UFC is undisputed…unless you work for EA Sports

Emmett Jones | August 3, 2009 More

I honestly never thought I’d write this but, There is a popular sports video game on the market…and its not made by EA sports. What’s the video game that EA Sports, the makers of John Madden Football and Tiger Woods Golf among other things, passed on? That would be UFC Undisputed 2009, which was created by previously struggling video game company, THQ. More info from Media & Money,

UFC 2009 Undisputed has been a hit since launching in May, selling about three million copies.

THQ, the game’s developer and publisher, has reported a first-quarter profit of $6.4 million.

THQ President Brian Farrell praised the success of UFC Undisputed 2009 as the reason behind THQ’s recent success.

“We reported the highest June-quarter net sales and net income in our history, driven primarily by the success of our hit title UFC 2009 Undisputed,” Farrell said in a statement. Net sales jumped 77% to $243.5 million, up from $137.6 million.

“77% increase in net sales”. Raise your hand if your pulling in numbers like that. Go ahead…I’ll wait.

While the success experienced by the UFC and THQ is noteworthy, the bigger story seems to be the fact that EA Sports did not produce this game. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but whenever one is dealing with a sports game, there’s usually a better than likely chance that the EA sports logo is plastered on the front of it. So what gives here? EA sports didn’t think MMA qualified as a sport. More from MMA Junkie,

“EA Sports told us, ‘You’re not a real sport,’” White said. “‘We wouldn’t touch this thing. We want nothing to do with this.’”

With EA Sports passing on the rights to the UFC’s video game license, rival software company THQ elected to partner with mixed martial arts’ biggest promotion. The company’s first effort, “UFC Undisputed 2009,” has shipped approximately 2 million units since its May release according to White, and the fiery exec is upset that EA Sports is now changing their tune with the recent announcement of a forthcoming “EA Sports MMA” title.

White, the UFC president, goes on to say that any fighters who participate in the EA licensed UFC game will be blacklisted from the UFC itself. I really have to admire White’s actions, especially when he’s fighting against the sports video game behemoth that is EA sports. While there is apparently some speculation surrounding the veracity of White’s story, one would have to think that White would have gone with EA Sports initially, if he had the opportunity; so it seems like EA may have missed the boat on a very lucrative video game. Of course, they’re presently trying to rectify that situation; but I think there may be a certain president who is not willing to succumb to Goliath so easily.

Media & Money — UFC Undisputed 2009 sells over 3 million copies

Tags: business mistakes, Dana White, EA Sports, MMA, UFC, UFC Undisputed 2009