaigns already committed'. He added that Bigben 'put 500,000 pieces on the market but with many distributors who have no right of return, so we know that will be profitable'.

Critical response ranged from highly negative to at best average. Xbox Tavern wrote: 'Tennis is a game of fluidity and precision, two things that Tennis World Tour, despite its decent career mode, fails miserably to realize'. Game Informer gave it 4/10, stating 'even Pong had a reliability about it that this game lacks'. The Last Word On Tennis called it 'a complete mess... like an alpha version of the game' and gave it 2/5. French publication Gameblog.fr gave it 5/10, noting that 'Claiming Top Spin's heritage probably put too much pressure on Breakpoint'.

The game was advertised as having online multiplayer at launch, but it was absent upon release, with a statement that it would be added later. The company apologized for what the media described as a bait-and-switch. Despite this, the French Tennis Federation hosted a Tennis World Tour eSports tournament in 2018 and 2019, with the final at Stade Roland-Garros during the French Open. During the COVID-19 pandemic, organisers of the Madrid Open hosted a virtual tournament using the game, won by Andy Murray and Kiki Bertens.

Reader's Guide

Tennis World Tour's significance lies in its status as a cautionary tale about rushed game development and deceptive marketing. Published by Bigben Interactive, the game was released when only 20% complete, a fact confirmed by the publisher's founder, who admitted it was pushed out to align with the French Open and avoid wasted marketing spend. The game shipped 500,000 units, with many distributors having no right of return, ensuring profitability despite poor reception. Critics universally panned it, with scores ranging from 2/5 to 5/10, citing broken mechanics and missing features. The most notable controversy was the bait-and-switch regarding online multiplayer, which was advertised but absent at launch, leading to an apology. Despite this, the game found a niche in eSports, with the French Tennis Federation hosting tournaments at Roland-Garros in 2018 and 2019, and the Madrid Open using it for a virtual event during the pandemic. A sequel, Tennis World Tour 2, was released in September 2020, indicating that the franchise continued despite the original's troubled launch.

Did You Know?

• The game was only 20% complete a few weeks before its release, according to Bigben founder Alain Falc.
• It shipped 500,000 units to market, with many distributors having no right of return, ensuring profitability.
• Online multiplayer was advertised but missing at launch, leading to a bait-and-switch controversy.
• The French Tennis Federation hosted eSports tournaments using the game at Stade Roland-Garros in 2018 and 2019.