After releasing three highly successful UFC titles on the current generation of consoles, THQ is handing over the budding license to publishing behemoth EA.
Now headed by Naughty Dog co-founder Jason Rubin, THQ has been cutting the fat from its company and maintaining the properties it sees the most potential in. The loss of the UFC Undisputed franchise is an interesting surprise for many reasons, though. The Yukes developed sports title has been selling well beyond expectations over the years, and UFC president Dana White had expressed a strong dislike for the way EA has done business in the past. White’s feud with EA must have sorted itself out for this deal to close, but it’s unknown how much money was exchanged for this transfer to occur.
“We have relished our relationship with UFC over the last several years and believe that the UFC gaming brand is in great shape. THQ’s more focused strategy moving forward meant that transferring the license to EA made sense to all parties,” said THQ CEO Brian Farrell. ‘We would like to thank UFC for their great support and partnership and wish EA all the best moving forward.”
This is a multi-game deal, and with the UFC’s recent move over to Fox, expect this partnership to last a while. EA has a knack for keeping strong sports properties chugging along from year to year.
Are you excited to see the UFC move over to EA? Are you surprised THQ let it go? Let us know what you think about this breaking news in the comments below.