Get ready fight fans because we now have a good idea of when the next installment in EA’s UFC series will see the light of day. In an investor call, outlining their Q4 Fy 2017 results, the video game behemoth indicated the EA Sports UFC 3 is slated for a 2018 Q4 release window. Based on Electronic Arts’ fiscal calendar this translates to a release in the first three months of 2018.
Unlike their annual release window for most other sports titles such as FIFA, Madden, NBA Live and NHL the publisher seems to be sticking to a bi-annual schedule with the EA Sports UFC series. The first game in the series was released in 2014 and featured Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson on the cover, several months after their epic five-round classic at UFC 165 in Toronto. EA Sports UFC 2 was then released in 2016. The game announced then Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey would be on the cover and joined by the winner of Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in Las Vegas. McGregor won that bout in 13 seconds capturing the Welterweight championship and the game’s cover.
Talk of the EA Sports cover curse has been especially poignant for the EA Sports series. Jones suffered multiple substance abuse controversies that included him being stripped of his Light Heavyweight title and a year suspension. Gustafsson lost two fights in a row after appearing on the cover with Jones. Rousey lost here title, and undefeated win streak, to Holly Holm days after being announced as the cover athlete and Conor McGregor lost by submission to Nate Diaz after it was announced that he would join Rousey on the game’s cover.
Very little else is known about EA Sports UFC 3 other than it will be a console release. Likely, the game will continue to appear on PS4 and Xbox One like its predecessors which leads to much speculation of whether or not it will also grace the Nintendo Switch.
