EA Sports announced that Ronda Rousey will be on the cover of their upcoming video game UFC 2 on Xbox and PlayStation 4. With her loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193, this could mean a significant blow to the publisher.
The invincible aura of Ronda Rousey was demolished by Holly Holm at the 193rd Ultimate Fighting Championships. This is an unfortunate turn of events for Electronic Arts, after the publication said that Rousey will be featured as the cover athlete for their upcoming video game UFC 2.
EA was expecting Rousey to remain undefeated and carry out promotions for the game. With the unexpected turn of events by losing her title to Holly Holm, this is damaging news for the publisher.
Ronda, who reached beyond extents of the wrestling sport to the entertainment business, makes an ideal candidate for the video game. With the loss, the game publisher will need to adjust marketing strategies and even possibly reconfigure campaign materials, commentary audio and in-game art. There is no curse involved in the publisher's athlete covers, but this is the second time the company faced issues related to video game representations.
The first UFC video game that EA released was in summer of 2014 which featured Jon Jones. The athlete got involved in a DUI incident after his car crashed back in 2012. Also, he tested positive for cocaine and went to rehabilitation earlier this year. In addition, he was also suspended by the association and stripped off his title after being arrested in a hit-and-run incident back in April. EA Sports and UFC mobile game then replaced Jones, but it was already too late to do anything about it.
Along with this, the publisher's UFC video game's sales declined severely. The Undisputed video game in 2009 was a surprise hit, but the follow-up video game in 2010 dropped 59 percent on its first release. The 3rd Undisputed installment sold no more than 20 percent, only as few as compared to Undisputed 2.
The downfall is an alarming issue to the publisher. A rematch between Rousey and Holm could be a turning point. With this, the company would be able to capitalize on the game's publication. The video game does not have a specific release date, although it is expected by March or June of 2016.
