In a world that is becoming more and more digital by the day, it is integral that the youth of today, and tomorrow, have access to sport, and what better way to promote active participation than through video games?
Sports video games, in particular, have often congregated towards the top of sales charts globally, with the EAFC (formerly FIFA) series reigning supreme at the top spot, along with 2K Games’ biggest title, NBA2K, while other varying sports titles, including EA’s NFL Madden and F1 are also considered popular mainstays. .
One sport that was lacking its own feature video game, though, until recently, was tennis.
But with the release of TopSpin 2K25 after a 13-year hiatus, the sport now has a game to be proud of, and GIVEMESPORT caught up with those in and around the game, including athletes Paula Badosa, Sloane Stephens and Caroline Garcia, Fall Out Boy bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, and TopSpin 2K25 developer Devin Hitch, at Roland-Garros in Paris.
Return After a 13-Year Hiatus
The market for well-loved titles such as TopSpin 2K25 has never been bigger
Gaming, and games consoles, have become almost harmonious with daily life, where it is estimated that there are 3.09 billion active video game players around the world, with that number expected to rise to 3.32 billion by the end of 2024.
The market is also extremely lucrative, and has no signs of slowing down, with a current valuation of around $282 billion US dollars, with that number predicted to surpass $363 billion by 2027.
In the UK alone, 68 percent of children aged 7-18 are thought to own a games console, with an additional nine percent deemed to have ‘consistent access’ to one.
While football is the most played sports game, with both EAFC and Football Manager among some of the leading football titles in the industry, one sport that no longer had its own top-tier game was tennis.
The original TopSpin made its debut in 2003 and received favorable reviews – more so on Xbox than PlayStation – across some of gaming’s biggest publications, including IGN and Game Informer, where its ratings ranged from 7.4/10 on PS2 to 9.3/10 on Xbox.
The game seemingly lasted four iterations spanning eight years, with TopSpin 4 being released in 2011, again garnering earnest reviews – with both platforms more comparable this time – but years passed – thirteen to be exact – before TopSpin fans got the news they had long been waiting for: TopSpin was back!
Yes – in 2024, 2K Games announced the return of the much-loved tennis franchise with TopSpin 2K25 now on the next-gen consoles after having seen a generation of console pass since the game’s last release, and it was a welcome one by all, including athletes such as Spaniard, Paula Badosa, and Sloane Stephens of the USA, who were now featured inside the game themselves.
Speaking exclusively to GIVEMESPORT at a loft in Paris, that 2K converted into a gaming hub specifically for Roland-Garros, Stephens, who is currently ranked No. 35 in the Women’s Tennis WTA Rankings detailed how TopSpin 2K25 could be instrumental in lifting tennis, as a sport, up the popularity ranks.
“I mean, 13 years is a long time, right? And as much as gaming has advanced in the past five years, 10 years, whatever it is, it’s just a whole new landscape,” Stephens said. “For tennis, bringing that new demographic of the younger generation who are streaming and maybe only seeing tennis for the first time, but like, think it’s very cool, and just bringing in a new audience is nice.”
Stephens’ view was echoed by Badosa, who, at the French Open, looked the best she has since some of her injury troubles, reaching the third-round of the tournament, where she fought valiantly against her best friend Aryna Sabalenka, though eventually lost 7-5, 6-1.
“I think video games always have a big impact, so especially for younger generations, getting the chance to play video games, then feeling motivated, excited, and inspired by that, brings a lot of followers to our sport. So, thanks to that, the younger generation maybe can have a purpose, and they can follow our sport more.”
TopSpin 2K25 Can Influence the Growth of Tennis
Gaming is viewed as ‘cooler’ in today’s era – which could spark the desire to try out the real thing
With the numbers signaling that gaming is continuing on an upward trajectory, TopSpin 2K25 took to Roland-Garros’ main screening area, bringing in some of France’s best TopSpin E-Sports gamers, and Ukrainian content creator Max Klymenko, to showcase the game to the masses ahead of the French Open.
The 2K25 iteration of TopSpin features more athletes than ever before in the game, with both male and female players from the current era, such as Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka, as well as some of the most well-known legends of the game, including Serena Williams and Roger Federer, all represented.
“Having all these different players from even different [eras], I think it’s great to have that. Also, they have the chance to play with any player, and I think that makes it even cooler.” – Paula Badosa
As such, younger players who may not know too much about tennis, or its rich history of players, or those that do, have the chance to play as some of the greatest to step onto the court, which, in turn, could spark an interest in following the real life game more closely, bringing in a new, and wider, demographic of fans.
This view was supported by Stephens, who further elaborated upon how the game has the ability to attract a more diverse audience to tennis.
“There’s a totally new demographic coming into watching/playing/streaming the game. I think gaming has definitely taken a completely different trajectory in terms of people playing and interacting and all of that stuff.
But, I think that being able to create something that’s very diverse, with a whole bunch of different players, with older players, younger players, that makes a difference, because I feel like the general tennis fan has their favorite player, but they don’t know a lot of different players.
So, I think the game is able to kind of bring the maybe not general tennis fan, but someone who knows nothing about tennis, more information.”
French tennis star, Caroline Garcia, who spoke to GIVEMESPORT on location in Montrouge where there has been a continuation of the 2K Foundations project, which aims to upcycle sports courts in communities around the world, detailed how the game has the power to promote sport, especially to the younger generation of boys and girls, by offering friendly competitions.
“I think it’s definitely important. Video games are definitely part of the world now, with many young girls and boys playing video games, and obviously, it’s great to be able to play sports and to promote our sport a little.
Maybe they will get inspired by it, and they will want to try it in the real world. So, it’s definitely very important, and it’s a moment also to have fun to share with other people in the same room and try friendly competition, and that’s what we like about the sport.”
One striking view which was shared among all three stars, was how the perception of gaming as a whole has radically changed, where it is now seen as a much ‘cooler’ thing to do, which Stephens argues has the capacity to grow TopSpin 2K25 by itself.
“Thirteen years [since the release of TopSpin 4] is a long time. I remember when I was playing video games, it wasn’t that cool. And now, it’s definitely cool, definitely a thing, and I hope a lot of people who wouldn’t normally think of playing tennis now, maybe will think about it being cool, and maybe want to go to a Grand Slam. So that, in itself, grows the game alone.”
Garcia followed suit, and opened up about how tennis is often viewed as ‘old-fashioned’, though argues that the sport can be modernized with both the help of TopSpin 2K25 as a digital platform, and social media – where fans have more access to players than ever – which can welcome more and more audiences into the sport.
“Sometimes we are told tennis is getting old-fashioned. But, there is a new personality, and new kind of players, who are more open and everything. I think also sometimes there is a new generation coming up with new stuff. The world is always evolving, and we are more open on social media, so people can have the feeling of being closer to the players. So if it can make tennis cooler, it’s definitely welcome.”
The Perfect Trio: Combining Sport, Gaming and Music
Fall Out Boy’s ‘Heartbreak Feels So Good’ (Dillon Francis Remix) exclusively debuted via the TopSpin 2K25 trailer
It is common for games to supply supporting soundtracks, which have at times even been a make or break for the game’s success, with the musical element living long in the memory of some gamers – FIFA 13, 14 and 15 are just a few that spring to mind – and has led to years-long debates following the games’ initial releases.
For a title that was making its comeback after so long away, TopSpin 2K25 knew they had to go big with their soundtrack headliner, opting to work with Fall Out Boy bassist and lyricist, Pete Wentz, on a remix of ‘Heartbreak Feels So Good’ in conjunction with Dillon Francis, which made its debut to the world exclusively via the TopSpin 2K25 launch trailer.
Wentz, a known avid tennis fan who also plays regularly, shared his excitement over being granted the opportunity to be able to get involved with the launch of TopSpin 2K25, and how he felt when he saw one of tennis’ most elite icons in Federer’s avatar walk out to his song in an exclusive sit-down with GIVEMESPORT.
“I was excited. I feel like there has been a long time since the last iteration. There’s just a big lane for it. Tennis culture is so young again. There’s a new generation of pros, but then also my kids are so into Ben Shelton and Matteo Berrettini, and I was really excited about it,” Wentz said. “Seeing [Roger] Federer walk out in the trailer [to Heartbreak feels so good] was insane, and to have that be the first time [people] hearing the song and seeing that was really cool.”
When asked how the partnership with 2K Games came about, the world-renowned musician stated that he was the one to reach out, and detailed why ‘Heartbreak Feels So Good’ was the perfect song for the franchise.
“I’ve been a big fan of 2K in general, and have obviously played NBA 2K and reached out to them about if they were ever doing this again. And, I thought that our song ‘Heartbreak feels so good’ – the remix – would be perfect for a game because, to me, tennis has feelings of elation, but also complete heartbreak.”
But, Wentz was quick to acknowledge the instrumental role that music can play in bringing in an entirely new audience to sports and sports gaming, branding the combination of the three as “symbiotic”.
“They’re symbiotic. So, you have people who are maybe into the game, and they hear your song for the first time, or you have your fans who are maybe not really aware of video gaming, or they probably are, but are not super aware of [TopSpin]. And that is a symbiotic thing, especially when they work really well together. I do think the song works really well with the game, and that brings people in from both sides.”
TopSpin 2K25 Developers Knew They Had Found a Winning Formula
Developer Devin Hitch recalled the light bulb moment where he knew they’d made something special
In order to be able to release a top-tier game that brings in the masses, the game play and graphics have to be top-notch, and that’s where the developers come in.
2K Games, in particular, has earned a reputation for its high-level next-gen graphics and game play, and with TopSpin having not been on the market since 2011, it was crucial that the franchise showcased that its tennis title had also caught up with the times.
Speaking to developer Devin Hitch, he detailed how they used previous iterations of the game to help construct 2K25 early on in the process, which helped to ensure that it maintained the core of what made the TopSpin franchise so great and well-received by fans in the first place:
“One of the things that was really important for us was to capture what made TopSpin 4 so great, right? That was the core gameplay.
So, we spent a lot of time trying to perfect that, a lot of time playing the old versions of TopSpin, reading what the community felt about it at the time, and then working with a prototype.
But from that point, we also really wanted to expand on the visuals, and especially with our players and our venues, we wanted to make sure that we were able to faithfully capture them, because as a sports sim, it’s really important for our fans that those details show up, whether it’s on the players or the venues.”
Not only did the number of playable characters increase, but so did the venues within which consumers can play at – 48 in total – eight more than its predecessor.
One thing that has become integral to gaming over the years is online modes and gameplay – something which TopSpin 2K25 developers had to adapt to, and improve from last time out.
“Things have changed a lot in terms of online gameplay – It’s more ubiquitous for games to be online, and we looked at how TopSpin 4 did some of the World Tour stuff, and you could only play one tournament, and then you had to wait to the next week. So we wanted to have more options that were always available with tournaments changing each week.
But, it’s kind of taking what made TopSpin 4 really great and beloved by fans, and sort of expanding on the realism of the scope of venues, and then trying to add some more depth to our online modes, to keep people engaged and coming back.”
Much like music in gaming, another important facet that has been combined with gaming of late is fashion, and TopSpin 2K25 ensured that it integrated that feature also, by working with some of the biggest sportswear brands including Nike and Adidas, as well as Hugo Boss, which Hitch argues could further help boost tennis’ relevance in pop culture.
“Tennis is kind of having a resurgence in terms of pop-cultural relevance, and part of that is the fashion, the look and the brands. So it was a really exciting opportunity when we got to work with brands like Nike, Hugo Boss.
They would sometimes send us technical drawings of things that they were going to be producing in the future, and then we would work very closely with them to develop the digital versions of those and then send them out for review. It was really exciting to get some of those drops before they were even available to the public.”
But the most rewarding part for Hitch, though, was when he reaped the rewards of his effort and hard work on TopSpin 2K25’s gameplay via the sounds of his colleagues’ enjoyment when they were playing the game.
“We started to get really into TopSpin 4, and there were points where we had some tournaments, and people were getting really kind of intense about it.
As we were developing the gameplay for TopSpin 2K25, there was a moment where that same intensity was happening at people’s desks, where you’d hear people shouting and, jumping up when they were playing eachother.
There, it was like, ‘I think we’ve got it here again’, with that great formula of that kind of simple, but deep, gameplay.”
The exact light bulb moment when Hitch realized they had been able to fully capture the same level of engagement as the last edition of TopSpin got, though, went off was when he was able to see the joy and excitement in the eyes of his co-workers.
“When I could walk on the team floor and see that same excitement that they had from playing TopSpin 4, but it was actually in our game now, we really knew that we had achieved something special.”
Sloane Stephens, Paula Badosa, Caroline Garcia, Pete Wentz and Devin Hitch, spoke exclusively to GIVEMESPORT courtesy of Top Spin 2K25, the latest installment of the popular tennis video game franchise, which is available to purchase here.
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