EA Sports MMA signs deal with STRIKEFORCE
Electronic Arts has signed the mixed martial arts fight promotion, STRIKEFORCE, as a premier league in the upcoming EA SPORTS MMA video game. In addition, Brett Rogers and Jake Shields, both of whom will be competing in the STRIKEFORCE and M-1 Global co-promoted fight on November 7 (broadcasted live by CBS), join the EA SPORTS MMA roster of fighters.
The partnership will see the STRIKEFORCE cage and the league’s commentary team of Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo, as well as ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr., be incorporated into the game. Martial arts referee “Big John” McCarthy will preside over the in-ring action as well. Also slated to appear on the fighter roster for EA SPORTS MMA are STRIKEFORCE stars Jason “Mayhem” Miller and Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal. Miller and Lawal were announced via a video last month during their visit to the development studio.
EA SPORTS MMA will be available on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 in 2010.
Randy Couture joins EA Sports MMA roster
UFC president Dana White’s threats have apparently been ignored by Randy Couture, former five-time UFC champion. EA announced this morning that Couture will be a playable character in EA Sports MMA, alongside Fedor Emelianenko. Couture, who has had his fair share of trouble with the UFC and Dana White in recent years, will serve as a headliner and spokesperson for the game, alongside. Emelianenko.
On a related note, Couture is scheduled to fight at the end of this month against former Pride World Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. This is not Couture’s first foray into the world of video games - he was featured in EA’s Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 as Commander Warren Fuller.
Jay “The Thoroughbred” Hieron, another high-profile fighter, will also join the EA SPORTS MMA roster. Hieron currently holds a 17-4, fights out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas and was the last Welterweight Champion of the International Fight League. He will be taking on Jesse Taylor in tonight’s STRIKEFORCE fight on in San Jose, California. EA SPORTS is sponsoring three fighters in the STRIKEFORCE event, including Jay Hieron, Gegard Mousasi, and Renato Sobral.
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Category Action, Genres, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Sports, Xbox 360 | Tags: EA,EA Sports MMA,Fedor Emelianenko,Gegard Mousasi,Jay Hieron,Mixed Martial Arts,MMA,Pride,Randy Couture,Renato Sobral,UFC
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EA Sports gets into the pro fight game
Electronic Arts’ Tiburon studio in Orlando, is developing a mixed martial arts fighting game called EA SPORTS MMA, which will be available in 2010 on the Xbox 360 and PS3. EA SPORTS MMA promises authentic, intense action, a broad mixed martial arts experience and a vast array of top fighters and fighting styles from around the world.
“With Fight Night Round 4 set to deliver a knockout with industry-leading visuals and genre-defining gameplay later this month, I couldn’t be more excited to announce the expansion of our combat sports strategy with EA SPORTS MMA coming in 2010,” said EA SPORTS President Peter Moore. “Fans have been begging EA SPORTS to get into the cage, and EA SPORTS MMA will put them in control of the sport’s unique combat experience while finally, in an immersive interactive experience, capturing the raw intensity that has made mixed martial arts one of the fastest growing sports in the world. We’re ready for the fight.”
But the big question for fans that follow the sport is where will you get these fighters from? Pride? UFC? Ring of honor? And how will signing these fighters conflict with other MMA games like UFC Undisputed, which is licensed by THQ. We’ll try and figure out the answers to these and other questions this week. Stay tuned.
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Category Action, Genres, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Sports, Xbox 360 | Tags: E3 Expo 2009,EA,EA Sports,EA Sports MMA,Fighting,Mixed Martial Arts,MMA
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