UFC Undisputed 2009 was a big hit for THQ, selling over a million units in the U.S. during the first month alone. The recently released sequel doesn't seem to be doing quite as well as expected, however, according to Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian, who said retail channel checks seem to be indicating "slower than anticipated" sales.
"Despite solid pre-order levels, our post holiday channel checks suggest that THQ’s recent release UFC Undisputed 2010 is tracking below our expectations at retail. We also note that Amazon has already discounted the title to $39 from $59 just one week postrelease," Sebastian stated. "Given solid game reviews and a healthy market for UFC’s pay-per-view events, we are somewhat surprised by the performance of the game to-date. As such, we expect fewer reorders for UFC..."
Interestingly, although in a completely different genre, it's possible that Rockstar's latest hit Red Dead Redemption could have impacted the retail success of UFC. "Our updated checks indicate TTWO title Red Dead Redemption is still selling well, which may be adding some competitive pressure to UFC," noted Sebastian.
UFC Undisputed 2010 is also one of THQ's first games to require an online pass, similar to EA's "Project $10" and EA Sports initiatives to monetize online gameplay and combat used sales.
