EA Sports MMA is 'dead on arrival' at retail
New fighter not likely to become franchise; MoH, Madden 11 also disappoint
The latest sports game from EA is dead on arrival at retail, according to Doug Creutz of Cowan & Company, who also comes down hard on the performance of a number of recent releases from the publisher.
While the company is likely to meet expectations for the full year, Creutz pointed to lacklustre performances of EA Sports MMA, Medal of Honor and Madden 11 - with FIFA 11 the only positive seller from a pack of high-profile releases.
"Medal of Honor earned weak reviews, and we expect sales post the launch period to decline precipitously (particularly once Call of Duty: Black Ops hits retail)," noted Creutz.
"EA's recently released MMA appears to be more or less DOA at retail, while UFC recently announced an extension of its license with THQ, likely putting an end to EA's efforts to expand into the mixed martial arts genre."
EA Sports MMA entered the UK charts this week at number 23. The first iteration of THQ's rival UFC franchise sold very well, but the most recent release hasn't lived up to expectations, with the publisher deciding against annual updates.
Earlier this month EA announced that FIFA 11 sold over 2.6 million units in its first week, while Medal of Honor sold 1.5 million units in five days.