Rumor: EA Has New Mixed Martial Arts Game In Development!
by xFenixKnightx on Feb 5, 2009 12:00 PM EST
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Kotaku has the story:
Electronic Arts has been on a roll lately, churning out quite a selection of new and innovative titles over the past year.
Sure it cost them, but building a new franchise isn't cheap and at least some of their investments look like they will be paying off in the long run.
But what about the new titles that haven't yet hit the radar?
We've heard quite a bit about games that were in the works prior to Electronic Arts' dire financial announcements earlier this week. Keep in mind these are all rumored, unverified games, that come to us from trusted sources.
We're told that EA Tiburon, for instance, was working on a mixed martial arts game. While THQ has a licensing agreement with Ultimate Fighting Championship that doesn't expire until 2011, there are plenty of other ways to address the sport. And considering Tiburon's track record with sports games, it isn't hard to imagine that this game, if it survived the personnel and budget cuts, would be top notch.
This is just awesome! Even though EA won't have any UFC fighters in this game there are plenty of great fighters they can include on the roster. This is big time guys! EA is the Mecca for sports games.
The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.
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They’ll likely wait to see how the UFC game does in sales. THQ is likely banking the game does well considering how bad they’re taking a beating in the economy right now.
I agree and see, the thing about EA is they are a huge company run by Peter Moore now. He likes to take risks and I read that he is really interested in realeasing an MMA game. Theres just so much potential and with EA’s marketing muscle behind it I think it would do well. EA’s MMA 2010 videogame tourneys a la Madden anyone? :)
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Feb 5, 2009 12:30 PM EST up reply actions
And Moore has overseen the company’s change from a yearly Madden/Movie-based games cloning machine to a publisher interested in innovation and experimentation; however, for all the interesting new IP’s they brought out last year, they did pretty bad. Mirror’s Edge, Dead Space, and Spore all sold below expectations and are a part of the company’s less then stellar ‘08. Spore’s sales hurt them real bad, considering the DRM-esque scandal that erupted and ironically caused the game to be pirated more than any other game in history.
That said, nobody is having a good time recently, including UFC 2009:Undisputed publisher THQ. That particular game isn’t in trouble, but the publisher’s foreseeable future is rather pear-shaped.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
Also, with the recent layoffs and such linked in the article, one should temper their excitement for a possible MMA game coming out of Tiburon. Getting fighters to sign on will be a laborious process without a promoter involved. And if this project isn’t already fairly well along in development, I think it’ll probably get cut given the costs and risks involved (which are only magnified by not being associated with the UFC), which are made all the more unappetizing given the economy.
And now for something completely different: the company developing the UFC 2009: Undisputed game, Yuke’s Media Creations, has a controlling interest in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, founded by Antonio Inoki. Whoda thunk it, eh?
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
You have some good points…party pooper. lol Stay positive, man! Stay positive!
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Feb 5, 2009 2:01 PM EST up reply actions
Hopefully
Strikeforce and Affliction can get some more recognition and that way they’ll have a well known fighter on the cover of the game for the casual fans. Maybe Gina makes the roster?
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
I'm all for...
as many MMA games on the market as possible. It increases the odds that one of them is good. EA is great at establishing innovative control schemes for sports games so I’ll be interested to see what they do.
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Feb 5, 2009 12:42 PM EST reply actions
Thanks for editing my post (if that was you) because I’m a fanpost n00b. lol I just wanted to get the word out. I agree I think EA will do a solid job on it and their marketing is just 100x better than THQ. They’ve got my $60 waiting.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Feb 5, 2009 12:59 PM EST up reply actions
They need to make a 3D, MMA version of Fire Pro Wrestling. You know, where they put EVERY FIGHTER EVER in the game but give them wacky fake names that you can edit.
Oh, but make the MMA version fun.
"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard
What?
You don’t like the Gruesome Match?
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Feb 5, 2009 4:36 PM EST up reply actions
Er...
Gruesome Fighting…or whatever it’s called (yeah, I have Fire Pro in my DS for trips and for the PS2 and the old ass dreamcast for rainy day boredom)
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Feb 5, 2009 4:37 PM EST up reply actions
It's no rumour
I was approached to provide content for the game some time ago – then all of a sudden the emails and negotiations evaporated. I suspect the project might have been shelved internally.
by VikingPhotography on Feb 5, 2009 2:03 PM EST reply actions
How long ago?
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
All dried up back in October
I was first contacted by EA in early September ’09… by late October, the whole thing just stopped dead.
None of the other MMA photographers whom I knew had been in touch with them had heard diddly either, so it was assumed that the project had either been put on hold or shelved entirely.
by VikingPhotography on Feb 6, 2009 2:08 PM EST up reply actions
Jon Fitch's takedown
Now where are all the idiots that were saying, “What other game is there for Fitch to be in?” The standup aspect of the UFC game looks fucking horrible. I’ll be buying the EA game and because more than likely it will be better than a THQ POS. Not just because I refuse to support ZUFFA.
Gimme 1 Round!
We've heard this before
This news is dead and it’s not happening. My understanding is that EA scrapped this game when their latest round of cuts came around. They aren’t interested in taking any risks in the near future, especially given the lack of sales success for Mirror’s Edge, which they had a lot of hopes for as an annual IP (and the fact that the Dead Space team is working on the new Dante’s Inferno game, which will be a huge risk and keep Dead Space II a year off— and Mass Effect 2 is being delayed until Q3 2010, etc, etc).
I don’t really give a shit, either, because EA is one of my least favorite developers. They’re money whores, they fuck people over on DLC, and I just hope they don’t implode Bioware like they did Bullfrog, Maxis, etc.. I’ll stick to the UFC title (which actually looks pretty slick thus far), thanks.
They’re better than Activision…but that’s not really saying much.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
I'd disagree
I take it you don’t play Guitar Hero? That game alone is better than anything EA releases annually. Plus, CoD4 (having Infinity Ward, really) and Tony Hawk before it turned to mush (though, the next one is going to have a board peripheral that is reported to be pretty great). But you’re also talking to a guy that’s been bored with Madden since the days of Genesis and was pissed beyond belief when EA bought the official NFL license (signaling the death of the NFL2K series, which was far superior in its final years).
I fuckin hate US publishers, for the most part. I love developers and am angered when they get swallowed up and have the life sucked out of them.
In my mind
Rock Band (which EA distributes) > Guitar Hero
And they have Burnout. CoD4 did rock, but I’m more of a GOW2 sorta person.
Honestly, neither really have many games I’m into. Ubisoft ain’t bad, Bethesda made Fallout 3 (which rocks), and THQ is generally pretty okay.
And I can sympathize somewhat with your general disdain for US publishers, however, I hate most Japanese developers much more. Outside of Kojima and Sudo 51, nobody has done anything worth mentioning in years. And their RPG’s are unmitigated stupidity.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
I know, a lot of people do. To each his own. :-P
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
EA's sports lineup
SSX (AWESOME) Skate and Skate 2 (AWESOME) NBA Street (cool and was cooler when it was unique) Fight Night (AWESOME)
What do these games have in common?? Great control schemes, fun as FUCK and they are all published by EA
Gimme 1 Round!
SSX? Fight Night?
I’m not talking about 2003, I’m talking about today. In any case, they both suck balls. NBA Street was a novelty game, SSX hasn’t been fresh in ages and Fight Night has been absent for several years. The Skate games, however, are pretty fuckin rad. But these cumulative things are no reason to stroke EA’s balls. EA is a money hungry corporate ass monster. They regularly rob gamers on DLC by charging them for in-game content that is already on-disc. That shit is deplorable. Plus, there’s no offsetting all the trash they put out, and I absolutely hate their (shared, albeit) mantra that they will only retain IP’s that allow for annual iterations.
DEAD SPACE
Is a brilliant game developed AND published by EA. Check it out. Its one of teh best games I played last year. Excellent game all around if you’re into teh survival horror genre. Graphics, music, soundeefects are all insane in that game.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Feb 5, 2009 8:42 PM EST up reply actions
*the
Dude wtf is up woth me lately? lol
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Feb 5, 2009 8:47 PM EST up reply actions
with
*facepalm
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Feb 5, 2009 8:47 PM EST up reply actions
Oops, forgot to include in the list of good Japanese developers. They’ve done some great stuff.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
If you prefer the song selections of Rock Band
..to those of the GH games, I would probably smash your iPod if I knew you in real life. That aside..
I don’t play WoW, but it is a cultural phenomenon. Activision Blizzard is the far more successful company as of 2008. Starcraft II anyone? Diablo III? Guitar Hero: Metallica? I don’t play CoD either, but it was an excellent title and Infinity Ward is a great studio. How about the new Wolfenstein? They also recently bought out Bizarre Creations, who made the Project Gotham titles, and are working on a new racing series. I honestly really just fuckin hate EA. Always have…
You mean Suda 51? He’s fuckin great. And if you haven’t played RE4, or have played it and are unaware of how great it is, you’re just hating on Japanese titles. I also own a Wii and DS, so I’m one of those (I’ve always loved Nintendo). And clearly you don’t like fighting games, because then you’d be mentioning how US developers couldn’t make a good fighting game for their lives. Soul Calibur IV was amazing and I’m drooling over Street Fighter IV’s impending release. You obviously don’t like RPG’s, but to each their own, I guess.
True, but it is hard to give Activision props for what Blizzard did long before the merger.
And yeah, Suda 51 is awesome. RE4 ruled and RE5 is looking pretty good. The most recent Soul Calibur was good, and Guilty Gear has always been good stuff, but they really haven’t done anything new with them in awhile. And I like several western rpg’s, but I just hate the vast majority of JRPG’s. I grew up playing Final Fantasy, and have played 5-12 (sans 11), Breath of Fire’s, and several other series. I can’t stand them now. They are just too shonen jump-esque for me anymore.
The last great games I can think of that came out of Japan were Vagrant Story and Shadow of the Colossus, which incidentally are two of my favorite games. Unfortunately, they were released in 2000 and 2005, respectively.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
You should play Lost Odyssey
It’s the spiritual (and, in many ways, literal) successor to Final Fantasy 10. It’s created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, who directed all of the best FF’s. 11 wasn’t FF (I hate MMO’s) and I absolutely hated 12. LO is like the real FF11.
I don’t really prefer either. But I think that the product is better implemented and more polished. And if you hate EA for insane DLC bloodsucking, Activision and their 15+ releases of various iterations of the Guitar Hero franchise must drive you up a wall.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
Fuck no
I pick the one’s I want (GH3 and World Tour are the only one’s I own and I’ll get Metallica). I don’t buy their product and they say
“Hey, I know you like this game, but you didn’t actually buy the whole thing shit head! Pump ten bucks into your 360, on top of that 80 you paid for the Limited Edition of Shitty Shooter 3, and you can have these four guns that are already on the disc, and will provide a substantial advantage in online play! You’re welcome, consumer! Feel free to give us blow jobs!”
by Charles Awad on Feb 5, 2009 7:35 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
I own the PS3 because I refuse to pay for online gaming. Oh and HDDVD is a dead format. Rec’d.
by Derek Suboticki on Feb 5, 2009 7:45 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
How are you liking Killzone 2? I’ve only heard exceptional things.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
Im trying to download KZ2 but its taking for fucking ever!!! Arghhhh!!!! I want it NAO!!!
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Feb 5, 2009 8:40 PM EST up reply actions
Correct
I own all 3 actually. PSWii60 FTW!!! I mean, if ya got the money why not. Metal Gear Solid 4 is insane on PS3 while Gears is teh hawtness on 360. Halo is pretty good too. <—Sarcasm.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Feb 5, 2009 8:44 PM EST up reply actions
You didn’t used to have to make more than 20k a year to be a ‘real gamer.’ Those were the days…
by Derek Suboticki on Feb 5, 2009 8:50 PM EST up reply actions
I do not like the PS3
Sorry, but there is absolutely no justification for the cost. MGS4 and Little Big Planet in over two years is a fuckin joke. Everyone I knows that owns that monstrosity claims it’s because it has a Blu Ray player. I find that to be a cop out. Maybe when God of War III comes out, I’ll come around. But Tekken and Final Fantasy are already going to be on 360, so it’s going to take a miracle. And many of the biggest titles (Heavenly Sword, Drake’s, Motorstorm, GTA Prologue) have been described as demo’s because of their brief playtime. 60 bucks for a six hour game with no online play, or racing games that don’t offer full customization or an abundance of tracks and vehicles? Jokes. And this is going to sound totally crazy, but I prefer to pay to play online. You know why? No riff raff. No stragglers and people dipping their toes. If someone has a Gold Account, they at least know what buttons to press. That’s why the average K2D on PS3 games is always higher than the equivalent on the 360— less qualified players.
Not a Playstation hater— owned both PSone and PS2 on day one, but this system absolutely stinks of uppity bullshit pompous Sony; they don’t care if the consumer is satisified, you have to like it because they made it and they’re teh Sony.
Man. We’ve nerdified this place.
by Charles Awad on Feb 6, 2009 12:39 AM EST up reply actions
I believe there is a pretty big overlap between gamers and fans of MMA (very similar demographic, even if some of us are well outside that age group 18-25).
I’m on Live with the same gamertag if anyone is interested to add me.
Same here
Gamertag and PSN ID are xFenixKnightx
Just let me know where you saw me from. I’ll add you, pr0cs.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Feb 6, 2009 11:09 AM EST up reply actions
I bought a PS3 because I was tired of my 360 going RROD. I’m also not a hardcore gamer and I wanted a bluray player.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
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