Deal between video games publisher and mixed martial arts brand renewed until 2030.
Electronic Arts is continuing its successful partnership with mixed martial arts brand, UFC.
The two companies have confirmed an extension to their existing deal – which saw the EA Sports UFC franchise first launched in 2014 – to 2030.
The new agreement comes as fans are watching and playing more EA Sports UFC than ever before, as MMA fandom continues to grow.
Fans played more than 64 million simulated UFC fights during the EA SPORTS UFC 4 launch week, a 125% year-over-year increase compared with the previous edition.
The game’s launched weekend was timed alongside UFC 252: Miocic vs Cormier 3 which further enhanced the connection for fans, driving a spike of almost 75% more players than EA Sports UFC 3.
“We’re thrilled that we will continue our partnership with EA for the next 10 years,” said Tracey Bleczinski, svp, UFC Global Consumer Products. “EA Sports has become a natural extension of UFC’s brand and an important way to engage with our fans.
“We’ve just launched our most successful game to date and EA keeps proving there’s room to grow and introduce new fans to the sport. We’re going to keep pushing the boundaries together and make incredible games that UFC fans love to play.”
Cam Weber, evp and group gm at EA Sports, added: “We’re thrilled to extend our more than 10-year partnership with the UFC as we continue to build one of the fastest-growing sports franchises in the world, based on the rapidly expanding sport of MMA.
“This agreement will allow us to push the creative boundaries of mixed martial arts video games and connect millions more around the world to the culture of the sport.”
EA Sports and UFC will also be looking to partner on new experiences and more ways for fans around the world to connect with MMA. The partnership will include more forms of play and self-expression, available on more platforms, including expanded future offerings for mobile players.
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