Fight Night
Fight Night is coming back. We know that for sure, but we don’t know when, what the official title will be or who’ll be on the cover. What many don’t know is why EA shelved the franchise more than 15 years ago. Let’s talk Fight Night.
EA Sports Fight Night Key Facts Why Did EA Stop Making Fight Night?
EA has never officially explained why the series stopped. The commonly cited reason is cost: Floyd Mayweather reportedly sought a large appearance fee, and other fighters followed with demands of their own. EA shifted its combat sports focus to the UFC, launching EA Sports UFC in 2014, after five mainline Fight Night games sold more than 9.5 million copies.
There are several factors that make boxing a tough sport to bring to an AAA video game. Beyond the difficulty developing a game that plays well because of all of the collisions, it’s difficult to secure big names. In the NFL, NBA, MLB and even the UFC, there’s one license that’ll secure the major stars. In boxing, the publisher has to chase down agreements with each fighter separately.
How Can EA Solve Fight Night’s Licensing Problem?
That’s why Turki Alalshikh’s involvement with fighters and perceived connection to EA’s Saudi-backed ownership helps to close that gap. Alalshikh and Zuffa can function as the guaranteed base of fighters for the game, which is the closest thing the sport can come to having a fighters’ association license.
If EA has Zuffa’s entire roster and anyone who works with Alalshikh that isn’t on an exclusive deal with Undisputed and Steel City — plus some other unattached fighters. There’s a great deal of talent to make up a strong roster.
Notable Zuffa Boxing Fighters Full Zuffa Boxing Roster