EA creative team training in BJJ to help make UFC game more realistic
We’ve already seen some ridiculous visuals from the upcoming UFC video game. EA Sports is now promising that the gameplay realism will be just as polished.
How serious are the people creating the game? Some of them at EA Canada are actually training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu to better understand the MMA ground game, creative director Brian Hayes told Gamespot.
“We started doing that right after we signed the deal with UFC, because, well there are some guys on the team who had been doing it prior to that, but we thought hey it'd be a great opportunity for the guys to get some firsthand experience and some insight into what the ground game is like,” Hayes said. “And it really did inform a lot of our design side objectives, so far as what we wanted to accomplish with our submission game.”
A new next-generation trailer for the game was released Monday and it showed the video-game characters using the same mannerisms of the real-life fighters – from Anthony Pettis’ swagger to Wanderlei Silva’s intimidation.
There isn’t much gameplay showcased, but the Gamespot writer who sampled the game explains striking and submissions aren’t just about button mashing and joystick wiggling. It’s more about timing and skill rather than luck, kind of like MMA itself.
A UFC press release promises more videos in the coming weeks, showcasing dynamic striking, submission battles, the living world and more.
Hayes told Gamespot that the career mode will feature a longevity meter. A created fighter’s stats won’t necessarily decline based on age, but on how much damage they sustain – kind of like real life.
"It doesn't mean that if you only have a little left in the meter that all of your attributes suck or that you've totally lost all of your skill, it really just means that you're at a point where UFC doesn't think you should fight anymore,” Hayes said.
Maybe EA should call it the Chuck Liddell meter. Either way, it sounds pretty cool.
