THQ recently sold the UFC license to EA and the reason for that was due to the latest UFC game from them failing to break even.
UFC Undisputed 3 sold 1.5 million copies and generally you would think this is a great performance for a sports game, but THQ’s management has revealed to Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter (via Gamasutra), that the game actually needed to sell 2 million for them to break even on it.
It was released in February this year and even charted in the NPD. UFC president Dana White came on the stage during EA’s press conference and mentioned what a great opportunity it was to be working with a new partner.
The studio that made UFC Undisputed 3 suffered massive lay-offs during E3, probably done on purpose by THQ to keep the noise down.
THQ’s new president Jason Rubin, formerly the co-founder of Naughty Dog, has mentioned that he will take more risks but also make sure that the company breaks even on each game published. They are also targeting the free-to-play market and intend to make it a major contributor to the company’s revenue.
