Punch-Out!! Comes to the Nintendo Switch Library Without Mike Tyson

Nintendo is back with another batch of NES titles to announce for the Nintendo Switch Online NES Library. Punch-Out!!, Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels, and Star Soldier are coming this April. But there's something different about this one. There's no Mike Tyson!



Punch-Out!! originated as a series of arcade cabinet games in 1983. But the game gained massive popularity when it was made for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987 as Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!. In this version of the game, the final, near impossible to beat fighter was none other than Mike Tyson himself. This was the result of a licensing partnership believed to help sell copies in the North American market.

But he's not here anymore. Instead, we have Mr. Dream.

This is because the licensing deal with Tyson expired in 1990, and every iteration of the game produced after that has been scrubbed clean of the boxer's association. In to replace him is... Mr. Dream. So the Virtual Console editions of the game, as well as any references to the game (like in Animal Crossing) have instead been the "Featuring Mr. Dream" edition.

Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream, Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels, and Star Soldier will be added to the Nintendo Switch Online NES Library on April 10. This library is a free archive of classic NES titles available to anyone with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.