Phil’s Big Prediction For 2010: EA Will Scrap Their MMA Project

For gaming blogs, the New Year is a time for reflection, planning, and shameless hit-seeking posts about what might happen in the future based on absolutely nothing reliable other than what one can pull out of one’s ass.  This idea came to me while watching TV.  During a commercial break up pops Randy Couture, former MMA Champion, and current enemy to Dana White and The UFC.  He was pimping some new exercise equipment that attaches to your door and it struck me; isn’t he supposed to be the first named fighter on EA’s rumoured MMA title that is in development?  So why is he shamelessly pimping some piece of shit wall-mounted exercise equipment on a niche cartoon channel?

Then I also remembered that the last 4 Guys 1Up podcast with David Ellis shared a rumour about a new EA IP involving ‘œfemurs.’  What with EA getting slammed financially this year and seriously losing ground to Activision/Blizzard due in part to investing in under-performing new IPs it seems that a UFC clone might be too much of a gamble for EA.

For it to be any kind of a competitor with the well regarded UFC Undisputed from 2009 it would require recognizable fighters with MMA profiles.  While there are other MMA leagues than the UFC, they are not nearly as well known to the general populace and would carry absolutely no ‘œwow’ factor for MMA fans and gamers.  Thus, it would require a lot of resources to attract fighters to a new title.  Resources that I don’t think EA can spare right now.  That combined with the fact that UFC CEO Dana White has threatened any fighter that signs with EA for their MMA title with a permanent ban from UFC events and competition spells doom for other titles until another MMA league asserts itself on a National level.  In other words, an MMA fighting game could easily turn into another big headache for John Riccitello.

So if you take MMA and Randy Couture out of the picture what is left for a fighting game that involves heavy use of one’s femur?  That spells Muay Thai Boxing to me.  EA could sign a bunch of unknowns for next to nothing and could definitely cash in on a potential untapped market.  That, and Muay Thai Boxing is hot right now.  A new Muay Thai style fighter is planned for the upcoming Super Street Fighter 4.  Also, Muay Thai is a fighting style that relies less on clutching, grounding, and pounding, and more on fan-friendly striking and kicking.

One thing that stood out for me with UFC Unleashed was its precision and faithfulness to the sport of Mixed Martial Arts.  The game demands that the player try to time strikes followed by clutches and throws while also monitoring one’s fatigue levels in setting up submissions.  The drawbacks though are that this is unforgiving to casual players, and not always fun to watch or experience as a fighting game.  The technical prowess is impressive yet it lacks the visual eye candy of games like Blazblue or Tekken 6.  With all due respect to the sport of MMA and the achievement of UFC Unleashed I think that there is a market out there for a Muay Thai fighting game. Based on some very circumstantial evidence I think that’s what EA will bring to the table in 2010, and yes while also scrapping their MMA game.

Happy New Year Negative Gamers!

Image: Wikipedia