Next UFC Game Won’t Arrive Until 2012

THQ has announced the upcoming release schedule for the company’s 2012 fiscal year. Of note is that the next UFC game will not be out until January or February of 2012.

Following a botched launch of UFC Undisputed 2010, huge sales slide from the previous year, and consumer discontent towards the product, THQ came out and stated that they were considering moving off the yearly schedule for the series. It was initially expected that any change to the release pattern would follow a UFC 2011 product in spring. It now appears though that they have shifted expectations and have decided that the next UFC game will have an 18+ month development cycle.

Soon to be facing competition in the market from EA Sports MMA, a series being developed on a two year development cycle going forward, winter 2011 positions the next UFC game well. Those are generally slow months where it would likely avoid facing heavy competition for dollars as it did against multiple AAA titles that released in the May-June period this year. UFC would also potentially be releasing with a big gap between MMA titles hitting the market, though there is much time to pass between now and then to see if it actually plays out that way.