With the first UFC event ever to be held in New York City in the books, one thing that should have been noticed during the pay-per-view telecast was the intense advertising that went on for EA Sports UFC 2 during the show. The video game has been a lighting rod of sorts with many sports gamers and hardcore MMA fans.
The problem that faces EA Sports UFC is two-fold. The first problem is that EA Sports UFC is only released every other year, which means the game is dependent on post-release support. That means adding new fighters, new features and making sure that the game is replayable after the first six months of its release.
The second problem is EA Sports UFC is having a hard time getting casual fans of the UFC and/or normal gamers to purchase it. Playing EA Sports UFC is fun, but it is also challenging to learn controls, how to properly take your opponent down and slap on a submission. As opposed to an NBA 2K17 or Madden NFL 17 , it takes a lot of skill and patience to master EA Sports UFC and all its button combinations to be successful.
This week, it was announced that EA Sports UFC 2 is now included on the EA Access Vault. The service, which currently features six other EA Sports games, is exclusive at the moment to Xbox Live and Origin on PC. Hopefully, the addition of EA Sports UFC 2 on the subscription service may increase the number of players who at the very least tries the game out and gives it a shot.
The question still remains: What exactly is the future for the UFC video game franchise? In April, Pasta Padre reported that EA Sports sent a survey to some owners of the game to get their input about some possible additions to UFC 3, which is set for release in 2018. Here are three of the more interesting things discussed in the survey:
UFC 3 Companion App- Watch Twitch streaming, manage your UFC UT fighters, learn more about stand up or the ground-game and personalize your console experience
UFC PPV Plus- Watch PPV’s with enhanced 360-degree camera angles with all new play while you watch functionality
Primetime Fights- Climb the ranks and earn your way into Showtime fights-takes place in 24 hours, players hype the fight on social media and are rewarded for the amount of viewers on Twitch
These three ideas mentioned in the survey could add another dimension to EA Sports UFC that is missing. As mentioned earlier, you have to make the game replayable and not have players get tired and trade it in after a few months. If there is a reason for holding onto the game and also get better at the game and earn rewards, it could be a turning point for players.
EA Sports UFC 2 was the game that many were expecting when EA Sports released the first UFC game in 2014. The sequel is vastly improved and those who played the game were pleasantly surprised with how the game looked and played. The next step for EA Sports UFC 3 is to make the game accessible for all gamers and not just UFC or MMA fans. With the sport’s popularity once again growing worldwide once again, the UFC video game must also gain traction with gamers.
