EA Sports is stepping into the cage with its upcoming EA Sports MMA. THQ's UFC 2009 Undisputed is arguably the best videogame take on mixed martial arts yet, so how will EA Sports MMA compete, when it doesn't have access to Dana White's crop of UFC fighters? It starts with signing the most dominant heavyweight champion in MMA history, and EA was able to do that by securing the rights to Russian phenom Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko, a man who MMA enthusiasts and top fighters alike have called the best to ever compete in the sport.

EA Sports President Peter Moore will soon announce the addition of another "MMA Icon" to the EA Sports MMA roster. Will it be Gina Carano, the popular American Gladiator and the face of women's MMA? Or will it be a legend of the sport's past, like Ken Shamrock or Royce Gracie?


The press conference will take place this Saturday, before the Strikeforce event airs on Showtime. Gina Carano will face off against Cris "Cyborg" for the Strikeforce Female Championship to headline the event, and Gina has already appeared as bad-ass Russian Commando Natasha in EA's Red Alert 3, so I wouldn't be too surprised if she makes it into the game.

While it's fun to speculate about roster signings, MMA is about more than just licensed fighters. To make a great MMA game, you need developers who have a passion for the sport. Do these guys at EA Sports "get it" when it comes to understanding what makes mixed martial arts competition so exciting? To find out, I got in touch with Jason Barnes, Creative Director at EA Tiburon, to get right to it and talk MMA.



GameSpy: EA Sports MMA is a new sort of game for Tiburon. What elements of MMA are easiest to bring to videogames? What are the hardest?
Jason Barnes, Creative Director, Electronic Arts Tiburon: Making great videogames is obviously not easy, but certain parts are easier than others. With MMA, capturing the excitement and energy of the fighting event experience -- the energy of the crowd and the violence of the action for example -- are the easiest parts. The most challenging stuff is building and balancing the gameplay experience, but that's true for any fighting game.

There are two main goals with gameplay: intuitive controls and the balance of risk vs. reward while fighting. Both of them are made more difficult by the fact that in MMA, there's so much going on from so many different positions. Keeping things intuitive, well-balanced, fun, full of depth, and difficult to master is like taming a bunch of lions at the same time, take your eyes off of one of them and it will end up biting you in the... These are fun things to solve though, and the team is enjoying the challenge.
GameSpy: How do you combat the "grappling is boring" sentiment in the videogame?
Jason Barnes: You start by educating the user about the technique and depth of strategy that goes on during grappling. The more you learn about the sport -- whether it's fighting in the clinch or on the ground -- the more you begin to respect and appreciate the depth of what's happening there.

The other key to keeping grappling fun is having a solid game mechanic system. Again, it comes back to balance. The right amount of risk for reward, and solid feedback during play so the player knows what is happening in the game, is really under their control.

From our perspective, you're either attacking or surviving while grappling. That alone makes grappling exciting because you're either dealing out a lot of punishment or trying to get to a better position so you can fight back. This makes the ground game intense, and anything but boring.
GameSpy: In the early days, fighters came from very different disciplines. Now everyone cross-trains and does a little of everything. Does this make for less entertaining videogame characters?
Jason Barnes: The argument could be made that the early days of MMA were not as good as what you see in the sport today. Much like a good scotch, MMA has become more refined over the years. Fighters still have strengths and weaknesses along with signature styles, and the sport as a whole is now a rich mix of disciplines. It's not so much about fighting disciplines now though as it is about whether a fighter can take the fight to their strengths or whether their opponent will get to their weaknesses. That's the essence of a great MMA fight and that's entertaining. Well that and a stunning "kick to the head knockout from nowhere" every once in a while.

MMA has come a long way from its early days, and the sport is much more entertaining to watch, and will make for a better videogame if we accurately portray it the way it is now.
GameSpy: You were able to sign Fedor Emelianenko, arguably MMA's greatest champion. How do you balance him, and what's his role in the game?
Jason Barnes: You make him Fedor. [laughs]

EA Sports has always been about authenticity, and we plan on continuing that tradition with our MMA game. Fedor is very good at many different things, but he's not perfect. He'll be very tough, but not invincible. Invincible is generally not a fun gameplay experience.

Actually the key to Fedor's greatness is his intelligence as a fighter. Not only is he very skilled but he outthinks his opponents. That part of the equation is up to the player to bring to the game with them. We will give you the attributes and it will be up to you to bring the game plan and the controller skills.

What we're really looking forward to is watching how people interact with Fedor. What they'll consider to be good strategies while using him, and how they'll attack him as an opponent.
GameSpy: The Cage vs. The Ring in MMA. Your team's thoughts?
Jason Barnes: Both offer a unique experience for both the fighters and the spectators so we have put a lot of thought into this. Stay tuned for more information of the direction we are taking in the game.
GameSpy: Former UFC champ Tim Sylvia was knocked out in nine seconds by a 48 year-old Ray Mercer. Did that hurt the sport and in turn hurt your game? What's your take on the Boxing vs. MMA debate?
Jason Barnes: Did it hurt the sport? Not at all, but it looked like it hurt Tim a little bit.

Tim is a great MMA fighter who got caught by a heavy hitter -- one who practices a sport where all they do is strike. Ray is really good at hitting people.

There really isn't a logical debate between MMA and boxing. Each is a unique sport with different skill requirements, and each is populated by amazing athletes who train as hard as anyone in any other sport. Even as MMA fans, we can still appreciate a great boxing match. Even though they're both combat sports, the fights are different, and the skill sets of the fighters are different because they have to fit the circumstances of their rules and the required equipment.
GameSpy: Strikeforce embraces Women's MMA and Cyborg vs. Carano headlines the upcoming event. Is the world ready for Women's MMA in a videogame?
Jason Barnes: We respect anyone who steps into the cage or ring for a fight. The dedication and training that fighters go through and the risks they take are truly impressive. This is a really good question.