Gamers will select the cover athlete for UFC Undisputed 3

by: Russell - posted: 8/26/2011 5:27:00 PM

Ever wish that some other athlete was on the cover of your favorite sports game?  Well, now you the gamer can choose from five current UFC champions to grace the cover of UFC Undisputed 3.  Gamers can choose from Frankie Edgar, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, or Cain Velasquez.  For more information, read on for the official press release.

 
AGOURA HILLS, Calif. - August 26, 2011 - THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) and Zuffa, LLC today announced a franchise-first opportunity for consumers to select the cover athlete for UFC^® Undisputed^™ 3, the forthcoming installment in the critically acclaimed mixed martial arts (MMA) videogame franchise based on the Ultimate Fighting Championship^®.  By visiting www.ufc.com/ufcundisputed3 between 6:00 a.m. PT on August 26, 2011 and 12:00 p.m. PT on September 30, 2011, consumers may choose from one of five renowned UFC fighters – UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones or UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez – to appear on the front cover of the videogame. 
 
In addition, by casting their votes, select consumers will have an opportunity to enter a sweepstakes to win tickets for a future UFC live event.  The sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the 50 United States, District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 21 years of age or older.  No purchase is necessary to enter or win and is limited to one entry per person/per e-mail address over the entire sweepstakes period.  The sweepstakes is void where prohibited.  For Official Rules, please visit www.ufc.com/ufcundisputed3.  UFC Undisputed 3 is currently in development for the Xbox 360^®video game and entertainment system and PlayStation^®3 computer entertainment system, with a scheduled release of January 2012.
 
“Letting fans vote for the UFC Undisputed 3 cover athlete is a unique way for us to connect with our extensive worldwide audience of UFC fans, fighting game enthusiasts and more casual sports followers,” said Danny Bilson, Executive Vice President, Core Games, THQ.  “We look forward to seeing if Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre or Cain Velasquez has what it takes to grace the cover of what will be the most invigorating MMA videogame release to date.”
 
“We are excited to let fans choose the cover athlete for UFC Undisputed 3,” UFC President Dana White said.  “Frankie, Georges, Anderson, Jon, and Cain are five of the most popular athletes in our sport and each wants to be on the cover.  We love making our fans a part of the process and we’ll leave this one up to them.”
 
About UFC^® Undisputed 3^™
UFC Undisputed 3 will take players inside the virtual Octagon^® with focus on intense toe-to-toe combat, impressive visual presentation and significantly increased accessibility, including the debut of PRIDE^® Mode, two new weight classes and an impressive playable roster of more than 150 UFC fighters.  PRIDE Mode will enable players to fight for the first time in the renowned Japanese MMA organization and include official commentators Bas Rutten and Stephen Quadros, authentic environments and notorious MMA rules, including the ability to execute soccer-style kicks, head stomps and ground knees to the head.  Finishing an opponent will be more important than ever through devastating new moves, responsive striking controls, refined visual presentation and the introduction of a brand new, graphic-based submission system.  In addition, players will now enter the Octagon with a choice between traditional and simplified gameplay control options, enabling them, regardless of skill level, to experience the intensity of UFC and nuances of MMA combat while executing simple standing strikes or more complex ground and transition mechanics.
 
Players will also experience the excitement of a live UFC event through significant visual improvements, including the introduction of much-anticipated fighter entrances, new camera positions, improved facial animations and a gritty, high contrast appearance.  They will enter into battle with an unparalleled choice of more than 150 playable UFC fighters, including talent from the newly added featherweight and bantamweight divisions.  Rounding out the virtual UFC experience with a significantly revamped online experience, as well as a variety of new and returning gameplay modes, UFC Undisputed 3 lets players have their fights – their way – to deliver the most intense, competitive and engaging experience to date for the franchise.
 
For more information on UFC Undisputed 3, please visit www.ufcundisputed.com, facebook.com/UFCUndisputed and twitter.com/UFC_Undisputed.
 
About Ultimate Fighting Championship^®
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC^® produces over 12 UFC live Pay-Per-View events annually around the world. UFC content is distributed commercially through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. and Canadastar in Canada. Globally, UFC programming is broadcast in over 135 countries and territories, reaching 597 million homes worldwide, in 21 different languages.
 
UFC^® also boasts a powerful presence online, with UFC.com attracting over six million unique visitors per month, while also possessing one of the most powerful social media followings in all of professional sports. To date, UFC has over six million fans on Facebook and over 300,000 followers on Twitter.  In addition, UFC President Dana White is one of the most accessible and most followed executives in sports with over 1.5 million followers on Twitter.  On January 22, 2011, UFC continued to set trends in social media, becoming the first major sports league to stream live, broadcast quality action on Facebook.
 
Ancillary businesses include the best-selling UFC “Undisputed” videogame franchise distributed by THQ, UFC Gym^™, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo^™ festivals, branded apparel, trading cards, articulated action figures and other media including best-selling DVDs and a bimonthly magazine.
 
About THQ Inc.
THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software.  The company develops its products for all popular game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet.  Headquartered in Los Angeles County, California, THQ sells product through its global network of offices located throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.  More information about THQ and its products may be found at www.thq.com. THQ and the THQ logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc.