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Press Release: THQ Announces UFC® 2009 Undisputed Cover Athletes
By Zach Arnold | March 16, 2009
Ultimate Fighting Championship® Former Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin and Current Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre Tapped as Faces of the Highly Anticipated Videogame
AGOURA HILLS, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) and Zuffa, LLC today announced that fan-favorite and former UFC® Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin will grace the worldwide cover of the upcoming UFC® 2009 Undisputed videogame. Griffin, a prominent fighter with solid striking skills, earned his initial UFC contract in 2005 after winning the first season of Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter®” reality show.
In addition, a special cover of the game will be made available in Canada featuring current UFC® Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre. Recognized for his tremendous athleticism and strengths in several mixed martial arts disciplines, St-Pierre is a Quebec native who recently received the prestigious “Canadian Athlete of the Year” award for 2008. UFC 2009 Undisputed is scheduled for release on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, as well as the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, on May 19, 2009.
“We are honored to have Forrest Griffin and Georges St-Pierre as our cover athletes for UFC 2009 Undisputed,” said Scott Guthrie, executive vice president, publishing, THQ. “Both fighters are proven champions and great ambassadors for the sport of mixed martial arts.”
“Forrest Griffin and Georges St-Pierre helped elevate UFC to the place we are today,” said Dana White, president, UFC. “We are confident that these two fighters’ many strengths both inside and outside the Octagon™ will have the same effect on UFC 2009 Undisputed as we prepare for the game’s worldwide launch on May 19.”
About UFC 2009 Undisputed
UFC 2009 Undisputed is an explosive fighting game that will demonstrate the action, intensity and attitude of a UFC live event. Players will explore a deep roster of more than 80 top fighters in UFC competition across all five weight classes. In addition, they will enter the Octagon surrounded by the sport’s renowned announcer, commentators, referees, trainers, Octagon Girls and more. Photorealistic models are at the forefront, as players will view amazing ripple effects across the faces and bodies of their fighters from the impact of devastating punches and kicks.
A brand new fighting game engine designed specifically for next generation systems will deliver innovative, responsive and easy-to-play controls that give unparalleled command of fighters, as players take down opponents with a variety of mixed martial arts disciplines, including Muay Thai, Kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In addition, the game’s Create-a-Fighter system will jumpstart the careers of future champions through character customization, while a robust Career Mode will develop a fighter’s attributes and skill sets while fighting to enter the UFC Hall of Fame. Furthermore, players will be able to enhance their UFC 2009 Undisputed gameplay experience through online support, including downloadable content.
More information about UFC 2009 Undisputed can be found at www.ufcundisputed.com and www.thq.com.
About The Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship® is the world’s leading professional mixed martial arts organization and offers the premier series of MMA sports events. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC® produces over twelve live pay-per-view events annually that are distributed residentially through North American cable and satellite providers including iNDEMAND Networks, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN Entertainment, Shaw Pay-Per-View, Bell ExpressVU, Viewers Choice and via the Internet worldwide on Yahoo! Sports, and commercially through Joe Hand Promotions. In addition to its North American distribution, UFC programming is distributed in over 100 countries and territories throughout the world. For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit www.ufc.com.
About THQ Inc.
THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. The company develops its products for all popular game systems, personal computers and wireless devices. Headquartered in Los Angeles County, California, THQ sells product through its global network of offices located throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. More information about THQ and its products may be found at www.thq.com. THQ and the THQ logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc.
Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Ultimate Fighting®, UFC®, The Ultimate Fighter®, Submission®, As Real As It Gets®, Zuffa™, The Octagon™ and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC or other respective owners.
Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, the Xbox logos, and the Xbox Live logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.
“PlayStation”, “PLAYSTATION” and “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 2 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
The game looks pretty decent so far, but the animations are still a little herky-jerky. Not to mention, that there’s precious little in the way of facial animation.
It’s sort of like watching two robots grappling. Well, two robots grappling would be awesome. In this case, it’s just creepy.
Hopefully there is a playable demo for this on Xbox Live.