THQ locks up UFC license

Publisher steps into The Octagon, signs on to make games based on mixed martial arts brand for the next five years.

THQ has long been a purveyor of sweaty, half-naked men grappling with one another, having published numerous wrestling games based on the WWE in the past decade, as well as several WCW titles before that. Today the company announced that it would add to that heritage with an exclusive worldwide licensing deal to publish games based on the Ultimate Fighting Championship brand through 2011.

Unlike THQ's other aforementioned licenses, the UFC is an unscripted competition in which combatants from around the world enter an eight-sided cage known as The Octagon and fight each other with few ground rules. Part of the UFC's attraction is the mixing and matching of different martial arts used by its fighters, including kickboxing, karate, judo, wrestling, boxing, and more.

Under the agreement, THQ is able to create games for all current and next-gen platforms, handhelds, and PCs. The publisher also gets "certain wireless rights" under the deal.

The UFC has been running Pay-Per-View events since 1993, but in recent years has found growing prominence on cable, with the reality TV series "The Ultimate Fighter" entering its fifth season on Spike TV. The UFC is also one of Microsoft's content partners for downloadable shows over Xbox Live Video Marketplace.

Several game companies have taken a swing at the license before, starting with Crave's Ultimate Fighting Championship on the Dreamcast, which was developed by Anchor. While it was critically well received, subsequent UFC games did not fare as well, and the license has been dormant since 2004's UFC: Sudden Impact.

THQ has not yet announced a developer or a release window for the first game.

79 Comments

  • jamescrenshaw

    Posted May 26, 2007 10:05 am PT

    I have been waiting a long time for this game. The dreamcast game was ahead of its time. They need to tighten up the controls to make it more realistic. And make individuals fighters more distinctive. I think if you made the controls similar to Tekken. Making each button correspond to a limb. Then you can use the. The right trigger and left triggers could be clinch and shooting. The right and left buttons could be blocking hi and low.. Reversals and counters could be done by hitting 2 buttons....changing positiioning in standing or grounded grapples coudl be done by the d-stick....there is alot of stuff they could do.

    As far as all this Pride v UFC stuff...its all good. The fights are all good to watch....its just easier to see UFC here.

  • katarot

    Posted May 19, 2007 1:28 pm PT

    do you think now that the ufc own pride that the game will have fighters from both brands

  • MrrNiceHk

    Posted May 5, 2007 11:55 am PT

    Do we have any idea if this game will be out in 2007 ... The 360 needs a good fight game ... UFC on the DC was the best fighting game ever made

  • Mchiplin89

    Posted May 4, 2007 7:21 pm PT

    TWG9288, although I agree with you that Pride is better, the argument that pride fighters is better doesnt apply really now other then in the case of Fedor. GOnzaga knocked out the #2 in the heavyweight division in Crocop, O'Brien beat Herring, Diaz beat Gomi. Pride and UFC both have good fighters, Prides fights are just generally more exciting.

  • RASTAPUNK777

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 8:00 am PT

    This game should be great as long as they take some time making it.I hope THQ makes it more realistic then the previous MMA games.thats the main prblem of the other games, their just too fast paced and unrealistic.and for all you people sayin how ufc is way better or pride is way better....shut up, their both good companies and they both have good fighters.You may have your preference of which show you like to watch more, but neither company domintates the other.But i am looking forward to this game and I hope they mix both pride and ufc fighters so you can have some bomb brawls.

  • 69Kameleon69

    Posted Apr 16, 2007 10:29 pm PT

    Can't wait for this game to come out. Hope THQ does alot with the game, make it a variety and well as depth.

  • ascend3dTRUNKS

    Posted Apr 2, 2007 10:07 am PT

    UFC games have been known to get low ratings from gamespot. Man UI hope THQ makes a great UFC game this year.

  • KirkFaulkner

    Posted Mar 5, 2007 1:30 am PT

    benn waitin for someone to grab thae bull by the horns and get a good MMA / UFC title out there and it can only great with the sucsess THQ have had with the WWE and Smackdown brand. Cant wait for more info on this.

  • xall3gianc3x

    Posted Feb 26, 2007 7:49 pm PT

    this seems like it can be a good game now. maybe they should work with ea sports on this one or a company with good sports and fighting game background

  • Diagnus

    Posted Feb 23, 2007 7:11 am PT

    How could this be done? A button for punch a button for kick a button for block a button for shoot, or context sensitive button presses? the right stick?

  • KS1010

    Posted Feb 8, 2007 1:08 pm PT

    Should be good, can't wait to play.

  • tapoutnhb

    Posted Jan 20, 2007 4:13 am PT

    all it needs to be is an updated version of the dreamcast original, which in my opinion is still better than fight night round 3 (graphics apart)

  • tapoutnhb

    Posted Jan 20, 2007 4:05 am PT

    TWG9288 there is one 10 minute round and two 5 minute rounds in pride fc

  • TWG9288

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 8:42 pm PT

    yes jtvbetta and solidusScott, chuck lidell wont fight wanderlei silva, he is obviously ducking him, and if tim silvia even tried to go against fedor it wouldnt even be a fight, and hopefully THQ pulls through and makes a good game, in a real UFC or Pride FC fight, when someone gets punched in the face hard enough or in the right place, they get dazed and go down, i want a game that is as realistic as Fight Night, but who knows, i just hope that its good

  • solidusScott

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 1:44 pm PT

    maybe now that THQ is publishing them, we may get a good UFC game finally.(depending on the developer)

    ...also I agree with what TWG9288 said, Pride fighting is better but UFC is still good too.

  • jtvbetta

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 9:49 am PT

    Most UFC fighters are too scared to mix 'em up (result: too many boring rounds) Yaaaaaawnnnnnnn.... zzzzzzzzzzzz.....

  • TWG9288

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 9:15 am PT

    i watch UFC and Pride, every event, I love them both, but all this putting down pride stuff is killin me, Prides fighters are 2x more talented than UFC fighters, and I'll tell you why, a regular UFC bout is 3 rounds, 5 minutes each, a Pride bout is 3 rounds, 10 minutes each, proving that Pride fighters have to be much more conditioned, almost every UFC fighter thas has went to Pride has lost, Pride has less rules, which makes it more hardcore, now im not putting down on UFC, i love UFC, but i think that it just doesnt have the talent that UFC has, and by the way, the reason Cro-Cop and Rampage is moving to the UFC is b/c they know they have no shot at defeating Fedor Emelianenko

  • Riddy84

    Posted Jan 19, 2007 3:46 am PT

    Brendan, I find your opening line very ignorant, as an all-round wrestling fan. Very narrow-minded of you. However, would be cool to see a UFC game on the PSP, liked the DC one a lot.

  • OneShot112

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 4:29 pm PT

    I can't wait to use Karo, go judo!

  • mhrnw

    Posted Jan 18, 2007 8:55 am PT

    I don't want to see any more arguements about Pride v. UFC. UFC is 100x more mainstream than Pride. Pretty soon this won't even be a discussion because Pride is going to be wiped out of existence by UFC. All the good fighters are going to switch over. UFC is taking over and pretty soon UFC will be MMA. I can't wait for this game to come out for 360. I wonder if you'll be able to change weight classes, then maybe you can have Liddell v. Anderson Silva

  • Kravyn81

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 3:35 pm PT

    Brendan Sinclair wrote:
    THQ has long been a purveyor of sweaty, half-naked men grappling with one another...

    Not exactly the best way to start an article, Brendan

  • ShawnWillis

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 3:18 pm PT

    YESSS!! Ive been waiting for this game for so long. Hopefully they dont drop the game for PC like the previous developers did.

  • SavoyPrime

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 1:44 pm PT

    Well, I think this is a sign that WWE and THQ will be parting ways soon. WWE considers UFC as its competition. So I don't think this will sit well with Vince McMahon.

  • redxwarriorxxx

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 11:55 am PT

    If only they can mix the Fight Night hay-maker kinda thing with, well I don't know what, but they definitely have a challenge here and I wish them good luck.

  • bam11bam

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 8:33 am PT

    UFC is alot more mainstream than before and has a much more solid fanbase...so i am sure they will try 10 times harder to make a great UFC game

  • Limonadi

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 6:10 am PT

    ufc throwdiwn sucked badly.

  • cjcr_alexandru

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 5:56 am PT

    "Unscripted"? That means that they fight for real?

  • DazNuke

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 4:30 am PT

    I hope they put in Mirko Cro Cap - the dude who KO'd Bob Sap in K1, otherwise i'll go down to THQ and put someone in to a Rear Naked Choke!

  • datniccah187

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 3:01 am PT

    Hmm hopefully THQ can pull this off and make a really sick UFC game. It'd be worth buying if the graphics where hot, and there was a lot of blood and broken limbs.

  • Bladefist

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 11:23 pm PT

    I guess Vince McMahon is pissed that THQ is now doing UFC and WWE games.

  • HAMMER261266

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 10:24 pm PT

    They have a Pride FC game for the PS2.

  • NickBasile

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 10:09 pm PT

    Hopefully Pride FC makes a videogame. I'd rather fight as Fedor Emelienenko and Minotauro than Tim Sylvia. I don't care though-I'm just glad to see any MMA organization in the making of a videogame.

  • Doolum

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 9:58 pm PT

    well,just have to see how this one comes up.

  • HAMMER261266

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 9:15 pm PT

    I hope they put this game out on the PC as well as the consoles, including my original XBOX. I love the Tapout games on my XBOX. I'd like to have a portable version for my lap top as well. EA doesn't even make the Fight Night series for the PC. If you're listening THQ, make the create-a-fighter mode like Tapout or like Fight Night 2004 / Round 2. It was too much work in Tapout 2. Oh, and if you need a game tester, let me know!

  • psychofreak0x

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 8:43 pm PT

    NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICE

  • wakko19991

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 5:24 pm PT

    hope they learn from the previous successes and failures. Somehow I've gotten adicted to watching UFC..it'd be cool to play it in a game cuz I ain't built for the octagon...

  • boocreepyfootdr

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 5:24 pm PT

    Smackdown has always been fun. I think theyll do an okay job with this.

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 4:46 pm PT

    sounds pretty cool. they should do a good job too

  • toppsseller

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 4:34 pm PT

    I'm glad someone is going to make a games based on MMA again. I liked Tapout on the Xbox, but thought the Pride FC game for PS2 had tighter controls. I agree with Hindug that it's tough to do an MMA game right because of the many nuances found in the sport.

  • Fifty-FIve55

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 4:26 pm PT

    hindug, if you were a real fan of mma you wouldnt care about wich promotion is better youd care about the fights and fighters. and airek49 theres alot more to it, yes pride and ufc are the top promoters but the ufc is not the only promoter in america, IFL, Icon, Extreme Challenge, etc.

  • Airek49

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 4:12 pm PT

    Pride is Japan.

    UFC is America.

    No more to it.

  • 4esth

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 4:06 pm PT

    Tapout was the best on the Dreamcast. I hope they make a good 360 version so I can beat the crap out of that crybaby Tito.

  • nodisc

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 4:00 pm PT

    I hope the controls will be better than the old UFC games. Also it would be cool to see some special Characters like A Playable Joe Rogan Character.

  • nodisc

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 3:59 pm PT

    I hope the controls will be better than the old UFC games. Also it would be cool to see some special Characters like A Playable Joe Rogan Character.

  • i_hate_pants

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 3:41 pm PT

    the controls will probably be complicated. The boxing game controls are already difficult to master.

    It would be cool if they also had the Pride License. Than you could do unification matches.

    Gomi vs Sherk
    W. Silva vs Chuck
    Fedor vs T. Sylivia (or Crocop)

  • wmc540

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 3:27 pm PT

    gatsby what does UFC have to do with Mortal Kombat

  • HyperMetaDragon

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 3:21 pm PT

    Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh. UFC.

  • sideoftheham

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 3:18 pm PT

    I'm not a big UFC fan..i might give it a try.

  • interpolred

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 3:13 pm PT

    If it has a deep fighting system, large roster, and an interesting career mode, perhaps the next UFC game will be worth playing.

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