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The 'Mortal Kombat' movie is getting a sequel
Warner Bros. and New Line are creating a sequel to the Mortal Kombat film with Moon Knight writer Jeremy Slater onboard.
EA's 'UFC 4' focuses on your fighter's backstory
EA's 'UFC 4' will revamp your backstory and fighting mechanics when the game arrives on August 14th.
ESPN will make exclusive shows for Facebook Watch
ESPN will broadcast exclusive shows and segments on Facebook Watch under a new deal. First up are bonus segments from Always Late With Katie Nolan, an ESPN+ sports/comedy show that'll debut on ESPN2 this week, along with The People's MMA Show, a weekly series focused on the lives of mixed martial arts fighters. There'll also be a version of the Countdown to GameDay pre-game show for College GameDay and a video version of Fantasy Focus Live.
US Senate passes bill modernizing music licensing and payouts
The US Senate has unanimously passed the Music Modernization Act, which aims to bring the way the music business works in line with the digital age. Providing the bill is met with approval from the House, and is subsequently signed by President Donald Trump, the legislation -- renamed the Orrin G Hatch Music Modernization Act in honour of the Republican senior senator responsible for introducing the bill -- will finally be enshrined into law. It's not expected to meet any opposition.
The UFC's big bet to keep fighters fighting
This article contains images of violence that may upset or offend. If you're curious about what the world's preeminent mixed martial arts competition is like but did not pay as much as several thousand dollars for Madison Square Garden seats last Saturday, here are some of the sights UFC 217 offered: Light heavyweight prelim bout. Corey Anderson's head hits the canvas with a resounding whump. The culprit: a crashing left kick to the jaw from a now-strutting Ovince Saint Preux. Each replay of the knockout garners a spontaneous "oh!" -- equal parts exhilaration and wincing -- from the mostly male, disproportionately swole, crowd of 18,000. M.O.P.'s "Ante Up" plays after the bout. Heavyweight prelim bout. "Elbow him in the face!" a man yells as Walt Harris of Alabama and Mark Godbeer of England face off. There's no decisive elbow, but the 6-foot-5-inch, 250-pound Harris does plant a solid -- and illegal -- knee into Godbeer's groin. As the Brit backs off, Harris sends a kick to his face. The ref stops the fight and Harris is disqualified. Women's strawweight title bout. Fiery champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk is dethroned in just over three minutes by Rose Namajunas, a lithe, quietly confident 5-foot-5 fighter with a buzz cut. Fighters often jockey for a dominant position over a grounded opponent from which to punch their head repeatedly -- known as "ground and pound" -- which can end a fight. In this case, Namajunas sinks Jedrzejczyk with a left hook, then pounces for a dozen or so punches to her defenseless skull until the champion surrenders. There were 11 fights in total; we haven't even gotten to the marquee event. Yet somehow, this was one of the less violent nights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's 24-year existence.
Play as Ronda Rousey in EA Sports' 'UFC 2' in March
UFC 2 lands on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on March 15th, and pre-orders are open right now. Pre-ordering grants players day-one access to UFC Hall of Famer Bas Rutten, "The Gracie Hunter" Kazushi Sakuraba and one mystery fighter.
Dos Anjos among cuatro fighters added to EA Sports UFC
A new content pack for EA Sports UFC is now available to download, adding four fighters to the mixed martial arts game's roster. The new fighters include light heavyweight bruiser Anthony "Rumble" Johnson and women's bantamweight fighter Holly Holm. The latest update also introduced two lightweight fighters: Eddie Alvarez and Rafael Dos Anjos. EA Sports offered sixth other free content updates for its introductory UFC game since it launched in June 2014. The last update for the game added big-name legendary fighters to the mix in December, such as Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Mark Coleman and Brock Lesnar. Past updates introduced new game mechanics to EA Sports UFC as well, such as Finish the Fight, kick catching and manual taunts. [Image: EA Sports]
EA Sports UFC kicks back on EA Access next week
The full version of EA Sports UFC will be available through EA Access starting next Thursday, December 18. The mixed martial arts game will enter the Xbox One streaming service's "Vault," allowing subscribers to play the game as much as they like. EA unveiled its $5 per month ($30 per year) subscription service in July, and EA Access went live for all players in August. EA Sports UFC just received its sixth free content update this week, which added popular and legendary fighters such as Mark Coleman and Brock Lesnar to the game. Thanks to its various updates, EA Access players have 18 new brawlers to use as well as new fighting mechanics like manual taunts and kick catching compared to when the game first launched in June. [Image: EA Sports]
CCP staff to wrestle MMA fighter at Fanfest 2014
CCP is looking to give its fans their admission's worth for Fanfest 2014, as the studio announced that members of its team will be wrestling against MMA fighter Gunnar Nelson during the show. That's MMA, not MMO, by the way. The event, called EVE OF DESTRUCTION, will take place on Friday, May 2nd, in a series of 10 one-on-one wrestling matches. CCP would also like to remind you that voting for EVE Online's 9th Council of Stellar Management ends tonight at midnight.
EA CEO: Publisher may skip a year between future UFC games
Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson recently contemplated a bi-annual release schedule for future MMA games that follow EA Sports UFC, which is slated to launch on Xbox One and PS4 this year. In an interview with CNN's Fortune Tech, Wilson described the frequency of some games and the "appetite" players have for them, noting that the UFC brand "feels like it's in that every-other-year mix" without committing to that release schedule as a guaranteed development plan. "We get a new GTA game every four or five years, but there is an immense appetite. What we're looking at right now is how long is it going to take us to build a truly innovative game in that genre, and when do we think gamers are going to be ready for that next one," Wilson said. EA announced the acquisition of the UFC license at E3 2012 following the demise of THQ, which published three UFC games. THQ's crack at the series began with annual releases in UFC 2009: Undisputed and UFC Undisputed 2010 prior to a two-year absence in the series. THQ's final game, UFC Undisputed 3, reportedly failed to "break even" at two million units sold as of June 2012. "Do I think that UFC would be an every year game? I don't know," Wilson said. "It feels like it's in that every-other-year mix, but in all honesty we haven't made that decision yet. That really comes down to how long it's going to take to make a great game and when do we think the audience is ready." EA Canada's Fight Night team is behind EA Sports UFC's development, led by creative director and Fight Night Round 4 and Fight Night Champion gameplay designer Brian Hayes. Wilson previously noted that the Fight Night series is "on hold" while the developer works on EA Sports UFC. [Image: EA Sports]
Get up close and personal with these new EA Sports UFC screens
EA Sports recently added a few names to the EA Sports UFC roster, joined by some in-game shots of fighters from the neck up. The fighters playable in the game and seen in the included gallery are former light heavyweight champ Forrest Griffin, "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung, Costas Philippou, Minotauro Nogueira, Demetrious Johnson, Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen. Those fighters join the likes of co-cover athletes Jon "Bones" Jones and Alexander Gustafsson, Georges St-Pierre as well as female fighters Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate, who were confirmed for the game in September. Certainly, athletes included in the 16-person cover fighter vote that began in November will be in the game as well, such as Chris Weidman, Dominick Cruz, Junior Dos Santos and Urijah Faber. The screens are meant to show the details of each athlete's likeness, but we just can't stop staring at Griffin's puffy cauliflower ears. Don't you want to poke at them? Boy, we sure do. EA Sports UFC will head to Xbox One and PS4 this spring.
Alexander Gustafsson selected as EA Sports UFC co-cover fighter
Swedish fighter Alexander "The Mauler" Gustafsson won EA Sports' cover athlete fan vote for EA Sports UFC. As a result, the number one UFC light heavyweight contender will stand next to current reigning light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones on the cover of the game, who is also shown in two new screens for the game issued by EA this week. Gustafsson beat Georges St-Pierre in the final round of the voting process, which accumulated over 11 million votes during the entire campaign, according to EA. The cover athlete vote began in early November with 16 fighters, which included heavy favorites like Ronda Rousey and Johny Hendricks. EA Sports UFC will launch in spring 2014 on Xbox One and PS4.
EA considering free-to-play UFC game for Brazil
During a talk at the Credit Suisse Technology Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, EA CEO Andrew Wilson noted that the publisher is leveraging opportunities to create free-to-play games for Brazil. Among the two properties Wilson said the publisher is actively considering for the region was a new game using the UFC license, as Brazil is home to a strong fanbase for mixed martial arts. Additionally, Wilson said the company has plans to launch FIFA Online World in Brazil and Russia leading up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup event slated to take place in Brazil. The free-to-play game is built on the same technology as FIFA Online 3, which EA will bring to China after having already launched it in Korea with Nexon as its publishing partner. "We are absolutely looking at [Brazil] in detail, and we think we have at least two, but likely more products that will have strong appeal there," Wilson said.
EA Sports UFC cover vote hits final round
EA Sports UFC's four-round co-cover athlete vote entered its final round today. The last two contestants left are Georges St-Pierre and Alexander Gustafsson, one of which will join reigning light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones on the cover of the PS4 and Xbox One game in 2014. The cover vote began earlier this month with 16 fighters, with heavy favorites like Ronda Rousey and Johny Hendricks exiting the fan vote in the first and second rounds, respectively. St-Pierre may be the new favorite to win a spot on the game's cover following his decision to step away from mixed martial arts for an undisclosed time after his successful welterweight championship defense against Hendricks at the UFC 167 event in Las Vegas. Coincidentally, St-Pierre's fans voted him past Hendricks in the second round of the EA Sports UFC cover athlete vote, which ends on December 1.
Jon Jones to share EA Sports UFC cover with fan-voted fighter
Falling in line with other sports games, EA Sports UFC will be embroiled in its own cover athlete contest, EA Sports announced. The winner of the four-round cover vote held on UFC's official site, which ends December 1, will share the game's box art with current light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones. The 16 candidates to share the spotlight with Jones are as follows: Demetrious Johnson, Chris Weidman, Dominick Cruz, Junior Dos Santos, Urijah Faber, Chael Sonnen, Jose Aldo, Michael Bisping, Anthony Pettis, Alex Gustafsson, Ben Henderson, Daniel Cormier, Georges St-Pierre, Ronda Rousey, Johny Hendricks and Miesha Tate. We like Rousey's odds at winning the vote as the women's bantamweight champion and the figurehead for the rising popularity of women's MMA, the representation of which is a core part of EA Sports UFC's feature set. We wouldn't be opposed to seeing a cheeky Chael Sonnen sharing the cover with the man he can't seem to overcome, however. EA Sports UFC will launch in spring 2014 on PS4 and Xbox One.
THQ sues EA, UFC: EA fed inside info to UFC owner, THQ says
THQ has sued EA and UFC parent company Zuffa, claiming EA intentionally damaged THQ's relationship with Zuffa to broker a deal of its own for the UFC license. THQ claims EA used inside knowledge about its financial situation to commit "tortious interference" with its contract, and THQ is seeking to recover the value of the UFC property, the profits of the UFC franchise and at least $10 million in damages from EA. The suit also aims to disallow Zuffa's bankruptcy claims against THQ. In early December 2011, EA considered buying THQ outright and the two companies entered negotiations, according to THQ's suit filed with the Delaware district court. THQ says it provided EA with detailed financial information, including revenue and projected stats on its UFC franchise. On December 12, 2011, EA walked away from the potential buyout, and on December 30, 2011, Zuffa sent THQ a Demand Letter expressing the intent to terminate the UFC license. Though the UFC franchise was worth $20 million, THQ settled with Zuffa for $10 million. EA snagged the UFC license in 2012. EA Sports UFC is due out in 2014 for Xbox 360 and PS4. On December 19, 2012, THQ filed for bankruptcy. Looking back, THQ puts the pieces together as follows: "Prior to the Demand Letter, EA contacted Zuffa, informed Zuffa of THQ's perilous financial condition and expressed interest in acquiring the UFC franchise directly from Zuffa, causing Zuffa to threaten termination of the UFC license." An EA spokesperson tells Polygon, "We believe these claims are without merit."
Female fighters Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate announced for EA Sports UFC [Update]
EA Sports announced that female fighters Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate will be included in EA Sports UFC's roster. This is the first time the UFC series has included women, and comes just months after the women's bantamweight division was first added to the UFC's real-life arena. Rousey was the first woman to sign with the company in November 2012. EA Sports UFC will launch in Spring 2014 for Xbox One and PS4, and is in development by EA Canada's Fight Night team. The game will run on EA Sports' next-gen Ignite Engine. Update: EA tells Joystiq that "in order to remain authentic to the sport, female fighters will not be able to fight male fighters" in EA Sports UFC and that more female fighters will be announced closer to the game's launch.
Fight Night team developing EA Sports UFC
The Fight Night team at EA Canada will develop EA Sports UFC, EA announced today. Since its surprise license acquisition reveal at E3 2012, EA has kept quiet on the UFC-based game's development.Brian Hayes, who led gameplay design for Fight Night Round 4 and Fight Night Champion, will act as Creative Director for the Ultimate Fighting title. Team and Action Sports GM Dean Richards joins Hayes at the front of the development team, bringing in additional experience from Fight Night, along with the NHL and SSX series.
EA has big plans for its UFC game
It's an exciting time at EA Sports for executive VP Andrew Wilson. He's pretty stoked about acquiring the UFC license, the result of the dire financial situation going on at THQ right now, the previous UFC license holder. "Yes, yes it is," Wilson tells me when I say it must be a good time to be in the sports game, uh, game.But how did EA get the license? Who approached who? How did it all go down? How much did EA really pay for the license? While Wilson couldn't go into the specificity I would've liked regarding some of those subjects, he did at least give me some background on how this new deal came together – and just what it means for MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) gaming fans looking forward to the future.
MetroPCS lays the TapouT smackdown on Huawei's Ascend... gently
Is it really, truly possible to market a Froyo-based smartphone -- let alone one from 2010 -- to a demographic obsessed with Cauliflower ear? MetroPCS seems to think so, and its version of the Huawei Ascend just so happens to be "sanctioned" by TapouT. Hailed as the first brand to represent MMA, TapouT's roots are plastered all about the innards of the phone, with this Special Edition handset shipping with ten virtual training center videos, a dozen static wallpapers, six live wallpapers and a host of presumably violent Android applications. You'll also get a pair of interchangeable backs, a 2GB microSD card and support for the company's contract-free $50 / $60 smartphone plans. As for the cost of the phone itself? Free after a suplex + sleeper hold combo on the dude working the desk.