EA Sports UFC

Last updated
EA Sports UFC
EA UFC.jpg
EA Sports UFC Cover featuring Jon "Bones" Jones and Alexander "The Mauler" Gustafsson
Developer(s) EA Canada
SkyBox Labs [1]
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Engine Ignite (PS4, XB1)
Platform(s) PlayStation 4
Xbox One
iOS
Android
Release
  • PlayStation 4, Xbox One
  • June 17, 2014
  • iOS, Android
  • April 21, 2015
Genre(s) Fighting, sports
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

EA Sports UFC is a mixed martial arts fighting video game developed in a collaboration between EA Canada and SkyBox Labs, and published by EA Sports for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It is based on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brand and was released on June 17, 2014. It is the first UFC game since THQ sold the license to Electronic Arts. A downgraded port of the game was released for mobile devices in April 2015.

Contents

Gameplay

EA Sports UFC is a mixed martial arts fighting game based on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Its artificial intelligence accommodates for changes in player strategies mid-game to make the gaming experience more realistic than in previous UFC games. [2] The game also simulates "full body deformation" to connect players with their player-character. The Ultimate Fighter is featured at the start of Career Mode. Also included are perks unlocked throughout career to boost game-plans.

Development and release

Conflict originally arose between UFC president Dana White and Electronic Arts, when the UFC approached EA Sports to develop a UFC video game and EA refused. The UFC then turned to developer THQ to develop UFC titles. THQ's UFC 2009 Undisputed shipped approximately 2 million copies. With the success of the series, THQ quickly began working on a sequel, UFC Undisputed 2010 , and followed this release with UFC Undisputed 3 in 2012. [3]

With the growing popularity of MMA (the UFC banner particularly) and THQ's success, Electronic Arts began working on EA Sports MMA , featuring UFC's then promotional rival, Strikeforce. After the closing of THQ, Electronic Arts announced a "multi-year, multi-product" partnership with the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2012. [2] [4] THQ [5] reported that the publishing rights were purchased by EA Sports for an "undisclosed cash payment". [4] The first gameplay for the game was shown at the Xbox One reveal event in a trailer by EA Sports. The game is one of the first to run Electronic Arts's Ignite engine. [2] [5]

As a result of the new project, Electronic Arts put its Fight Night boxing franchise on hold. [6] The company said that the decision was based primarily on its perception that the UFC has greater international prominence, although EA Sports did offer that the boxing series could potentially return. [6] The Fight Night team (EA Canada) became the UFC team. [3] [6]

A playable demo was released on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Marketplace on June 3, 2014, with cover athletes Jon "Bones" Jones and Alexander "The Mauler" Gustafsson as playable fighters, with the full game releasing two weeks later on June 17. [7] A free-to-play mobile version of the game was released for iOS and Android devices on April 21, 2015. [8]

Roster

The roster was gradually revealed by EA Sports in batches. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] The final roster consists of 97 UFC fighters (not including DLC additions). [14] UFC legend Royce Gracie [15] and late martial arts icon Bruce Lee [16] are both featured in the game as bonus unlockable fighters. Gracie is playable in the middleweight division, and Lee is playable in bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight and welterweight. A free content update was released for download on July 22, 2014, adding T.J. Dillashaw, Tyron Woodley and Takeya Mizugaki to the roster. [17] On August 26, 2014, EA released another patch that included heavyweight Stipe Miocic as well as welterweights Matt Brown and Mike Pyle. On October 2, EA released their third patch including Tim Kennedy and Gunnar Nelson, and also making Nick Diaz able to switch to the middleweight division. On October 29, EA released their fourth patch including Hector Lombard, Diego Sanchez and Michael Chiesa, and also making Gegard Mousasi able to switch to the middleweight division. On November 19, EA released a fifth patch, this one including Myles Jury, Andrei Arlovski, and Yoel Romero. On December 10, EA released a legends pack, which included Mark Coleman, Matt Hughes, Quinton Jackson and Brock Lesnar. On January 21, EA released a seventh patch, this one including Eddie Alvarez, Holly Holm, Rafael dos Anjos and Anthony Johnson. This was said to be the last major update as they began focusing on the sequel, which was released in spring 2016.

Legacy

A sequel, EA Sports UFC 2 , was released in March 2016. [18] The third installment, EA Sports UFC 3 , was released on February 2, 2018, [19] and a fourth title, EA Sports UFC 4 , was released on August 14, 2020.

The fifth title of the series, EA Sports UFC 5 was teased on Twitter on July 5, 2023, following that the game to be fully announced in September 2023. [20]

Reception

EA Sports UFC received "mixed or average" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. [21] [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EA Sports</span> Sports gaming brand of Electronic Arts

EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they imitated real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network" (EASN) with pictures or endorsements, it soon grew up to become a sub-label on its own, releasing game series such as EA Sports FC, PGA Tour, NHL, NBA Live, and Madden NFL.

EA Sports College Football is an American football video game series developed by EA Sports in which players control and compete against current Division I FBS college teams. It served as a college football counterpart to the Madden NFL series. The series began in 1993 with the release of Bill Walsh College Football. EA eventually acquired the licensing rights to the NCAA name and officially rechristened the series with the release of NCAA Football 98.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frostbite (game engine)</span> Game engine developed by DICE

Frostbite is a game engine developed by DICE, designed for cross-platform use on Microsoft Windows, seventh generation game consoles PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, eighth generation game consoles PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch and ninth generation game consoles PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, in addition to usage in the cloud streaming service Google Stadia.

Star Wars: Battlefront is a series of first- and third-person shooter video games based on the Star Wars franchise. Players take the role of characters from the franchise in either of two opposing factions in different time periods of the Star Wars universe. The series was launched in 2004 by LucasArts with Star Wars: Battlefront, developed by Pandemic Studios for LucasArts. The game received positive reviews and sold well. In 2005 Pandemic developed a sequel, Star Wars: Battlefront II, which was also critically and commercially successful.

<i>UFC 2009 Undisputed</i> 2009 video game

UFC 2009 Undisputed, also known as UFC Undisputed 2009, is a mixed martial arts video game featuring Ultimate Fighting Championship properties and fighters developed by Yuke's and published by THQ. The game was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the first game to be released under THQ's 2007 agreement with the UFC, and it is to be the first UFC game released since UFC: Sudden Impact in 2004. A playable demo of UFC 2009 was released onto Xbox Live and PlayStation Network on 23 April 2009, and featured a tutorial and exhibition matchup between Chuck Liddell and Mauricio Rua. A sequel, UFC Undisputed 2010, was released on 25 May 2010.

<i>EA Sports MMA</i> 2010 video game

EA Sports MMA is a 2010 sports video game which was developed by EA Tiburon and published by EA Sports. It was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 19, 2010, in North America and October 22, 2010, everywhere else. Online services have been shut down since April 13, 2012 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

<i>UFC Undisputed 2010</i> 2010 video game

UFC Undisputed 2010 is a mixed martial arts fighting game featuring Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) properties and fighters developed by Yuke's and published by THQ in 2010 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PlayStation Portable. It is the second game to be released under THQ's 2007 agreement with the UFC and it is a sequel to the successful UFC 2009 Undisputed. Another sequel, UFC Undisputed 3, was released in 2012.

<i>UFC Undisputed 3</i> 2012 video game

UFC Undisputed 3 is a mixed martial arts video game featuring Ultimate Fighting Championship properties and fighters developed by Yuke's and published by THQ. It was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is a sequel to UFC Undisputed 2010, making it the third and last game to be released under THQ's 2007 agreement with the UFC.

<i>UFC: Tapout 2</i> 2003 video game

UFC: Tapout 2 is a video game in the fighting genre based upon the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The game is a sequel to UFC: Tapout. The sequel game was released in North America on 20 March 2003 for the Xbox console. The subtitle Tapout refers to a fighter tapping his hand indicating that he has submitted to a submission hold. A tapout, along with a knockout, judge's decision, and referee stoppage, is one of the ways of ending a UFC bout.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ignite (game engine)</span>

The EA Sports Ignite game engine is a collection of video game technologies built by Electronic Arts and designed to make video game sports "alive". The technology was announced at Microsoft's Xbox One reveal event in May 2013 for three EA Sports franchise games for Xbox One and PlayStation 4: FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25 and NBA Live 14, all released in Fall 2013.

<i>Madden NFL 25</i> 2013 video game

Madden NFL 25 is an American football sports video game based on the National Football League and published by EA Sports. It was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in August 2013. Instead of numbering it Madden NFL 14 with the year like in previous versions, the "25" in the title refers to the 25th anniversary of the Madden NFL series. The eighth-generation console versions of Madden NFL 25 are the very first games to run on EA Sports's Ignite game engine. However, the seventh generation versions still run on EA's previous game engine, Impact. The seventh-generation versions featured former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders on the cover, while the eighth-generation versions featured Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, and were released as launch titles for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November 2013.

<i>Madden NFL 15</i> 2014 video game

Madden NFL 15 is an American football sports video game based on the National Football League and published by EA Sports. The game was announced for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One on April 28, 2014, and was released on August 26, 2014, in the United States and Europe three days later. As in previous years, EA Sports conducted a fan vote via ESPN to elect the cover athlete for the game. Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman won the cover vote and the rest of the Legion of Boom defense was featured on the game's start menu. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are based on Madden NFL 25.

<i>Saints Row: The Third</i> downloadable content Downloadable content for a video game

Downloadable content for Saints Row: The Third was announced before the game's November 2011 release along with a commitment from publisher THQ to support 40 weeks of content. Among smaller upgrades, three main content packs were released: Genkibowl VII, Gangstas in Space, and The Trouble with Clones. Reviewers found all three packs short—around an hour in length—and considered The Trouble with Clones the best of the bunch.

<i>Enter the Dominatrix</i> Additional content pack for the 2013 video game Saints Row IV

Saints Row IV: Enter the Dominatrix is a downloadable content pack for the 2013 video game Saints Row IV that includes an alternate story of the alien Zin invasion. The dialogue often breaks the fourth wall and its style is self-referential in nature. Enter the Dominatrix draws on its history as originally produced as downloadable content for the game's predecessor, Saints Row: The Third. It was first announced on April Fool's Day in 2012, later confirmed, and then cancelled to be incorporated into Saints Row IV, which drew on some aspects of the original idea and left the rest for this downloadable content. It was released on October 22, 2013 to mixed or average reviews. Critics appreciated the pack's treatment of its own history, what Eurogamer's Chris Schilling called a "very postmodern conceit".

<i>Madden NFL 16</i> 2015 video game

Madden NFL 16 is an American football sports video game based on the National Football League and published by EA Sports for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Madden 16 introduced the new game mode "Draft Champions" to Madden. The game was released on August 25, 2015. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are based on Madden NFL 25.

SkyBox Labs Inc. is a Canadian video game developer located in Burnaby, British Columbia. Founded in 2011 by Derek MacNeil, Shyang Kong and Steven Silvester formerly from EA Vancouver, they are mostly known for their work with Xbox Game Studios on the Halo, Age of Empires and Minecraft franchises.

<i>EA Sports UFC 2</i> 2016 video game

EA Sports UFC 2 is a mixed martial arts fighting video game developed by EA Canada, and published in March 2016 by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The sequel to 2014's EA Sports UFC, it is based on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brand. The game's cover art features "Rowdy" Ronda Rousey and "The Notorious" Conor McGregor.

<i>EA Sports UFC 3</i> 2018 mixed martial arts video game

EA Sports UFC 3 is a mixed martial arts fighting video game developed by EA Canada and published by EA Sports. "The Notorious" Conor McGregor, one of the previous cover fighters of EA Sports UFC 2, returned as the official cover fighter of the game. Serving as the sequel to 2014's EA Sports UFC and 2016's EA Sports UFC 2, it was released on February 2, 2018, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. A sequel, EA Sports UFC 4, was released on August 14, 2020.

<i>EA Sports UFC 4</i> 2020 video game

EA Sports UFC 4 is a mixed martial arts fighting video game developed by EA Vancouver and published by EA Sports. Serving as the sequel to EA Sports UFC 3 (2018), it was released on August 14, 2020 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

References

  1. ↑ "EA Sports Co-developer: SkyBox Labs". Archived from the original on September 28, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Corriea, Alexa Ray (June 10, 2013). "EA Sports UFC launching next spring for PS4 and Xbox One". Polygon . Vox Media. Archived from the original on June 13, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  3. 1 2 Sarkar, Samit (May 20, 2013). "EA Sports unveiling UFC game May 21, same day of Microsoft's next-gen Xbox reveal". Polygon . Vox Media. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  4. 1 2 Pitcher, Jenna (May 8, 2013). "EA will not release Tiger Woods PGA Tour 15, UFC fighting game before April 2014". Polygon . Vox Media. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  5. 1 2 Sarkar, Samit (May 21, 2013). "Next-gen EA Sports titles running on Ignite engine at Xbox One reveal". Polygon . Vox Media. Archived from the original on June 8, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 Sarkar, Samit (May 24, 2013). "Fight Night series on hold for EA Sports UFC, says EA Sports boss". Polygon . Vox Media. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  7. ↑ Maiberg, Emanuel (April 6, 2014). "EA Sports UFC coming June 17". GameSpot . Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  8. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (April 22, 2015). "EA Sports UFC Comes to Mobile, Promises "HD-Quality" Graphics". GameSpot . Archived from the original on April 22, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  9. ↑ "'EA Sports UFC Roster Reveal Part 1'". January 10, 2014. Archived from the original on January 18, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  10. ↑ "'EA Sports UFC Roster Reveal Part 2'". February 20, 2014. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  11. ↑ "'EA Sports UFC Roster Reveal Part 3'". April 4, 2014. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  12. ↑ "'EA Sports UFC Roster Reveal Part 4'". June 5, 2014. Archived from the original on June 9, 2014. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  13. ↑ "'EA Sports UFC Roster Reveal Part 5'". June 16, 2014. Archived from the original on July 5, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
  14. ↑ "'EA Sports UFC to offer around 100 fighters at launch'". Digital Spy . 10 February 2014. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  15. ↑ "'Roll as Royce Gracie'". April 23, 2014. Archived from the original on April 25, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  16. ↑ "'Bruce Lee'". April 7, 2014. Archived from the original on April 8, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  17. ↑ "'EA Sports UFC - Free content update 1'". July 31, 2014. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  18. ↑ "EA Sports UFC 2 Confirmed Details Coming Soon". Archived from the original on 2023-11-22. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  19. ↑ Good, Owen (November 3, 2017). "EA Sports UFC 3 announced for Xbox One, PS4 (update)". Polygon . Archived from the original on November 12, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  20. ↑ "EASports UFC Twitter Account". Twitter. July 8, 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-07-30. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
  21. 1 2 "EA Sports UFC for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  22. 1 2 "EA Sports UFC for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  23. ↑ Pack, Ben (19 June 2014). "Review: EA Sports UFC". Destructoid . Archived from the original on 21 June 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  24. ↑ Carsillo, Ray (17 June 2014). "EGM Review: EA Sports UFC". Electronic Gaming Monthly . Archived from the original on 20 June 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  25. ↑ Reeves, Ben (17 June 2014). "EA Sports Makes A Solid First Strike - EA Sports UFC - Xbox One". Game Informer . Archived from the original on 20 June 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  26. ↑ Tan, Nick (17 June 2014). "EA SPORTS UFC Review". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  27. ↑ Renaudin, Josiah (24 June 2014). "EA Sports UFC Review". GameSpot . Archived from the original on 28 June 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  28. ↑ Rudden, Dave (17 June 2014). "EA Sports UFC review". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 18 June 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  29. ↑ Ingenito, Vince (19 June 2014). "EA Sports UFC Review". IGN . Archived from the original on 21 June 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  30. ↑ Gies, Arthur (26 June 2014). "EA Sports UFC review: losing ground". Polygon . Archived from the original on 28 June 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  31. ↑ Phipps, Brett (17 June 2014). "EA Sports UFC Review". VideoGamer.com. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.