As we break through the gates of new console hardware, it's always hard to fight the expectations and "wishlisiting" that comes along with such a rare occasion. Players are often waiting five-plus years to get their hands on new gear, and the last generation really pushed people to the limit. With Kinect and Move delaying the onset of this new generation, we had to sit through unnecessary sequels as well as solid but uninspiring yearly releases.

Now that the new hardware is here — and because it took a couple of extra years this time — gamers naturally want some of the first games to deliver on some of these hopes and dreams. But we have to back up and realize that our expectations are based on a mature platform, Xbox 360 or PS3, that had years to find its groove and produce meaningful games that were enjoyable to so many. Each platform had (and still has) a rich ecosystem of products, either digitally or at retail. There is plenty of choice, and there is plenty of quality.

In our mind's eye, we see the new hardware as an augmentation of what's already there — an established ecosystem made better by superior hardware and design. To some extent, that's true. However, there is often a good deal of re-learning that has to take place with a new set of tools (see: Playstation 3), and that means that developers often take years to get comfortable with a new platform and new dev tools. In some respects, a new generation of hardware initially moves somewhat diagonally, as it brute forces its way forward with tech but then moves sideways in terms of developer nimbleness and confidence.
 

This is to say nothing of the business realities of new hardware. None of us can realistically expect a large game publisher like Sony, Microsoft, EA or 2K to play a losing hand right off the bat. They aren't going to do that, no matter how hard we want them to throw out the old and bring in the new. This means we get hedged bets in the form of generation-straddling releases, such as the Madden, NBA 2K and FIFA franchises, as well as the upcoming NHL 15 (even though that looks to have a meaningful XB1/PS4 version).

Something like EA Sports UFC is kind of a one-off — EA taking one for the team, if you will. That's a publisher/developer saying: "This is what we can do on the new hardware … but we're going to use all of our other franchises to finance it." There's no way EA Sports UFC can end up being a meaningfully profitable venture when there are only ~10 million potential next-gen game players. Sure, it may make its money back and then some, but it's only by sheer force of will — heavy marketing, prime position in EA's portfolio, long dev cycle, etc. In today's game development world, there just aren't many companies that can even contemplate a risk that big. EA was probably very careful in marshalling the resources that were used on that game, maximizing the game's impact while reducing cost. Honestly, one of its main functions is to serve as a sign post for where the new hardware's visuals can be, which has the added benefit of inspiring EA's other dev teams.
 

We only have to look back to the start of the previous generation to see how slow the ramp up was for quality sports releases. Remember FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup? How about NHL 2K6? Madden 06? Honestly, the first few years of each franchise were kind of rough. It wasn't really until about 2009 that we got meaningful releases in any of the major sports areas (hockey, soccer, football, golf, etc). Sometimes it just takes that long for developers to really find their footing in a new paradigm, especially one that's as unstable as this one. With the encroachment of mobile, the re-emergence of PC, the swell of indie development and the fall of the once-mighty (Nintendo's current predicament and Microsoft's stumbles), it's probably an interesting time to be a AAA sports game developer — or a developer of any big franchises, quite frankly.

The real spark moment for sports games last generation — I think many would agree — came from the Fight Night Round 3 demo in early 2006. That was a game that really captured the public's imagination. The insane visual fidelity of those faces going all stretchy and getting punched was something to behold, and it announced loudly that the new generation had arrived. Still, it wasn't until a couple of years later that we really saw a complete boxing game — and complete games in other sports genres, too. I think EA Sports UFC could be that moment this generation as well — a game that may ultimately be surpassed in several years but that serves as waypoint for where the generation can go in terms of its look and style. This sort of happened a bit with NBA 2K14 and MLB 14 The Show, but I think EA Sports UFC pushes things further by making the actual participants look closer to reality than ever before.
 

That is sort of the compact we all agree on as consumers of bleeding-edge media: early games will pave the way for the amazing products later in the generation. It's definitely tempting to want the best and brightest to arrive right away, but every piece of hardware has its learning and iterative stages. It's not feasible to expect big games to have a completely unrealistic bar when they're on an annual cycle. If we choose to participate in the ecosystem of iterative sports games, we have to accept the growing pains that come along with it.