Stoney Mason
Banned
AranhaHunter said:
He might be in the UFC relatively soon too.
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UFC to blacklist fighters who sign with EA MMA?
- Thread starter DMczaf
- Start date
He might be in the UFC relatively soon too.
BamYouHaveAids
Member
Even if he isn't I doubt he or any other american fighter wants to get blacklisted. I would be surprised if any of the top Affliction or Strikeforce guys sign. Their best bet would be to get over sea fighters from Dream and Sengoku, but I doubt that would be compelling to a majority of the public.Stoney Mason said:
pr0cs
Member
EA will have their work cut out for them. If we've learned anything over the last year and a half, orgs that deal with MMA and that don't work with the UFC have a steep road ahead.
If EA actually comes up with a MMA game it will have to be great by gameplay only since there are so very few fighters recognizable by the masses. (and actually worth remarking)
If EA actually comes up with a MMA game it will have to be great by gameplay only since there are so very few fighters recognizable by the masses. (and actually worth remarking)
Stoney Mason
Banned
LakeEarth said:
Plenty of people would line up to take their place.
"God's Beard!"
Member
Bob or Fedor?Blackace said:
The Faceless Master said:
And they still will here. UFC is retarded for doing this.
EA would pay a shit ton for the UFC license when it expires down the line. In the very least, it drives up a bidding war with THQ.
EA of course will never deal with UFC again. Now THQ will have next to no rivals and they'll get the UFC license on the cheap.
Stoney Mason
Banned
so much that is lol worthy here.ggnoobIGN said:
And with that I'm off to bed.
SolidSnakex
Member
ggnoobIGN said:
Even if this is true, there's no way EA will turn down the chance to get the UFC license when it's up for grabs (which I think is 2011). If they're serious about making MMA games then they're going to want the biggest license, and that's the UFC.
As a fan of MMA in general and also the UFC (I buy every PPV and go to some live events) I have to say that if these rumors are true it would be quite disappointing. Originally when hearing about the indicent earlier in the year with Mr. Fitch I was hoping he wouldn't sign but I totally understand why he would!
Dana White needs to protect his brand the best he can but it would be nice for other orgs to be able to partner, for example to have put together a Randy Couture vs. Fedor fight with M1-Global would have been epic and at this point it seems really unlikely.
When I originally heard that EA was working on a MMA game (quite a while ago now) I was very excited even knowing the status with UFC and THQ because I believed there were quite a few fighters in other organizations that would make for a great game. Think about a guy like Nick Diaz from Strikeforce. He is looking awesome in every bout and I'd love to have him in a MMA game.
Unfortunately a guy like Nick Diaz is also a guy who could fight in the UFC (his brother already does). I'm not sure how much Strikeforce is paying, but aside from the fights the exposure you get from being shown on a UFC PPV (especially one with a big main card) probably pays in terms of external sponsors and being able to promote what you're doing outside the cage (ex. teaching, shirts, whatever).
It is a tough situation and I hope those rumors are false.
Dana White needs to protect his brand the best he can but it would be nice for other orgs to be able to partner, for example to have put together a Randy Couture vs. Fedor fight with M1-Global would have been epic and at this point it seems really unlikely.
When I originally heard that EA was working on a MMA game (quite a while ago now) I was very excited even knowing the status with UFC and THQ because I believed there were quite a few fighters in other organizations that would make for a great game. Think about a guy like Nick Diaz from Strikeforce. He is looking awesome in every bout and I'd love to have him in a MMA game.
Unfortunately a guy like Nick Diaz is also a guy who could fight in the UFC (his brother already does). I'm not sure how much Strikeforce is paying, but aside from the fights the exposure you get from being shown on a UFC PPV (especially one with a big main card) probably pays in terms of external sponsors and being able to promote what you're doing outside the cage (ex. teaching, shirts, whatever).
It is a tough situation and I hope those rumors are false.
Steve Youngblood
Member
Yeah, there was another thread speculating on the EA MMA game about a week ago, and I said the same thing. EA isn't dumb. They understand this business, and they understand the importance of licensing and branding. They crushed the opposition when they locked up the NFL license, and they themselves got ran out of town when they couldn't make MLB games anymore and tried -- to failed results -- to make an NCAA baseball game. Right now, given the other options, they've got nothing that will compete with UFC.SolidSnakex said:
However, they understand the business well enough to take a chance, here. They can't cash in on Fight Night yearly, but an MMA series will supplement it and or surpass it nicely. They'll try to fine tune the mechanics, post some relatively respectable sales figures with the roster they can get, and make a play for the UFC license, having the framework in place. It's their only logical move.
That, or they're hoping that some organization like Strikeforce becomes a legitimate competitor. I doubt they're hedging their bets on that.
polyh3dron
Banned
we now live in soviet russia. socialism has taken us over! look no further than this situation for proof.The Faceless Master said:
Vaux said:
Agreed. It's a bluff on their part. They're trying to leverage their stature to bully up-and-coming fighters. Do you honestly think that this would be a deal-breaker in a situation where they could sign the Fedors and Robbie Lawlers and Gina Caranos and Mo Lawals and Satoshi Ishiis of the world? I fucking doubt it.
This isn't even the most outrageous thing that Zuffa has done recently either. The bullshit they're pulling with sponsors is far, far more over-the-top and reprehensible if you ask me.
It is interesting that the cage was filled with Fight Night Round 4 logos at the TUF Finale. I definitively see EA going for the UFC license when it expires no matter what strong arm tactics the UFC might use to persuade fighters not to sign with EA. Right now the UFC wants to limit the success of EA MMA for two reasons... The game would give exposure to great fighters outside the UFC that casual fans may want to see fight. A successful non-UFC game would make the UFC license less valuable. However, the UFC video game license has changed hands many times over the years, and of course the UFC realises that partnering with EA is probably the smartest thing they could do in the long run to build popularity.
Personally I think EA should go for some classic fighters. Royce Gracie, Pat Miletich, Bas Rutten, Ken Shamrock along with some Japanese stars like Aoki (who says he will never fight in the UFC anyway), Sakuraba, and the biggest names of Affliction/Strikeforce like Fedor, Nick Diaz, Frank Shamrock, Josh Barnett, Tito Ortiz, Robbie Lawler, Jake Shields, Gina Carano, Cung Le, Alistair Overeem, Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, Ben Rothwell. And given the recent UFC bail-out Cro-Cop is probably dead certain to be in there. I could also see them going for some of the Bellator people Eddie Alvarez, Hector Lombard, Lyman Good. Then we have someone like Bobby Lashley, and if Kimbo ends up getting submitted in the first episode of TUF10 I'm sure he will be in there too.
A few of these may want to join the UFC at some point, but I think EA could put together a really nice line up even if they can't secure Randy Couture. But we should keep in mind that Randy appeared in C&C (Carano too) and I think a deal on EA MMA may have been inked even before he re-signed with the UFC. He is the obvious choice for cover athlete and something has to be up with him not being in UFC 2009.
Personally I think EA should go for some classic fighters. Royce Gracie, Pat Miletich, Bas Rutten, Ken Shamrock along with some Japanese stars like Aoki (who says he will never fight in the UFC anyway), Sakuraba, and the biggest names of Affliction/Strikeforce like Fedor, Nick Diaz, Frank Shamrock, Josh Barnett, Tito Ortiz, Robbie Lawler, Jake Shields, Gina Carano, Cung Le, Alistair Overeem, Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, Ben Rothwell. And given the recent UFC bail-out Cro-Cop is probably dead certain to be in there. I could also see them going for some of the Bellator people Eddie Alvarez, Hector Lombard, Lyman Good. Then we have someone like Bobby Lashley, and if Kimbo ends up getting submitted in the first episode of TUF10 I'm sure he will be in there too.
A few of these may want to join the UFC at some point, but I think EA could put together a really nice line up even if they can't secure Randy Couture. But we should keep in mind that Randy appeared in C&C (Carano too) and I think a deal on EA MMA may have been inked even before he re-signed with the UFC. He is the obvious choice for cover athlete and something has to be up with him not being in UFC 2009.
I believe the page thing was some real tricky wording like "if you get caught in a choke don't tap out" that could be interpreted in two ways.GekigangerV said:
I think it was henderson who said he was asked to fight on short notice a few times and told he would have a hard time signing if he did not. So there is fixing fights, and then there is fixing fights.
KOC 2 has built in edits of both!God's Beard said:No one currently fighting in UFC, so that leaves...
Bas Rutten
Kimbo Slice
Gina Carano
Fedor Emelianenko
Ken Shamrock
Chuck Liddelllol )
Royce Gracie
Rickson Gracie (oh god do it!)
hmm... not bad options. I'd pay out the ass for Rickson Gracie v. Fedor Emelianenko.
edit: put in fucking Kimura as a secret character and I don't care if the game sucks.
jakershaker
Member
So why should the UFC/THQ deal allow another company to sign contracts with UFC fighters? It's bad business and perfectly understandable. They don't have to let everyone who wants to cash in on mma get free access to the big names in the sport, or those aspiring to become big names and probably already are on the road to or in talks with the UFC. Anyone below that wouldn't even be considered big enough to be in a game.
I don't get the confusion of the sport which is mma to the biggest organisation which is UFC. UFC's primary goal is to make money and to be the biggest name around, not to somehow promote the sport at the expense of their own winnings. That being said I can see EA going after the license next if they're serious about making a mma game, without it they will have a couple of good names, a couple of oldtimers and then fill up the ranks with crap ones.
But I liked the UFC game a lot so THQ can make a couple more before a new dev gets it.
I don't get the confusion of the sport which is mma to the biggest organisation which is UFC. UFC's primary goal is to make money and to be the biggest name around, not to somehow promote the sport at the expense of their own winnings. That being said I can see EA going after the license next if they're serious about making a mma game, without it they will have a couple of good names, a couple of oldtimers and then fill up the ranks with crap ones.
But I liked the UFC game a lot so THQ can make a couple more before a new dev gets it.
Outcast2004
Banned
Ok...what the hell happened to Bob?Blackace said:
I know he doesn't fight much anymore, but damn did Bobby Lashley make him look bad :/
Sapp should have taken the pro wrestling money that TNA was offering him.
TOAO_Cyrus
Member
madhtr said:
They most certainly do have NASCAR. I still havent forgiven them for killing the greatest sim racing series ever, Papyrus's NASCAR Racing series. The exclusive period might be ending or possibily its 3rd party only like 2K Games MLB license.
Every EA sports game last year was great, and this year they will be improve and only be better. Their sports franchises have been getting better and better recently. I'm currently playing FIFA 09 (ps3), Madden 09 (ps3), Grand Slam Tennis (wii), Tiger 10 (wii) and Fight Night Round 4 (ps3). They're briliant
Disappointing to see THQ afraid of the competition!
Disappointing to see THQ afraid of the competition!
nothing happened to him... he has always sucked. did you think otherwise?Outcast2004 said:
the biggest problem ea will face is that a lot of people know what ufc is but they dont know what mma is. no matter what fighters and commentators you guys keep bringing up that would make the game huge, the bottom line is that 90% of the people who buy the game dont have any idea who those guys are. i talked to a lot of people picking up the game at midnight who didnt even know who was on the cover.
ea is going to keep advertising in the ufc, and the ufc has not pulled them from being able to sponsor stuff on the show which is somewhat interesting. most of the time when anyone does ANYTHING that could affect zuffa interests, they ban them. the fact that they are allowing ea to continue advertising must mean they are getting really good money for allowing all the games to be shown. if ea tries to make their own promotion for some retarded reason (which i dont think will ever happen) that is when they will probably get banned to sponsor at events.
Minotauro said:
total bluff. good call. and that was november of last year.
fedor is not going to sell copies (despite what you may believe), lawler is not going to sell copies, bringing up carano is a joke (who the hell will you have her fight? 3 other semi-nameless female fighters no one knows other than cyborg?), mo lawal is REALLY not going to sell copies (but you look so smart throwing his name out there) and satoshi ishii, while a gold medalist in judo this summer, has not even had a pro mma fight and is not even fighting in the states. honestly, i think the biggest foreign name that could actually sell copies of games is probably dong hyun kim, but i really dont know how big of a market there is in s. korea for ps3 and xbox360 games. i think he should have been included in the game just to try to get the ufc more exposure over there. most fans in the states dont give him much thought (he is still very green) but he opens a big doorway to expansion in that part of asia.
remember dudes- if you want to discuss a video game, thats one thing. if you want to discuss mma, that is quite another. a lot of the names you toss out to be in the game would be good additions in the ufc, but i cant believe they will affect sales of whatever ea comes out with.
besides- most of the retards that play this game online pick the same 2 guys in each weight class that have the highest ratings every time. that tells you how important variety is.
kobashi100
Banned
If true then Dana White once again shows what a fcuking prick he really is.
Now we all know UFC wouldnt really blacklists the fighters if they really wanted them but if true they are using this as tactic to scare fighters from signing with EA.
Didnt Dana once say he would never have anything to do with fighters in the IFL? We have all seen how that ended up.
I hope the non UFC fighters and UFC fighters (if any others did not sign away the lifetime rights) tell Dana and the UFC to go fcuk themselves.
I don't really see how any UFC die hard can back the UFC on this.
Remember when the EA game was announced you had people saying it would flop etc as it had no UFC license. Seriously why is the UFC so scared about this game?
EA is a big powerhouse and even without the UFC license you see Dana acting like a scared bitch.
Anyway if EA really want to do well with this game and are serious about Japan sales they will need big japanese fighters. The one thing they could have over in the UFC in regards to japanese sales is that EA could localize the product much better than the UFC and THQ.
I expect the UFC game to totally bomb when released in Japan.
Now we all know UFC wouldnt really blacklists the fighters if they really wanted them but if true they are using this as tactic to scare fighters from signing with EA.
Didnt Dana once say he would never have anything to do with fighters in the IFL? We have all seen how that ended up.
I hope the non UFC fighters and UFC fighters (if any others did not sign away the lifetime rights) tell Dana and the UFC to go fcuk themselves.
I don't really see how any UFC die hard can back the UFC on this.
Remember when the EA game was announced you had people saying it would flop etc as it had no UFC license. Seriously why is the UFC so scared about this game?
EA is a big powerhouse and even without the UFC license you see Dana acting like a scared bitch.
Anyway if EA really want to do well with this game and are serious about Japan sales they will need big japanese fighters. The one thing they could have over in the UFC in regards to japanese sales is that EA could localize the product much better than the UFC and THQ.
I expect the UFC game to totally bomb when released in Japan.
Steve Youngblood
Member
I don't think it's about backing them, so much as recognizing that although this looks like some massive bullying on Dana's part, it really isn't going to amount to much. People in the UFC have already dealt with this licensing nonsense, and people outside of the UFC are either big enough that they really don't need to bow to Dana's whims, or aren't big enough to be an issue anyway. Why is EA going to stock the game with "up and comers" that nobody has heard of? They're not going to help sales, and I'm sure EA knows it.kobashi100 said:
cultofweaver
Member
This isn't totally unexpected and is further reason to question exactly why EA are getting involved in an MMA game. The sales of UFC and the popularity of the sport on the face of it suggest there is a big market for another game, but the huge success of UFC came down to the way the UFC marketed the game directly to its fans on their programming.
The vast majority of people who bought the UFC game are UFC fans first, videogame players second. Fedor is the biggest name outside UFC and even he is not a big enough draw to all but the most hardcore of UFC fans. There is no one EA could get that would market this game to those people, and the MMA concept is secondary to the UFC license for those people too.
It is clear they are hoping that when the deal is up they can snatch the license away from THQ and will look to use the first game as a test bed for concepts so they can get a head start before any potential license is signed. It's still a bizarre situation though, and a big risk for EA to be doing something like this.
The vast majority of people who bought the UFC game are UFC fans first, videogame players second. Fedor is the biggest name outside UFC and even he is not a big enough draw to all but the most hardcore of UFC fans. There is no one EA could get that would market this game to those people, and the MMA concept is secondary to the UFC license for those people too.
It is clear they are hoping that when the deal is up they can snatch the license away from THQ and will look to use the first game as a test bed for concepts so they can get a head start before any potential license is signed. It's still a bizarre situation though, and a big risk for EA to be doing something like this.
It's all the typical Dana White smoke and mirrors so nothing to really get upset about. As previously mentioned Dana goes back on his word all the time or slightly adjusts his tune for example IFL, Kimbo hell even Gina Carano and women's mma. He ultimately does whats best for business and lord knows if Diaz, Lawler, Overeem, Babalu or even Fedor signed with EA's mma game he would still try and sign them if they were free agents. It sucks for the lesser known guys for sure but you know what we probably won't be seeing Scott Smith, Paul Buenetello, Chris Horodecki or anyone of that ilk in UFC anyway. I am looking forward to this game and if they could sign people like Bas, Pat Miletich, Couture, Fedor, Barnett, Lee Murraylol ) or even Cro Cop then the ever growing mma fanbase will buy it.
lol ) or even Cro Cop then the ever growing mma fanbase will buy it.mrbagdt said:
There's a world of difference between the Jon Fitchs and Fedor Emelelianenkos of the world.
mrbagdt said:
Whether or not they'll sell copies is a straw man and totally irrelevant to the point at hand...but it did make you look smart by according you the opportunity to inform me of Ishii's past achievements and current status. We were discussing whether or not the UFC is going to be able to leverage its promotional muscle and stature to convince NON-UFC fighters to stay out of the EA video game. To a point, I think they'll be able to do it but only in the case of fighters that were questionable in the UFC in the first place. But in the case of fighters that can potentially make them money (like some of the ones I mentioned), Zuffa isn't going to allow something silly like this to be a deal-breaker. Dana White has a history of posturing and making all sorts of bold threats before ultimately going back on his statements and doing what's best for business. Case in point: Kimbo Slice. That said, I don't doubt that this sort of posturing will work on comparatively lower-level dudes like Jon Fitch. From that perspective, I will agree that it's not necessarily a bluff.
mrbagdt said:
Good lord, you're an elitist douche. I don't want to get into a pissing contest over this but I guarantee you that I know more about MMA than you do. At the same time, I'm not going to come into this thread and condescend to others because they may or may not be aware of the winner of the most recent Cage Force tourney or whatever. Get the stick out of your ass, honestly.
Steve Youngblood
Member
Better from a technical perspective? It was and still is quite possible. Better from a sales point? No. With or without Dana's posturing, this game wasn't going to outperform a UFC game.Tiduz said:
kobashi100
Banned
cultofweaver said:
Randy Couture??
Stoney Mason
Banned
cultofweaver said:
I agree with much of this. The UFC is as much of a brand nowadays as the actual fighters themselves. You remove half of the equation and you have a product that is far less appealing to the casual consumers who need to buy a game like this to make it a finanacial hit.
Same as with the other major sports which is why you had a situation like All-Pro Football from 2K going to the wayside.
It's very hard to market and sell a sports game that doesn't have all the licenses because you can't tap into what the average consumer can see and experience. It's even harder when your competing product has the backing and acceptance from the real license and it just sold a huge number of copies to a receptive audience.
Completely separate argument from whether the game will be any good or not.
plagiarize
Banned
here's what is going on. the UFC want people to think this is true to make them think twice about signing onto the game.
if you think for one second though that Dana won't bring in someone who is a big name draw if they're prepared to sign a multi fight contract, you're mad. they're trying to scare people off which is pretty shady, but they aren't going to refuse to hire a fighter because they were in the EA MMA game a few years after it came out.
i wouldn't be surprised if like, they wouldn't want to have such a person headlining a UFC event around the release of EA's game, but beyond that, they'll do what's best for their ticket and PPV sales.
if you think for one second though that Dana won't bring in someone who is a big name draw if they're prepared to sign a multi fight contract, you're mad. they're trying to scare people off which is pretty shady, but they aren't going to refuse to hire a fighter because they were in the EA MMA game a few years after it came out.
i wouldn't be surprised if like, they wouldn't want to have such a person headlining a UFC event around the release of EA's game, but beyond that, they'll do what's best for their ticket and PPV sales.
Steve Youngblood
Member
Randy Couture Presents Randy Couture's MMA All-Stars isn't going outperform a UFC game.kobashi100 said:
kobashi100
Banned
Steve Youngblood said:
I never said it would. I am saying he is the one guy EA have who they can use to push this game towards the general UFC fan.
this is the absolute truth- if it makes zuffa money, it wont be a deal breaker. if cung le was in the game and eventually left his contract with strikeforce, you can be damn sure that dana would want him with zuffa regardless.Minotauro said:
dana didnt really go back on his word with the kimbo thing though; he did say that the only way he could get into the ufc was to do tuf.
the only reason i said that shit about comparing video games and ufc- while i would love to see guys like ishii and lawal in the ufc at some point, i cant see how their participation in another video game could 1) actually cause it to sell more copies and 2) cause them to be blacklisted forever. empty threats. could you imagine dana getting asked a question in a press conference like 'are you interested in signing jake shields now that his contract with strikeforce is up' and the response was 'he was in that EA mma game, we are not interested'. its ridiculous. i also agree that the whole thing is probably just posturing to scare up and coming fighters...
the ufc getting pissed about fighters not being in THEIR game is another subject and is one that i think that zuffa would get pissed about and actually act on. they invest the time making you a star, they would expect you to be in their game, as was the case with fitch. i guess it is worth noting the difference between the two subjects.
i dont know who won the latest cage force tourney.... SHIT
Steve Youngblood
Member
They can string together enough fighters to release a respectable game. But what's their sales potential without the license? I'd say it's the following:kobashi100 said:
1. The cross-section of legitimate MMA enthusiasts who also happen to be gaming enthusiasts.
2. UFC fans who are just really hungry for an MMA experience better than Undisputed.
3. A small contingency of Fight Night fans who might be able to be pushed towards MMA if they realize that this is from the makers of Fight Night.
Given that, regardless of whether or not they sign every single MMA superstar not locked up by the UFC, I think they know they'll be lucky to sell one copy for every four that a UFC game sells.
Of course, I'm just pulling those numbers out of my ass, but there they are.