Dana White, the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship has claimed that the UFC is now "at war" with Electronic Arts, after taking offence to how the publisher has responded to the fledgling sport.
White says that he tried to interest publishers in creating a licensed game based on the UFC not long ago, but got a flat no from EA and later went on to produce the successful UFC Undisputed 2009 with THQ. Interested by how much the sport has taken off, EA is now looking to create a rival title and has been attempting to license UFC fighters to appear in the game.
"EA Sports told us, 'You're not a real sport. We wouldn't touch this thing. We want nothing to do with this,'" said Dana White.
"We put our asses on the line, THQ and the UFC, to make a videogame deal in the worst economy in the world," White said. "We go out there and do this thing, and it's successful, and now ******* EA Sports wants to do a video game. Really? That's not what you told us a year and a half ago."
"You told us you'd never be in business with us. They wouldn't even take a meeting because mixed martial arts disgusted them. This wasn't a real sport. Boy, they got over that real quick, didn't they?"
White has gone on to ban any fighters who appear in EA's game from ever competing in the UFC again, forcing a deep disassociation between the actual sport and the rival title.
UFC Undisputed 2009 has shifted more than two million copies since May, apparently. Let us know what you think of all this in the forums.
White says that he tried to interest publishers in creating a licensed game based on the UFC not long ago, but got a flat no from EA and later went on to produce the successful UFC Undisputed 2009 with THQ. Interested by how much the sport has taken off, EA is now looking to create a rival title and has been attempting to license UFC fighters to appear in the game.
"EA Sports told us, 'You're not a real sport. We wouldn't touch this thing. We want nothing to do with this,'" said Dana White.
"We put our asses on the line, THQ and the UFC, to make a videogame deal in the worst economy in the world," White said. "We go out there and do this thing, and it's successful, and now ******* EA Sports wants to do a video game. Really? That's not what you told us a year and a half ago."
"You told us you'd never be in business with us. They wouldn't even take a meeting because mixed martial arts disgusted them. This wasn't a real sport. Boy, they got over that real quick, didn't they?"
White has gone on to ban any fighters who appear in EA's game from ever competing in the UFC again, forcing a deep disassociation between the actual sport and the rival title.
UFC Undisputed 2009 has shifted more than two million copies since May, apparently. Let us know what you think of all this in the forums.
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