The game is actually my sleeper hit of 2010- it plays incredibly well, and is the most fun I've had with a multiplayer fighting game sine WCW vs. NWO for my N64.

I think a better gauge on sales will be in the coming weeks. eA obviously knew this wasn't going to sell gangbusters out the chute, so let's see where things stand after Christmas. Let's not forget, these are the same analysts who reported poor Madden 11 sales initially.

Also, I do think EA should have priced this game at $40. This would lead to more impulse buys for those not familiar with MMA, and helped sales due to positive word of mouth.

Brand names mean everything and EA should've taken a page from NFL 2k5's book and released it for $20 for a limited time. That way most fans would've picked it up, saw the excellent gameplay and downloaded UFC fighters. This would've made a built in fan base for next year's game.. Take a hit now to build a base that will be loyal later.. BTW, I'm still playing NFL 2k5 due to this lol.

From a marketing/sales standpoint, he's absolutely right. It's hard to market a game to be "successful" to a wide audience without a huge name. You can't deny that OVERALL, UFC has the bigger marketing of the other MMA groups. They're the juggernaut. Don't bash me now and say that I'm not an MMA fan, I'm just calling it as it is, UFC has the bigger names, more marketing power and the overall appeal of a bigger group.

With that being said, I think this game stands strong on it's own, but it's hard to market towards such a small group of people and be competitive against a powerhouse. It's like the AFL and Canadian Football Leagues...yes there are fans of both out there who love it to death and will support it, but overall the NFL and Madden are going to win regardless of how you fight it.

EA gave this genre a heck of a shot. Even though years ago they said that MMA wasn't a sport and they didn't want to do it. They NOW realize how big this is getting. I personally am a huge fan of Fedor and Randy Couture. I thought them on the cover was awesome and I bought this game the day it dropped on the street. I hope that casual MMA fans can give it a shot, because I do think they will like it. The controls are fluid and the career mode is very fun. Worth a good rent. I really do hope they will bring it back for another shot.

I might disagree with everyone in this thread.
The game is no better than UFC. Maybe not worse. Just different. Both games have their goods and bads. Different does not pick up market.
I do believe MMA is marketable even without big names. The gameplay has to shine as a fighting game and cross genre. I don’t believe the game does that. As a fighting game and a sports game its no better than what people are comfortable with already.
I do believe EA will continue the series. There is no point in starting anything if you bow out after one game. The game simply needs to improve. You have striking controls that use the right stick for no good reason and grappling/ground controls that use simple button presses. Its not a terrible scheme compared to UFC but its not something that’s going to cross into the fighting genre like UFC. For all of UFC’s flaws Yuke’s tried methods delivers something that a non-MMA head can rumble with MMA does not. Where it tries to be simple it should be complex, where it tries to be complex it should simplify.

This game is miles better than either UFC game, having played all three games extensively. For a first outing, the gameplay is incredibly realistic and balanced. There are plenty of people playing online which leads me to believe that it might not be doing as badly as many people would make it out to be. I would really like to see the sales numbers, but in and outside the U.S.

Everyone is so down on the game because of its lack of the UFC license. No one seems to mention that it headlines the best Heavyweight fighter in MMA today, and arguably ever, Fedor Emelianenko. Oh and the guy on the cover next to him just happens to be probably the biggest name in MMA in the last decade and a long time UFC title holder. Alistair Overeem is probably the most explosive, exciting fighter you've never heard of.. which is hard to believe since he's a 6'5" 265 lbs. K-1 kickboxer who eats horse meat and flying knees people into oblivion. But sadly, some people just aren't interested in anyone outside of Brock Lesnar and the UFC, which is hardly a reason not to buy this game since you can download and UFC fighter from fightershare and use them while playing online (ranked or unranked).