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[Minotauro]

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.

You may be right, here. It's really hard to keep track of all the verbal diarrhea that comes out of Dana White.

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.

Absolutely. In those cases, Zuffa actually has some level of bargaining power. But even that isn't cut-and-dry. It will be interesting to see how they handle the situation with Couture if he is in fact in the EA game.

i dont know who won the latest cage force tourney.... SHIT

Hehe, to be honest, I don't even know if they're still running them. I was going to say "Bellator Tourney" but didn't think that was "inside" enough.

And, apologies if my response came off a bit-over-the-top and assholey. My excuse is that I'd just woken up which tends to amplify my already high dickhead quotient.

For what it's worth, this is all probably meaningless to argue about. As others have said, the EA game likely won't sell for shit regardless of who's in it. Of course, as a gamer and MMA fan and after playing Fight Night extensively, I absolutely cannot wait to see what they do with the sport. Shit, I'll be content just playing as my face-scanned self provided the gameplay system is deep enough.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Very interesting stuff

"It's easy to sit on the other side of the table and judge me on how I react to stuff like this," White said. "But let me tell you what – I've been in the trenches for almost 10 years, and I've been dealing with all these businesses, and EA was one of them."

"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.'"

"We put our asses on the line, THQ and the UFC, to make a video-game deal in the worst economy in the world," White said. "We go out there and do this thing, and it's successful, and now [expletive] EA Sports wants to do a video game. Really? That's not what you told us a year-and-a-half ago.

"You told us you'd never be in business with us. They wouldn't even take a meeting because mixed martial arts disgusted them. This wasn't a real sport. Boy, they got over that real quick, didn't they?"

"I'm not tap-dancing around this thing or whatever," White said. "I'm telling you straight-up, I'm at war with them right now. That's how I look at it."

"You won't be in the UFC," White said about additional fighters who sign with EA Sports.

"EA doesn't give a [expletive] about mixed martial arts. They made that very clear."

http://mmajunkie.com/news/15490/ufc...esponsible-for-current-mma-video-game-war.mma

 

[Blackface]

An interview done and posted on mixedmartialarts.com

Q. If a fighter signs with EA Sports, will they be banned from the UFC?

Fertitta: "There is no such thing as banned, but this is something that does get under my skin and Dana's skin because when we had the opportunity to go out and build a video game who do you think the first people we called was? EA Sports… We sat in the room with them and I would have cut a worse deal just to be with EA Sports. I wanted them so bad. They looked at them and they told us they didn't think MMA was a sport. This was three years ago. They said the UFC was irrelevant and that we were wasting their time. So we went down the street and did a deal with THQ and they thought MMA was a sport. So we stick with the guys who stick with us. Now the UFC video game has been a massive success with three million copies sold. And guess what EA wants to do? They want to do an MMA game now… If you are young fighter coming up, it just makes sense to stay under the umbrella of UFC companies, sponsors and marketing to ensure yourself a cut of the action for the rest of your life."

 

[DMczaf]

They looked at them and they told us they didn't think MMA was a sport. This was three years ago.

Bad luck on Peter Moore's part. He became President of EA Sports 2 years ago. I'm sure his reaction to finding out EA was offered UFC and turned it down was great.

 

[Stoney Mason]

Very interesting stuff

http://mmajunkie.com/news/15490/ufc...esponsible-for-current-mma-video-game-war.mma

Interesting indeed. It's just Dana's version of things but from first hand experience I can tell you that EA can be quite dickish so it wouldn't surprise me although I'm sure Dana is exaggerating how they expressed it.

 

[adamsapple]

Wow, looking at it like this i'm in full support for Dana White. Here's hoping UFC turns into a successful video game franchise.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Interesting indeed. It's just Dana's version of things but from first hand experience I can tell you that EA can be quite dickish so it wouldn't surprise me although I'm sure Dana is exaggerating how they expressed it.

Yeah, there's no way of telling if what Dana said is 100% accurate. But if it is then I can't blame Dana for doing what he's doing. EA disrespected the sport he loves and now he's going to try to stop them from getting their foot in the door.

 

[hukasmokincaterpillar]

Unsurprisingly dick move by EA (if true), but that doesn't make Zuffa any less bush league here. For a lot of fighters trying to make their name its a struggle to simply support year round training. UFC can't support the entire sport. White is cutting off an effective means of promotion out of spite while acting like he's doing fighters a favor. What a fantastic cunt.

 

[MarkMacD]

Get those Dana White vs Peter Moore animated gifs ready! I expect the war of word to be as brutal as it will be entertaining...

Spoiler

especially as someone who really doesn't give a shit either way

 

[Grecco]

Well that about wraps it up for EA's MMA. What was funny was so many analysts suggesting EA would eventually get the UFC licence. Guess not.

 

[JBuccCP]

Who was head of EA Sports before Peter?

 

[EMBee99]

If you take a look at some of the things creeping into EA's sports lineup this year, I don't think it makes a difference on whether they sign current fighters to contracts.

 

[neorej]

Yeah, there's no way of telling if what Dana said is 100% accurate. But if it is then I can't blame Dana for doing what he's doing. EA disrespected the sport he loves and now he's going to try to stop them from getting their foot in the door.

I can understand how he wants to block EA's entry into the MMA-gamesworld, but it's a dickmove from him to let the athletes suffer from it. He could offer his athletes a nice sum of money for exclusive usage in videogames, he could deny EA any UFC-related material (which he will surely already do), there's tons of things that Dana White could do to cockblock EA without hurting the athletes.

On another note: can you blame EA for not being all hyped about a game that will introduce a fresh IP into a genre they crashed and burned in with their previous attempt (Def Jam Icon was a fucking disgrace to gamers everywhere) in a period of economic decline, with no guarantees of being fuckawesome in terms of quality and revenue at all?

 

[Monroeski]

Well that about wraps it up for EA's MMA. What was funny was so many analysts suggesting EA would eventually get the UFC licence. Guess not.

People will say what they will about Dana White being a dick, but if he's got nothing else going for him I think you can be pretty sure that he's not just blowing smoke and he won't be moneyhatted by EA later.

I think it would be good if, instead of just banning guys for signing with the EA game, they actually work on some avenue to get more guys into the UFC game; maybe have DLC packages for non UFC fighters, or something like that? Probably wouldn't happen since it's a UFC game and not a broad MMA overall game, but it would be cool to give those other guys some sort of option.

 

[JB1981]

God, I love EA.

 

[Zenith]

I can understand how he wants to block EA's entry into the MMA-gamesworld, but it's a dickmove from him to let the athletes suffer from it. He could offer his athletes a nice sum of money for exclusive usage in videogames, he could deny EA any UFC-related material (which he will surely already do), there's tons of things that Dana White could do to cockblock EA without hurting the athletes.

ding.

 

[Steve Youngblood]

Well that about wraps it up for EA's MMA. What was funny was so many analysts suggesting EA would eventually get the UFC licence. Guess not.

Well, I assume that you're referring to actual analysts, but as an armchair analyst, I still say that they're making a play for the license, which does not necessarily mean that they'll get it. Barring that, they can pray that they successfully partner up with a rival promotion that rises in prominence, but I don't think that's a smart bet.

Either way, if they want yearly fighting games going out the door, they know they need to get into MMA. Fight Night is a fantastic game, but boxing just isn't what it used to be. They can't put it on the shelves every year like they can with Madden and expect it to sell. What's going to happen? I don't know. But they're definitely hoping the following pans out:

Step 1: Develop strong MMA game.
Step 2: ??????
Step 3: Profit!

Edit:

I can understand how he wants to block EA's entry into the MMA-gamesworld, but it's a dickmove from him to let the athletes suffer from it. He could offer his athletes a nice sum of money for exclusive usage in videogames, he could deny EA any UFC-related material (which he will surely already do), there's tons of things that Dana White could do to cockblock EA without hurting the athletes.

On another note: can you blame EA for not being all hyped about a game that will introduce a fresh IP into a genre they crashed and burned in with their previous attempt (Def Jam Icon was a fucking disgrace to gamers everywhere) in a period of economic decline, with no guarantees of being fuckawesome in terms of quality and revenue at all?

In regards to fighters, I STILL don't understand the commotion, as it seems empty. Guys who are big enough to sell PPVs and make the big bucks without the UFC don't need to be afraid of Dana. If he thinks that Lesnar vs. Fedor is going to sell a zillion PPVs, he's going to sign Fedor (assuming Fedor wants to be signed) regardless of whether or not he's in the EA game.

Regarding up and coming fighters: who cares? This is just posturing on Dana's part again, because nobody is going to get into a dickwaving contest in an arms race to sign fighters who aren't going to sell copies of games.

And regarding Def Jam, I really don't count them. They're part of a completely different presentation than the EA Sports games. Arguing that Icon could be used as a barometer for the success of a future MMA game would be rather poor business sense. It doesn't have anything to do with Icon. I think it's really quite simple: EA gambled that MMA was going to be a flash-in-the-pan spectacle, and they gambled wrong.

 

[dskillzhtown]

Well that about wraps it up for EA's MMA. What was funny was so many analysts suggesting EA would eventually get the UFC licence. Guess not.

Not sure how you got that out of this story. EA and UFC are in this to make money. If the THQ contract is up and UFC thinks they can make more money with EA, they will jump ship. That is the bottom line. If the EA MMA game sells well without a UFC license, imagine how it would sell with it. Both sides will make money.

As far as Fertitta's comments, there are two sides to every story. Who knows what kind of deal UFC was pitching, maybe the deal wasn't fair to EA. Maybe THQ was in such a bad position that they took it because they were desperate. Maybe the timing was just bad as the head of EASports was just about out the door? Who knows? We will never know the entire truth.

Randy Coutre is reportedly getting the EA MMA cover according to pastapadre.com. That is huge. If the game is good, it is going to sale.

 

[Steve Youngblood]

Randy Coutre is reportedly getting the EA MMA cover according to pastapadre.com. That is huge. If the game is good, it is going to sale.

But how much? Are we talking "it'll sell well enough to be regarded as a success by EA," or are we talking "it'll go toe-to-toe with UFC 2010"? The former is very possible. The latter? I highly doubt it. I think the potential is somewhere in the one for every three to four copies that UFC sells. If UFC ONLY beats it by a 2:1 margin, then that would be huge for EA.

 

[neorej]

Well, I assume that you're referring to actual analysts, but as an armchair analyst, I still say that they're making a play for the license, which does not necessarily mean that they'll get it. Barring that, they can pray that they successfully partner up with a rival promotion that rises in prominence, but I don't think that's a smart bet.

Either way, if they want yearly fighting games going out the door, they know they need to get into MMA. Fight Night is a fantastic game, but boxing just isn't what it used to be. They can't put it on the shelves every year like they can with Madden and expect it to sell. What's going to happen? I don't know. But they're definitely hoping the following pans out:

Step 1: Develop strong MMA game.
Step 2: ??????
Step 3: Profit!

Edit:

In regards to fighters, I STILL don't understand the commotion, as it seems empty. Guys who are big enough to sell PPVs and make the big bucks without the UFC don't need to be afraid of Dana. If he thinks that Lesnar vs. Fedor is going to sell a zillion PPVs, he's going to sign Fedor (assuming Fedor wants to be signed) regardless of whether or not he's in the EA game.

Regarding up and coming fighters: who cares? This is just posturing on Dana's part again, because nobody is going to get into a dickwaving contest in an arms race to sign fighters who aren't going to sell copies of games.

And regarding Def Jam, I really don't count them. They're part of a completely different presentation than the EA Sports games. Arguing that Icon could be used as a barometer for the success of a future MMA game would be rather poor business sense. It doesn't have anything to do with Icon. I think it's really quite simple: EA gambled that MMA was going to be a flash-in-the-pan spectacle, and they gambled wrong.

True enough, I wasn't suggesting MMA will be anything like DJI (although I can see how you thought that I was, reading back), but the Def Jam-games were the closest EA has come to a MMA-game in recent years. That's why I brought it into the discussion.

 

[dskillzhtown]

But how much? Are we talking "it'll sell well enough to be regarded as a success by EA," or are we talking "it'll go toe-to-toe with UFC 2010"? The former is very possible. The latter? I highly doubt it. I think the potential is somewhere in the one for every three to four copies that UFC sells. If UFC ONLY beats it by a 2:1 margin, then that would be huge for EA.

That is the mentality that gets game companies in trouble. You are in the business to make money. If UFC sales 3 million copies and you sell 900k but make a big profit for yourself, then what does it matter? The object is to make a profit. Not win a race or a dick waving NPD contest.

Another thought is, THQ has to share that money with UFC, EA has to share that money with EA. So the profit margin on each sale should be bigger for EA.

 

[nib95]

UFC as an organisation sucks. At least Dana White does. The more and more stories like this I hear, the more I want UFC to fail and another organisation (perhaps WAMMA) to succeed. UFC have turned in to this evil empire lying to it's fanbase and hell bent of destroying the sport just for it's own success. Irrespective of whether EA turned them down in the past, I reckon EA could to a better MMA game than THQ could, so I'm all for them making one.

 

[codecow]

LOL you also have to remember that not long ago EA was not making M-rated titles either. I believe The Godfather was one of the first (if not THE) first internally produced M-rated game and it came out 3/20/06 (~3 years ago).

There was a war within the company before starting production on GF (2+ years before it came out). For a long time there was the thinking that EA wouldn't become involved in M-rated software all the way through the CEO (Larry Probst) and board of directors.

So I can see why the same people who would be squeamish about making M-rated stuff would consider the UFC (especially 3+ years ago) to not be a sport.

Unfortunately for EA, Dana seems to really value loyalty and this is par for the course for traditional old-school EA. Wait until something is a success and then try to compete with it or buy it.

Lately (since JR came back) EA has been taking a lot more risks many of which have yet to pay off. You could say that making a MMA game without the UFC license is even a big risk which kind of shows how serious they are about it now.

 

[Steve Youngblood]

Another thought is, THQ has to share that money with UFC, EA has to share that money with EA. So the profit margin on each sale should be bigger for EA.

And Randy Couture and any other big gun they sign assuming that these people have good business sense.

But I do see your point. I also, however, think that this game could very easily bomb terribly.

 

[pr0cs]

UFC as an organisation sucks. At least Dana White does. The more and more stories like this I hear, the more I want UFC to fail and another organisation (perhaps WAMMA) to succeed. UFC have turned in to this evil empire lying to it's fanbase and hell bent of destroying the sport just for it's own success. Irrespective of whether EA turned them down in the past, I reckon EA could to a better MMA game than THQ could, so I'm all for them making one.

WAMMA is a joke, I'll understand if you dislike Dana White but even mentioning WAMMA suggests to me that you're hating on the UFC for the sake of hating.

 

[nib95]

WAMMA is a joke, I'll understand if you dislike Dana White but even mentioning WAMMA suggests to me that you're hating on the UFC for the sake of hating.

Why is WAMMA a joke? If they are just as bad, fair play, someone else. But I've not heard the terrible stories about WAMMA that I have and still do hear abut UFC, namely Dana White. He's just an unprofessional greedy and unscrupulous little bugger. And this coming from someone who used to be a huge supporter of UFC, especially pre-Pride taking over days.

 

[Steve Youngblood]

Somebody school my sorry ass here:

I don't understand the WAMMA talk. Aren't they just a sanctioning body? I've heard of them, but I didn't think they were a promotion. Saying "We worked out a deal with WAMMA" wouldn't automatically grant you the rights to the promotions who work with them. UFC could work out a deal with WAMMA if they wanted to.

Of course, I could be entirely off the mark here.

 

[pr0cs]

Why is WAMMA a joke? If they are just as bad, fair play, someone else. But I've not heard the terrible stories about WAMMA that I have and still do hear abut UFC, namely Dana White. He's just an unprofessional greedy and unscrupulous little bugger. And this coming from someone who used to be a huge supporter of UFC, especially pre-Pride taking over days.

WAMMA refused to recognize some top tier fighters when they realized that the UFC would never work with them. Don't say you want to be an independent sanctioning body when you ignore some of the best fighters in the world.

White can be an egoist megalomaniac but he's protecting his work, something that almost went down the shitter so I can see why he wants to work that way.

In the end the UFC is a business and it's his job to make sure it makes as much money as possible and continues to thrive. The EA and fighter thing makes sense to me, what sort of position would they be in if they brought in a fighter who became champion but they couldn't even put them in their game because they signed their rights over to EA? They're already stuck here with Couture.
Should they be more lenient on the fighters likeness rights.. absolutely but it totally makes sense for them to try and protect their IP.

 

[storybook77]

Just as DM pointed out, this apparently all occured before Peter Moore took over the EA Sports brand. If anybody can heal the wounds over time it would be him. If the contract with THQ runs out and if EA can build an MMA engine that's equal to or better than Yuke's, Dana will jump ship, no question about it. THQ just doesn't have the marketing prowess that EA possesses.

 

[adamsapple]

Peter Moore replies

I know there has been some recent discussion about EA SPORTS bringing a challenger to this sport. I love mixed martial arts, and we've been working on a game concept since I came to (sic) two years ago. I have great respect for the organizations and individuals that have invested in the sport's growth over the past decade – so this is one that is near and dear to me and I'm excited to see such good progress to date. I trace my MMA video game roots back to my support of Crave's UFC title on the Dreamcast in 2000, and have been a fan ever since. Our title will bring both innovation and further authenticity to mixed martial arts, not to mention a strong global publishing network that will help spread the sport's popularity around the world.

http://kotaku.com/5314049/peter-moore-responds-to-ufc-over-mma-game

 

[YoungHav]

:lol This is what EA gets for cancelling my NFL2K6 pre-order.

 

[kassatsu]

So is the main event for UFC102 canceled now?

Randy Couture, one of the most popular fighters in MMA history, will co-headline EA SPORTS MMA alongside Fedor Emelianenko.

"I have been a part of MMA for over 10 years and I am excited about the global visibility that a game like EA SPORTS MMA will bring to the sport," said Randy Couture. "Like my fighting career, I look forward to taking on all comers in EA SPORTS MMA."

http://mma.easports.com/news.action?id=Couture

 

[Ninja Scooter]

So is the main event for UFC102 canceled now?



http://mma.easports.com/news.action?id=Couture

its been known for a while that Couture would be involved in the game. He's a guy they will make an exception for, just like with all the Affliction shit.

 

[Sipowicz]

it sounds like they're well within their rights

if someone pours scorn on the entire sport or the idea of making a videogame based around it then they deserve what they get

good on the UFC

 

[codecow]

Don't player hate all of EA. The guys making the game obviously love MMA and I work for EA and I love MMA as well. In fact, I'm about ready to go to Strikeforce and even though we're sponsoring JT Money's opponent I'm rootin' for him. JT MONAY!!!

 

[Blackface]

Dana White wants the UFC to become more of a league, then just an organization. They want to be the only show in town, the NFL of MMA. It's a very different approach then other fight promoters.

With that in mind, Dana is going to need to be ready for a union of players. It's inevitable. If Mixed Martial Arts continues to grow, and the UFC becomes so large that it's almost impossible for a smaller businesses to start up their own company, or pointless to try, a fighters union will go in place.

As much as it makes sense for Dana to stick it to EA this way, it still hurts the fighters at the end of the day. All you need to do is head over to a board like mma.tv where the fighters all post, joke, and talk. The mass majority of these guys aren't rich out of their ass, most of them are forced to open side Martial Arts businesses and gyms to live a comfortable life. If you aren't a headliner, you are making relatively meager sums of money.

Dana white is also full of shit, or exaggerates 9 out of 10 times. He gets away with it because you can tell the casual fans anything and they will believe it.

Do I think EA turned them away? I think EA turned away the idea of making a UFC only game. I don't think they turned away MMA. You also have to understand that Mixed Martial Arts was not large enough or profitable enough half a decade ago to really make a really good game. EA is a sports giant, it's nice that Dana knew Mixed Martial Arts would continue to grow, but you can't just go to EA and ask them to make a game for your company based on hopes and dreams.

 

["God's Beard!"]

Don't player hate all of EA. The guys making the game obviously love MMA and I work for EA and I love MMA as well. In fact, I'm about ready to go to Strikeforce and even though we're sponsoring JT Money's opponent I'm rootin' for him. JT MONAY!!!

uhh...

 

[Truespeed]

An interview done and posted on mixedmartialarts.com

I can sort of understand EA's response at the time. I mean, they were obviously busy with Cricket 07 to even bother with Ultimate Fighting.

 

[SuperMattyFighter2T]

Shitty situation for the fighters... But funny to see this happen to EA after what they've done with the NFL license.

 

[Ledsen]

Aren't there antitrust laws to stop shit like this?

 

[shouamabane]

UFC will take whatever fighters will make them the most money. If not, they will be overtaken by an organization that does.

 

[smurfx]

Do I think EA turned them away? I think EA turned away the idea of making a UFC only game. I don't think they turned away MMA. You also have to understand that Mixed Martial Arts was not large enough or profitable enough half a decade ago to really make a really good game. EA is a sports giant, it's nice that Dana knew Mixed Martial Arts would continue to grow, but you can't just go to EA and ask them to make a game for your company based on hopes and dreams.

buahahaha you really think ea would turn down a chance now to make a ufc only videogame? if you do then i just got to laugh at you. also when the ufc wanted to make a game with ea 3 years ago like dana white says the ufc was very popular then. so your second point doesn't stand. if ea would of had the balls they could have been making the ufc games now and making big profits. i really, really hope ea's game fails miserably.

 

[Buckethead]

bastard-gif.gif

You bastard, using THAT one! :lol

I could give a fuck about a UFC or MMA game. Haven't played the latest game, but the last couple were shit and they seemed to try to say "hey this one isn't shit either...play me" but they were all liesss! Lies!

All I care about is watching UFC on a channel that is not Spike and seeing some more awesome fights. Maybe games and more popular UFC go hand in hand, so I guess I should reconsider. Atleast get goddamn THQ off of your company Dana, cheese louise.

 

[Kazz1896]

I don't know if anybody covered this but Dana White wanted EA to make a UFC game back in the day and was flat out REJECTED. Now the UFC is huge and EA wants to do business. Dana White told EA basically to F off you had your chance. I don't blame the man!

 

[Shamrock7r]

I don't know if anybody covered this but Dana White wanted EA to make a UFC game back in the day and was flat out REJECTED. Now the UFC is huge and EA wants to do business. Dana White told EA basically to F off you had your chance. I don't blame the man!

Try reading the damn thread.

 

[mutantmagnet]

I would say karma is a bitch. This news makes me smile after what EA has done to football games since being the only game in town. I used to buy a football game every year. I have not bought one since 2K was shut out. I can not stand the game play in madden.

This is pretty much why I think people should be more annoyed with the situation. It's not like fighting fans aren't thrilled with THQ's implementation. UFC restricting MMA to one company is reducing the possibility of getting better gameplay for those who don't care for the THQ system.


[editing because I just read the 3rd page]

"We put our asses on the line, THQ and the UFC, to make a video-game deal in the worst economy in the world," White said. "We go out there and do this thing, and it's successful, and now [expletive] EA Sports wants to do a video game. Really? That's not what you told us a year-and-a-half ago.

"You told us you'd never be in business with us. They wouldn't even take a meeting because mixed martial arts disgusted them. This wasn't a real sport. Boy, they got over that real quick, didn't they?"

In spite of my prior thoughts EA deserves this grief.

 

[Phantast2k]

Peter Moore interview: Strikeforce: EA Sports Storms MMA

 

[kobashi100]

man said all the right things. great interview!!

 

[Eric WK]

Peter Moore reminding us why he's the best.

 

["God's Beard!"]

Peter Moore interview: Strikeforce: EA Sports Storms MMA

I like how non-game journalists ask good questions.