Ultimate Fighting Championship: Dreamcasts Only UFC Game Paves the Way

Ultimate Fighting Championship has come a long way since its inception 30 years ago. The sport has made a huge impact on the professional fighting scene, and many video game adaptations have been made. We look back at Ultimate Fighting Championship the video game, the first-ever UFC title, and the link between gaming and pro fighting.

A New Era for UFC

Ultimate Fighting Championship (video game) was released in North America in August 2000. The first version was for the Dreamcast, with the PlayStation release following down the line. It marked the first time that UFC and the video game industry joined forces, just seven years after the sport was founded.

SEGA’s Dreamcast was somewhat of a failure due to stiff competition from Microsoft and Sony. The console’s sales steadily declined before being discontinued in March 2001. Ultimate Fighting Championship was one of its 600+ games.

The UFC game was lauded at the time, with critics praising its gameplay, graphics, and design. It had several different publishers, with Crave Entertainment looking after the North American version. Ubisoft published the European game, while Capcom was the publisher for the Dreamcast and PlayStation editions in Japan.

Anchor Inc., known for Tekken, was the developer. The Onuguchi brothers founded the company, and Anchor went on to develop other fighting titles, such as WWE Raw and WWE Raw 2. Tekken as a franchise was a huge hit in the '90s, releasing four home console games.

The most recent title is Tekken 8, released for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Microsoft Windows. The latest edition is highly rated, with IGN giving the game an excellent 9/10 score.

Tekken 8 is a big hit for the online gaming community, with many eSports events taking place throughout the year. Recently, Tekken 8 was featured at Only The Best 2024, which was held in Corso Regina Margherita in Italy.

Gaming was different 20 years ago, and the original Ultimate Fighting Championship is certainly a traditional fighting game. Ultimate Fighting Championship was still in its infancy when it was released, but the move into gaming helped UFC grow their audience even further.

The Link Between Pro Fighting and Gaming

Ultimate Fighting Championship is now among the most popular sports in the fighting world. Holding its own against boxing, UFC has gone from strength to strength, selling out stadiums and becoming one of the most watched sports weekly.

UFC has become a huge sport to bet on among bettors around the world. You will also find great bonuses and promotions tied to the big events, such as the recent UFC 303 in Las Vegas. Keep an eye out for a sportsbook bonus and the latest betting odds on Ultimate Fighting Championship. UFC 304 is coming up, with the Leon Edwards vs Belal Muhammad bout topping the bill. Edwards is the current favourite at evens.

Professional fighting events and video games have a great link. Since the original UFC game on Dreamcast, there have been several releases in the genre, including the recent EA Sports UFC 5 title. EA has a long-term partnership with UFC, so expect many more games in the franchise in the future.