UFC signs contract extension with EA Sports to produce the next generation of video games

The UFC has signed a contract extension with EA Sports to continue producing video games for its popular video game franchise, EA Sports UFC.

On Wednesday, EA Sports announced it has signed a multi-year deal with the UFC to continue producing the next generation of fighting and hockey video games. EA made the official announcement in a press release (via Business Wire).

Today, Electronic Arts and UFC announced a multi-year renewal of their partnership to continue to deliver authentic, innovative, and thrilling mixed martial arts (MMA) games. Millions of players worldwide for years to come will get to compete in the virtual octagon through the EA SPORTS™ UFC® franchise.

The new agreement arrives as the world is playing and watching more EA SPORTS UFC than ever before as MMA fandom continues to grow. Fans played more than 64 million simulated UFC fights during the EA SPORTS UFC 4 launch week, a 125 percent year-over-year increase compared with the previous edition, EA SPORTS UFC 3. EA SPORTS UFC 4 launch weekend timed alongside UFC 252: Miocic vs. Cormier 3 enhanced the connection to the sport driving a spike of almost 75 percent more players than EA SPORTS UFC 3.

“We’re thrilled to extend our more than 10-year partnership as we continue to build one of the fastest-growing sports franchises in the world, based on the rapidly expanding sport of MMA,” said Cam Weber, Executive Vice President & Group GM, EA SPORTS. “This agreement will allow us to push the creative boundaries of mixed martial arts video games and connect millions more around the world to the culture of the sport.”

“We’re thrilled that we will continue our partnership with EA for the next 10 years,” said Tracey Bleczinski, Senior Vice President, UFC Global Consumer Products. “EA SPORTS has become a natural extension of UFC’s brand and an important way to engage with our fans. We’ve just launched our most successful game to date and EA keeps proving there’s room to grow and introduce new fans to the sport. We’re going to keep pushing the boundaries together and make incredible games that fans love to play.”

EA Sports and the world’s leading MMA promotion have previously joined forces to produce games in 2014, 2016, 2018, and most recently in 2020 EA Sports UFC 4, which came out this past summer and which features Israel Adesanya and Jorge Masvidal on the cover. The games have typically been well-received by fight fans, though some have criticized the product. Since the games are typically released in two-year blocks, it seems likely that 2022 is the target date for releases on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.