To anyone who has been following Joe Rogan’s take on doing voiceovers for video games, his absence from EA Sports UFC 4 doesn’t come as a surprise.
Rogan is the top color commentator in the UFC. When it comes to UFC video games, Rogan has appeared in all three UFC Undisputed games and the first three EA Sports UFC titles. When EA Sports UFC 4 drops on Aug. 14, PS4 and Xbox One gamers will not hear Rogan’s voice. Instead, he has been replaced by Daniel Cormier who joins Jon Anik.
Reason For Joe Rogan’s EA Sports UFC 4 Absence
Creative director of EA Sports UFC 4, Brian Hayes, gave a reason for Rogan not being featured in the upcoming title during an interview with GameSpot.
“He hasn’t been shy about saying this on his own podcast; like, he hates doing it,” Hayes said. “If you’re not a person that [can] mentally get into that space, then I can see how it could be a very, you know, challenging, potentially mind-numbing experience for a certain type of individual.”
Rogan’s absence from EA Sports UFC 4 can be looked at as a double-edged sword. On one hand, not hearing the top color commentator of the UFC may be a negative to some although not to the point of dismissing the game altogether. On the positive side, gamers will hear fresh lines from Cormier and a more authentic feel during his in-game conversations with Anik rather than going through recycled voice clips for Rogan.
In the past, Rogan has made it clear that he simply won’t do things he doesn’t want to do. An example of this was during the UFC’s deal with FOX. The moment the FOX crew got in his ear about what to say, Rogan decided to only appear for pay-per-view events. It’s the reason why he isn’t on commentary duties for ESPN cards. Rogan has even cut back on the PPV events he does attend, rarely appearing on international cards.
