EA ANNOUNCES ALEXANDER GUSTAFSSON AS FAN-SELECTED FIGHTER TO JOIN JON JONES ON THE COVER OF EA SPORTS UFC
Fans Cast 11 Million Votes in First Ever EA SPORTS UFC Cover Vote Presented by MetroPCS
Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC®) announced today that Sweden’s Alexander ‘The Mauler’ Gustafsson, the no.1 UFC light heavyweight contender, is the winner of the EA SPORTS™ UFC Cover Vote presented by MetroPCS. Gustafsson will share the first ever EA SPORTS UFC cover with current light heavyweight champion, Jon ‘Bones’ Jones, who EA announced last month as the first cover athlete. The two also met in the Octagon® earlier this year. Fans cast over 11 million votes throughout the cover vote program. Gustafsson edged out legendary welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre in the final round, emerging victorious from a field of 16 fighters that also included champions Anthony Pettis, Ronda Rousey, Jose Aldo, Chris Weidman and Demetrious Johnson. EA SPORTS UFC will be available for the PlayStation® 4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, in the spring of 2014.
“It’s a thrill and an honor to appear on the cover of the first ever EA SPORTS UFC game,” said Gustafsson. “I want to thank all my fans who tirelessly campaigned and voted for me. I am proud to have the support of not only my home country, Sweden, and Europe, but also from people all around the globe. This is a huge win that motivates me to become the best light heavy weight fighter in the world.”
“This was a great way to engage fans and we are excited that they selected Alexander Gustafsson as the Cover Vote winner,” said Dana White, UFC President. “Europe accounted for nearly 40% of the web traffic to the Cover Vote during the last week of voting. This overwhelming support from UFC fans in Europe is indicative of the sport’s rapidly growing popularity around the world and especially in EMEA. I couldn’t be more excited about the UFC game and the work that the team at EA SPORTS has done.”
As part of the MetroPCS EA SPORTS UFC Cover Vote Sweepstakes, one lucky fan who voted will have the chance to be part of Gustafsson’s entourage when he walks out at one of his next fights. Fans are encouraged to check out the MetroPCS Facebook and Twitter to get behind the scenes access to the winner’s experience.
Powered by EA SPORTS IGNITE technology, EA SPORTS UFC brings the action, emotion and intensity inside the Octagon to life in ways that were never before possible. The next-generation of True Player Motion not only showcases the diverse, powerful and fluid attacks of elite mixed martial artists through Precision Movement, Dynamic Striking and Strategic Submission Battles, but also brings the combatants to life with Full Body Deformation and Real-Time Exertion. The simulation of Human Intelligence takes leaps forward with the strategic and adaptive MMAi system and is expressed through the most realistic characters ever created in a sports game.
EA SPORTS UFC is in development at EA Canada in Vancouver and will be available for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in spring 2014. The game is available for pre-order at http://www.origin.com. The game has not yet been rated the ESRB and PEGI; visit www.esrb.org and www.pegi.info for more information. Become a fan of EA SPORTS UFC on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/easportsufc and follow us on Twitter via http://www.twitter.com/easportsufc.
EA SPORTS is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, fan programs and cross-platform digital experiences. EA SPORTS creates connected experiences that ignite the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports videogames, including Madden NFL football, EA SPORTS FIFA, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football, PGA TOUR® golf, SSX™ and EA SPORTS UFC. For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com.
About the Ultimate Fighting Championship®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto, Beijing, Singapore and Sao Paulo, UFC produces more than 35 live events annually. The UFC is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world with events distributed residentially throughout North American cable and satellite providers including iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group for live events and thousands of hours of programming on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2 including the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®.
In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries, to 821 million TV households worldwide, in 28 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter (@UFC). UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over 2.7 million followers on Twitter. UFC businesses also include over 100 UFC GYM® locations, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, UFC FIT™, an in-home fitness and nutrition program, UFC 360, the internationally distributed magazine, a videogame franchise with EA, DVDs and Blu-rays, UFC Fight Club®, UFC Fan Expo®, branded apparel and Topps Trading Cards. For more information visit UFC.com.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 300 million registered players in over 200 countries.
In fiscal year 2013, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.8 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster brands such as The Sims™, Madden NFL, EA SPORTS™ FIFA, Need for Speed™, Battlefield™ and Mass Effect™. More information about EA is available at www.ea.com/news.
EA SPORTS, The Sims, SSX, Need for Speed, Mass Effect and Battlefield are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. and its subsidiaries. Ultimate Fighting Championship®, UFC®, 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 and affiliated entities in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC or other respective owners. John Madden, NFL, NCAA, NHL, NBA, PGA TOUR and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with permission. “PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
About MetroPCS
MetroPCS provides the freedom and convenience of unlimited, no-annual-contract wireless services on an advanced nationwide 4G LTE network for a flat rate. With MetroPCS, customers get great value and a wide variety of device choices from leading brands. A flagship brand operated by T-Mobile US, Inc. (NYSE: “TMUS”), MetroPCS products and services are available online and across the United States through a network of company-owned stores, authorized dealer locations, and leading national retailers. For more information, please visit www.metropcs.com.