One of the few surprises of E3 2012 was EA’s on-stage reveal that it now owned the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) license; a series that had previously belonged to THQ. Documents filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today by THQ contain a little more information about that deal, and the unfortunate consequences for the company’s San Diego studio.
The SEC filing confirms that THQ had been working on another UFC title, until the sale of the license to EA for an undisclosed amount on 1 June this year. As a result, THQ closed its San Diego studio and is preparing to spend almost $3.0 million USD on severance packages, fees and agreements associated with studio buildings (probably rental costs) and something called “long-lived assets”.
THQ’s current financial situation is bleak, explaining the need for the publisher to offload properties that appear not to be performing as well as hoped. Although no specific numbers are disclosed in the SEC documents, it is stated that UFC Undisputed 3 sold fewer copies than the previous game UFC Undisputed 2010.
As a result, EA now has exclusive rights to the UFC series.
Source: THQ
