It’s been three years since EA UFC 4 was released, but the next iteration in the series is coming. EA UFC 5 was announced during International Fight Week in July, and a full reveal is set for September.
EA has been tight-lipped about EA UFC 5, but hardcore players of the game are anxiously awaiting the details of the next version in the series.
I have played close to 3,500 online matches, owned every version of the EA UFC series and the old Undisputed brand, and reached Division 16 in EA UFC 4. To say I’m a hardcore user is an understatement.
Aside from scratching the two-year itch combat sports video game fans have had, the upcoming release could be important for sports video games.
There is often a debate as to whether the quality of sports titles could be higher if they weren’t bound to an annual schedule. Games like NBA 2K, Madden, and FIFA have their development time cut to 8-9 months for each release as their teams labor to produce a bigger and better title each year.
This timetable forces some inconvenient overlapping between the previous year’s game and the upcoming one. The overlap is accentuated if the game functions as a live service.
If EA UFC 5 shows exponential growth from EA UFC 4, as it should, considering it’ll be the first one likely developed for the current generation of consoles, it could create a stronger case for more sports games to function outside the annual release schedule.
Speaking of live services, that is a nice segue into the first item on this my of features EA UFC 5 needs if it is going to capitalize on the nearly three years of development it would appear it has had since the release of EA UFC 4 in August 2020.
A Dynamic Take on Ultimate Team
EA UFC 3 attempted to incorporate the uber-successful Ultimate Team concept but failed and was not part of EA UFC 4.
There is one primary reason EA’s first attempt at Ultimate Team with the UFC series failed.
The mode didn’t focus on the lifeblood of any sports collector mode, and that’s the athletes. Sports collector modes are supposed to blend the joy of card collections and fantasy sports. EA UFC 3 Ultimate Team didn’t play to either anchor.
Rather than having a UFC collector mode that featured packs with vintage versions of UFC legends and current stars, the game’s take on Ultimate Team focused more on customizing current fighters.
It would have been better to spotlight the history of the No. 1 MMA promotion in the world. It also failed to take advantage of the potential value in releasing content like a 99-overall UFC 189 Robbie Lawler with card art that featured the savage welterweight in his most triumphant Octagon moment–complete with the split lip he suffered in a five-round war with Rory MacDonald.
A UFC 239 Jorge Masvidal card that shows him mocking Ben Askren on the mat after the former scored a five-second KO via flying knee.
A UFC 287 Israel Adesanya card capturing the middleweight king seconds after exacting revenge on Alex Pereira via shocking KO would be epic content. These moments should be represented in EA UFC Ultimate Team.
EA could also explore a deeper live service approach after Fight Night and pay-per-view events to keep things fresh and in step with the real-life product.
A rising stars concept released after Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender series episodes could pump more fresh blood into the mode’s card pool. That’s not to mention the pop-culture and crossover fighters that could be used in EA UFC Ultimate Team.
From a feature standpoint, the concept needs to shift from building a fighter to constructing a gym of top combatants. Gathering valuable cards and rewards should be the user’s primary chase.
Will EA UFC’s version of Ultimate Team be as lucrative as FIFA or Madden? Probably not, but EA still likely left a lot of money and fun on the table by giving up on the concept.
Hopefully, it will be re-designed and reintroduced for EA UFC 5.
More Risk-Reward For Chasing Takedowns
From a pure gameplay standpoint, EA UFC 4 has been fun. There’s no way I’d have 3.5K matches played online if I wasn’t enjoying myself.
That said, a few issues still need to be addressed. One of the biggest problems is the need for more consequences for spamming takedown attempts. Anyone who has played enough EA UFC 4 has faced an opponent who repeatedly shoots for takedowns.
Often, you’ll stuff 80 percent of these attempts, but the ninth or 10th might slip through. The spammer is rewarded for chasing what is often their only chance of escaping a KO loss, but they aren’t paying a stiff enough stamina penalty for their low percentage and less-than-creative approach.
As someone who has covered MMA for over 15 years and followed the UFC since the beginning, I’ve seen dozens of fighters empty their gas tank chasing takedowns unsuccessfully.
For balance, every failed takedown should have a more impacting stamina drain, which could be scaled based on the fighter’s takedown skills and cardio rating.
A Hardcore, Ultra-Realistic Mode
Many fans pine for more realistic EA UFC gameplay. I’m a firm believer that’s something that most simply think they want, but if EA delivered that concept, it wouldn’t be as enjoyable as those users expect.
It’s a video game series based on a real-life sport, and one of the biggest challenges is finding the right spots for realism and playability. It’s not an easy task.
That said, to satiate those who believe they will be in combat sports heaven with an ultra-realistic mode, I’d love to see EA deliver a hardcore-only feature. This approach would amplify the impact of huge strikes. With significant strikes carrying a higher probability of producing knockouts, getting hit with punches, kicks, elbows and knees a much bigger consequence.
The biggest tweak would be to fighter stamina. No human being can throw as many strikes in a fight as we see in the average EA UFC fight. A hardcore mode with significantly tax stamina for major strikes, takedown attempts, which would force users to be more judicious with their Octagon actions.
Again, I do not believe this would be the preferred way to play the game, but it would be an interesting option that would potentially fall in line with match types like Stand and Bang and Adrenaline.
A Pure Boxing Mode
Many fans have been hoping to see the return of the Fight Night series. EA appears to be more focused on the EA UFC franchise, and it remains to be seen if there is enough room on the publisher’s plate to develop both games.
That makes me wonder if it might make sense for EA to have a boxing-only mode (complete with boxing attires and gloves) as a playable feature in EA UFC 5.
White, the UFC President, has teased the launch of Zuffa Boxing. In March, White told the Sports Business Journal that he hoped to launch the boxing promotion in the next year or two (h/t TNT Sports’ Chamatkar Sandhu).
Using the EA UFC 5 platform to push the brand into combat sports fans’ consciousness is smart. That’s especially the case if things are already in motion.
If the engagement and popularity of a pure boxing mode within EA UFC 5 is high enough, it might justify the existence of another Fight Night series.
President’s Mode
The previous EA UFC games have had career modes, and you would expect that to continue in EA UFC 5.
The series has never had a way that allowed the user to function as the President or matchmaker charged with putting on successful events. White is the face of the promotion, and it makes sense for him to be the figurehead in this mode.
It would be interesting to give users control of their version of the UFC. Charging them with growing their promotion from a small regional organization to a worldwide power that sells out large arenas would create the sort of story arc that powers general manager and commissioner modes.
It would be essential to allow users to still participate in the fights when they choose, but the major differentiator would be the promotional management portion.
Who knows if we’ll see any of these features introduced next month during the full reveal, but be on the lookout for a full breakdown when the information is available.
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