EA Wants Mixed Martial Arts Game

EA Sports is already a dominant force in sports gaming but there's one sport they haven't tackled yet: mixed martial arts. If EA Sports boss Peter Moore has anything to say about it, though, they'll expand into MMA soon.

"Obviously we've got Fight Night -- we're incredibly excited about Fight Night -- but boxing, for me, sadly feels like it's the past of fighting and Mixed Martial Arts feels like it's the future of fighting," Moore told IGN at EA Sports' Season Opener on Thursday.

The fact that retired greats Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson are the cover athletes for Fight Night Round 4 does suggest that EA views the sport in a more historical or nostalgic light. The suggestion that boxing's best days are past might not sit well with fans but there's no indication that they'll abandon the Fight Night series.

As IGN notes, THQ currently has the video game license for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the largest mixed martial arts organization in the world, until 2011. You'd expect them to make a bid for the UFC license once that deal expires. Maybe EA will test the market by first releasing an MMA game without an official license.

Pete Haas

Staff Writer at CinemaBlend.