EA Sports UFC 5-What We Know & What We Want
There is not much that people know about regarding EA Sports UFC 5 as it has not been promoted by EA or the UFC. We do know that UFC 4 is no longer front and center as a main focus of promotion for the UFC, but the game is still being supported by EA Sports. There was an update on June 30, 2022, where Paddy Pimblett and three other fighters were added to UFC 4.
On top of that, we do know that EA Sports UFC games usually come out every two years. The first EA Sports UFC came out on June 17, 2014, and then every two years a new game came out until UFC 4 on August 14, 2020. It appears that they will break that pattern for UFC 5 as there is no release date set and UFC 4 is still receiving support from EA Sports. However, we do know that EA Sports is under contract to make a new UFC game, and they confirmed that they will not make UFC 4 a next-generation upgrade.
All this means is that yes we will receive a new UFC 5 game in the future, but it is not clear how long it will be for a new installment in the franchise.
What We Want In A New EA Sports UFC 5 game
1. A Fresh New Roster
The UFC games do a good job at creating fun UFC rosters with a good mix of old and new fighters. However, if the next UFC game will be covering a three-year gap between the previous game, that means there will be a lot of new fighters. I think the game should have a lot of younger fighters and new fighters that are around the top 15 to make the next game feel fresh. Obviously, we still want Anderson Silva, Urijah Faber, and Demetrious Johnson, but we do not need every single prominent older fighter. They should sacrifice older fighters for current fighters in their base roster, and then do what they are good at and reintroduce the older fighters through in game updates.
2. A Bigger Commentary Team
UFC 4 removed Joe Rogan, which was a big shock for a lot of fans, and added Daniel Cormier. DC and John Anik were fun to listen to during fights, and the overall commentary was better than UFC 3. Now, I think they should add more commentators like Michael Bisping, Paul Felder, Dominick Cruz, and Laura Sanko. This would not only give a variety to the voices and lines heard in each fight, but I feel like it will give each fight a unique feel. Also, these are popular people that UFC fans would enjoy hearing in UFC 5.
3. More Customization
UFC 4 added two cool, different locations, including a backyard cage and a Mortal Kombat inspired cave. In addition, they added more customization for players to add to their created fighters. However, we need more customization in UFC 5. Other EA titles like Madden, NHL, and FIFA have a plethora of cosmetic items, celebrations, and traits to choose from to truly create a unique character. UFC has been improving on this, but they need to make a huge leap in UFC 5. Also, I think UFC 5 should have a cage or arena builder where players can create their own playable arenas. Madden, NHL, and MLB The Show all have features like this that allow users to create a great unique experience.
4. Improved Gameplay
I loved the striking in UFC 3 and I felt that they improved and took a step back in some areas in UFC 4. Ultimately, EA Sports has been good about making minor tweaks and huge overhauls in between games, like with the big change of the more fluid clinch system in UFC 4. As long as they continue to clean up the stand-up (which they almost have perfect), and they try to find ways to make the submissions and wrestling more engaging, then fans will be happy with the gameplay. These additions would make the gaming experience way more fun, and it would be great to see these in EA Sports UFC 5.
