Released back in August of last year, EA Vancouver’s UFC 4 launched to solid reviews, earning itself a 78 Metacritic score. Playable on PS4 and Xbox One, UFC 4 was praised for its realism and authenticity while also being criticized for being too similar to its predecessor, UFC 3.
With a year having passed since the release of UFC 4, fans have begun wondering if Electronic Arts has started working on the next title in the fighting series. The fourth entry in the franchise was released about two and a half years after the launch of UFC 3, and as such, players are eagerly awaiting any sort of news or announcement on what will likely be called UFC 5.
A job posting may have just tipped off fans that EA Sports is, in fact, preparing to work on UFC 5. Posted on the professional networking site LinkedIn, the job posting is looking for a Game Design Director for an upcoming UFC game. The position is located at EA Vancouver, which also developed all the other games in the UFC series, as well as the NHL franchise and the recently revealed FIFA 22.
The listing also gives several hints as to what players can expect from the UFC title. Console and AAA development experience is required for the role, so the game should be a high-budget title for current or next-generation consoles. The position also mentions that a focus for the title is to provide direction for the franchise to keep it relevant in the future, perhaps teasing that EA is planning on releasing more UFC entries after this game.
With EA Vancouver’s UFC series being the only real mixed martial arts titles available, some fans are concerned the simulation may become stale without any real competition. It is a similar criticism that plagues other EA Sports games like Madden, which can sometimes struggle to add meaningful content year after year. In comparison, the UFC titles get several years of development for each release, something that will hopefully help them avoid this problem.
While the UFC series may be the only real MMA game in town, hungry boxing fans can look forward to eSports Boxing Club, which features many licensed boxers and real championship belts. The game has yet to announce a release date, however. Still, if players want to play a realistic MMA simulation, EA’s UFC 4 is a solid title, despite its flaws. Perhaps EA Vancouver and its new Game Design Director can fix the problems and create the best UFC game yet with UFC 5.
UFC 4 is available on PS4 and Xbox One.