UFC president Dana White thanked THQ for its longtime support in a statement, saying, “We’d like to thank THQ for creating some of the most critically-acclaimed sports videogames of this console generation,” then went on to look forward to EA’s stewardship of the videogame license, adding, ”We’re excited to enter a new relationship with EA that will help us deepen our connection with fighting fans around the world. There’s no one better at creating authentic sports videogames than EA Sports, and we’re excited to have a partner who shares our vision of deep, connected and multi-platform global game experiences.”
The UFC license had been recognized by THQ as one of their core licenses, alongside Saints Row, back in February, when UFC Undisputed 3 topped the UK charts.
The publisher had extended their UFC licensing deal back in 2010, but it seems THQ’s financial problems forced the company to let the license go. The last UFC game published by THQ was UFC Personal Trainer.