After the disappointing Tennis World Tour, publisher Nacon has scrapped original developer Breakpoint and tapped up AO Tennis 2 studio Big Ant to build the sequel. Due out in September – just nine months after the aforementioned Australian Open tie-in – it appears to be built upon the same Top Spin-inspired blueprints as its predecessor, but is promising faster gameplay and double the animations.

New features include revised shot and serve mechanics, as well as the option to play doubles. There’s also a new competition format in the form of the fast-paced Tie Break Tens, as well as the addition of a couple of licensed arenas. Crucially, there’ll be 38 playable stars, including Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Ashleigh Barty.

It’s going to be fascinating to see whether Big Ant can turn this series around, especially so soon after releasing the decent AO Tennis 2. It’ll also be interesting to see where Nacon wants to go with these two franchises: will it continue with its licensed Australian Open franchise, or focus on the Tennis World Tour brand from now on?

[source youtube.com]