New UFC video game stuck in development nearly one year after EA acquires rights from THQ

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) parted ways with THQ and its "Undisputed" franchise last June, turning over the reigns to EA Sports, a division of software giant Electronic Arts (EA), who will now be charged with producing the latest and greatest mixed martial arts (MMA) video game for 2013 and beyond.

Way beyond.

The announcement was made alongside UFC President Dana White at last year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, Calif., where Executive Vice President and head of EA Sports Andrew Wilson warned it could take some time to develop the "multi-year, multi-product partnership."

See you in 2014, according to Joystiq:

Speaking during today's investor call, EA Labels boss Frank Gibeau explicitly mentioned 11 games the company plans to launch before next March, none of which were UFC or Tiger (Woods '15). When asked for clarification, a representative for EA told us the games would not release in the fiscal year, though they are "still in development."

It's possible the company plans to wait for the next generation video game consoles, including Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4, which are both expected to be released later this year in time for the holiday season.

During its time with the UFC, THQ released its "Undisputed" series in 2009 and 2010. EA Sports, meanwhile, rolled out its own, "EA Sports MMA" video game around the same time. Many gamers actually preferred the gameplay of EA's title; however, the limited Strikeforce roster that was highlighted by Fedor Emelianenko and Randy Couture, among few other mainstream notables, deemed it virtually irrelevant.

Oh, and there was the Bellator video game "Onslaught" that came and went with little-to-no fanfare.

As of now, all we know is the upcoming UFC video game is still in development. A vague description, but likely the best we'll get until we inch closer to next year's E3.