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EA Sports has announced that it is extending its video game partnership with Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organisation UFC for another decade.
The companies announced the renewal of their partnership on Thursday, November 6, through a press release. EA Sports notes that the deal extension comes after a massive spike in the number of players for this year’s UFC 4, as compared to 2018’s UFC 3.
“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,” the developer noted. It also shared that UFC 4’s launch, which was timed alongside a major Pay-Per-View MMA event, saw a spike of “almost 75 pre cent more players” than UFC 3.
“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 UFC fans love to play,” said Tracey Bleczinski, senior vice president of UFC global consumer products.
According to the press release, the ten-year deal extension will see the two companies work together to “innovative new experiences” for players. This includes potential “future offerings for mobile players”.
The news of EA Sports’ and UFC’s partnership extension comes on the same day that UFC 4 received a new ranking update, which sees several fighter statistics adjustments being implemented in-game following the conclusion of the latest PPV event.
The new adjustments include improved submission offense and head strength for Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, and increased kicking power for recent title challenger Justin Gaethje.
EA Sports UFC 4 is currently available on PS4 and Xbox One.
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