THQ feeling punchy for 2009

Legends of Wrestlemania to debut on Xbox 360 and PS3 to coincide with 25th annual pay-per-view in March; UFC set for launch next spring.

THQ is apparently spoiling for a fight. After missing its revenue and profit targets for its full-year financial results today, the publisher revealed some of its more combative plans to improve the bottom line in the coming year.

First off, THQ is introducing a new WWE series. While the SmackDown! vs. RAW series has performed well as a November release each year (the 2008 edition has sold roughly 6 million copies worldwide so far, according to the publisher), the WWE brand peaks every year in March with the annual Wrestlemania pay-per-view event.

To capitalize on the hype surrounding the biggest event on the sports entertainment calendar, THQ today announced a new Legends of Wrestlemania game set for release in March 2009. Unlike the SmackDown series, THQ is limiting the target platforms for the new WWE game, so far opting only to produce it on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. As the name suggests, the game will feature older and retired grapplers from the past quarter century.

That isn't the only fight for which THQ is spoiling, as the publisher also addressed today the Ultimate Fighting Championship game, which has kept an exceptionally low profile since the 2007 E3 Media and Business Summit. That project will now see release in spring of 2009, and like Legends of Wrestlemania, its release will be tied to one of the UFC's major events.

40 Comments

  • Boothy316

    Posted Oct 15, 2008 11:24 pm PT

    I have to agree with many of you; they BETTER include many of the wrestlers that aren't exactly on good terms with WWE; Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, ect. They may not be the best of people in the eyes of the company, but they did help make the company what it is today! ...Dear God, don't make this another LOW game... they were so terrible. *sigh

  • kjk07

    Posted Jul 3, 2008 12:56 pm PT

    I can't wait for Legends Of Wrestlemania. I'm getting that the second it comes out. As for UFC, we'll see, UFC can only hold my attention span for a short while. It might be a rental for me.

  • RhysDaye

    Posted Jun 6, 2008 10:07 am PT

    Dat UFC gameplay movie is wicked man. it is by far da sickest video I've seen. Also check out Eight Days, dat video is furious man.

  • ErkiB

    Posted Jun 3, 2008 2:56 am PT

    Im really happy about the UFC game,The game needs to have atleast 15 fighters in each weight glass,Create a fighter,storyline

  • devil-neva-cry

    Posted May 31, 2008 8:19 am PT

    yeah "Onep" been watchin tito recently

    UFC 09!!!!!!!

  • nazrulhaique

    Posted May 31, 2008 6:13 am PT

    I just want backstage fights

  • atony12

    Posted May 29, 2008 8:25 pm PT

    long as the UFC is good and supports online play....hell yes

  • sYorch

    Posted May 24, 2008 9:49 am PT

    I hope the new UFC game includes "Spider" Silva and "Ace" Franklin in the roster

  • j-a-c-e

    Posted May 20, 2008 8:46 am PT

    hopefully this UFC game will be beyond awesome... i literally bought an xbox 360 when i heard about it coming out, and have been waiting for it ever since the release of the gameplay movie.

  • onep

    Posted May 9, 2008 8:43 am PT

    Who cares about fake wrestling soap opera crap? That new UFC game is gonna destroy ALL! Everyones gonna be like "WWE who"? Trust me.

  • ccindyderek

    Posted May 9, 2008 12:21 am PT

    A new WWE game, well, I will get a reserve on it as soon as it drops in the system! Yay! I liked the previous Legends games, I just hope this one doesn't have the same control scheme, I could barely figure it out.

  • Irve

    Posted May 8, 2008 3:44 pm PT

    not saying this to be offensive .. but surely this game would have to include Chris Benoit .... but if i think people will get offended by me mentioning it ... what do you thing THQ would think when deciding on including him ?

  • keyser27

    Posted May 8, 2008 11:59 am PT

    DoR and DoR have by far the best CAW. The rest of them are awful, and thats the most fun there is to be had with wrestling games (which isn't a lot). I personally don't care much for wrestling games, but my nephew and I will make CAW's for people we know and that's ALWAYS fun. They need a really strong CAW, Like allowing recording voice stuff as well, then they may have something, but short of a DoR 3, I will never buy another wrestling game.

  • ravengeist

    Posted May 8, 2008 10:23 am PT

    about damn time!!

  • The_Weekend

    Posted May 8, 2008 8:50 am PT

    WHOA .... Please bring back all the old titles too!!! Would love to have Yokozuna fight Rikishi in a table match!

  • ocdog45

    Posted May 8, 2008 8:01 am PT

    ben looking foward to that ufc game

  • jediknight52501

    Posted May 7, 2008 6:14 pm PT

    Legends of Wrestlemania, sounds like a good idea, as long as Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and other Legends are in it, i will buy it.

  • S_Pac_316

    Posted May 7, 2008 3:47 pm PT

    This reminds me of Akklaims old "Legends of wrestling" game series. Sounds cool though.

  • bertm1975

    Posted May 7, 2008 3:25 pm PT

    I'm passing on the current WWE games since I can't get into any of the new wrestlers. The magic is gone, and I really dislike a lot of the new wrestlers. Legends of Wrestlemania could be good, but they really need to get some of the best, from Ric Flair, Superfly, The Rock, Stone Cold, Hogan, Andre, Jericho, RVD, The Hart Foundation, Razor Ramon, Diesel, Kane, Undertaker, Shawn Michael, The Hardyz, Dudlez, Edge and Christian, Goldberg...oh hell this game won't even come close to anything good.

  • 09231991

    Posted May 7, 2008 3:15 pm PT

    OMG, NOT ANOTHER STUPID WRESTLING GAME!!! Look, I used to like wrestling games, but come on, they are so friggin boring. I guess, whatever floats your boat, huh, haha.

  • cooldude03

    Posted May 7, 2008 9:20 am PT

    Legends of Wrestlemania sound awesome and UFC would kick some a$$.

  • ps3thabest

    Posted May 7, 2008 9:17 am PT

    im gonna buy it sounds good

  • andrew_dueck

    Posted May 7, 2008 7:36 am PT

    I've wanted them to make this since they started putting half a dozen legends into the SVR games... It's about damn time.

  • jcloverboy

    Posted May 7, 2008 6:21 am PT

    I'm over with wrestling and wrestling videogames.

    There's always something missing from the games and always will be.

  • Irve

    Posted May 7, 2008 4:40 am PT

    yes take a leaf out of EA's book where ther are about 4 grid iron & soccer games a year

  • PhillSta26

    Posted May 7, 2008 12:40 am PT

    THQ!!!!!!!!!! THQ!!!!! THQ!!!!! PLEASE READ THIS THQ!!!!!!!!! please include a good indepth career mode, lot of customizing, lot of training, lot of different fight styles. because lets face it, all fans of UFC wanna be as badass as the UFC fighters, but we arent, so please give us an authentic experience of what it would be like to be a young fighter making his way up the ranks

  • snarple_basic

    Posted May 7, 2008 12:22 am PT

    Legends of Wrestlemania was something I have felt like they should do for a while now. Only problem I see is around March time its going to split the Smackdown community. Im glad there giving us this but at the same time Im scared to see what could happen.... Not to mention the TNA game is coming out, might be too many options for wrestling fans for online to be happening and fun.

    I think a smarter move could be to just make a say $15 - $20 download expansion pack that would give us a good number of legendary wrestler's and a new themed wrestling arena.

  • phat_frank43

    Posted May 6, 2008 10:58 pm PT

    I'm dying to get my hands on the UFC game... *drools* i just hope it lives up to the hype! oh well at least i have GTA IV to keep me occupied 'till it arrives

  • Bandit_Haze

    Posted May 6, 2008 9:39 pm PT

    so THQ want improve their profits, by ignoring the top selling console.. i fail to see the logic in that, but ... whatever.. the smackdown series has been poor from the get go.. and this sounds more like a money maker (like movie/game releases) than some thing that actuall presents something new

  • sidious

    Posted May 6, 2008 7:18 pm PT

    They better include the old wrestler's tunes or I will be disappointed. lol

  • viewtiful_jay

    Posted May 6, 2008 7:06 pm PT

    Legends of Wrestlemania COULD be awesome. If Jake Roberts & Ted Dibiase are in it, I'll be happy. It'd be even better if some of the guys that are on the outs with WWE like Randy Savage & the Ultimate Warrior find their way in too. And what would also be great, would be if they had "classic" versions of a handful of guys that are still active. Like a WM X/ladder match era HBK, and an old school Undertaker, with the coat and tie and autopsy gloves.

  • amscheip1

    Posted May 6, 2008 5:33 pm PT

    i hope teh UFC game is going to be as good as fight night was.

  • G2Megatron

    Posted May 6, 2008 5:16 pm PT

    It's only taken them about six years to finally decide to bring one out.

    But bring it on, I only hope they include the likes of Demolition, Texas Tornado, Ultimate Warrior, Andre The Giant etc.

  • Tranceplant

    Posted May 6, 2008 5:02 pm PT

    Awesome! I hope this will be better than Legends of Wrestling...
    Yay! A new UFC game! I remember the UFC games on Dreamcast... they were really good.

  • theclaw135

    Posted May 6, 2008 4:18 pm PT

    This is good news. Cutting down the number of platforms one team has to focus their development on, should help.

  • jsmoke03

    Posted May 6, 2008 4:15 pm PT

    i'm really looking forward to legends of wrestlemania. i stopped watching wwe a long time ago, but love the older characters. looking forward to seeing those guys that i grew up watching

  • randomfulness

    Posted May 6, 2008 4:14 pm PT

    SmackDown! vs. RAW were fun so the new series should fare well enough!

  • crazyralph023

    Posted May 6, 2008 4:13 pm PT

    Oh yeahh, finally a true classics wrestling game that may be good. Hope you can live up to this new hype THQ!

  • EPaul

    Posted May 6, 2008 3:35 pm PT

    Hmm maybe by decreasing the platform s they develop for they can increase the quality of the game

  • Chaoricus

    Posted May 6, 2008 3:34 pm PT

    Nice! Hopefully the UFC game won't be so "arcady".

    The Wrestlemania-game I hope will feature more old territorial day wrestlers too. More like a regular Legends game rather than a strict WWE Wrestlemania Legends game.

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