In an earnings call last week, THQ CEO Brian Farrell noted that the publisher’sUFC Undisputedfranchise, which burst onto the scene last year when the company shipped 2.9 million units ofUFC 2009 Undisputedworldwide within six weeks of launch, failed to meet expectations this year. Last month, a THQ spokesmanblamed the success ofRed Dead Redemptionfor the sales slump: THQ planned for growth, butUFC Undisputed 2010shipped 2.7 million units — 200,000 fewer copies — in the same period this year.
THQ is taking the news as a sign thatUFC Undisputedmight not be suited for an annualized release schedule, and will perhaps be better served with “15, 18, [or] 21 months between releases.” It makes sense: much of the reason that “standard” sports — football, baseball, basketball, and hockey — see a new game every year is that there’s a high degree of roster turnover between seasons. The list of fighters in UFC doesn’t change that often, so that puts more pressure on the developers to innovate each year.
Farrell remained confident, asserting that there’s still “a lot of growth to be had” with the UFC brand — THQ is putting out a fitness game calledUFC Trainerin January, and will release aUFC Undisputedgame sometime in the company’s 2012 fiscal year (between June 06, 2025, and July 25, 2025). I think this will ultimately be a smart move on THQ’s part — more time between iterations of theUndisputedfranchise can only help the quality of the games. Fans of traditional sports count on yearly releases, but withUndisputed, THQ is in the unique position of being able to set its own timetable.
THQ looking at ‘longer development cycle’ for next UFC[Joystiq]
