Summary
EA Sports UFC 5has officially been revealed and its announcement trailer features some exciting confirmations, including that the game has an M rating for violence. Also confirmed are several big-name fighters included withUFC 5’s Deluxe Edition, like Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali. While gameplay forUFC 5has yet to be revealed, this is an exciting unveiling for a fighting game based on the world’s most popular MMA promotion.
A fighting game franchise based on the UFC seems like it should be a massive success, but with four games previously released EA’sUFCseries is still trying to find itself. The firstUFCgame was released in 2014, followed byUFC 2and3in 2016 and 2018, respectively. All three games received disappointing review averages, in part due to struggles capturing MMA combat’s mix of striking and wrestling, but also due to a lack of features.2020’sUFC 4improved gameplay meaningfully, but saw sales drop compared to its predecessor. EA hasn’t released aUFCgame since.
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TheUFCfranchise is returning in 2023 with the release ofEA Sports UFC 5. The latest game in theUFCfranchise is making some key stylistic changes, as confirmed in the reveal trailer. The biggest change is the franchise’s shift to an M for Mature rating. Previous games in theUFCfranchise targeted a T for Teen rating, which may have contributed to disappointment.UFC 5’s M rating allows for the blood and violence fans expect from the UFC, as well as more mature language and themes inUFC 5’s career mode.
Also confirmed inUFC 5’s reveal trailer is that the Deluxe Edition of the game will feature two additional fighters. First is Fedor Emelianenko, an incredibly popular MMA fighter who’s never actually competed in the UFC before. To see him in aUFCgame is shocking, to say the least. The second character inUFC 5’s Deluxe Edition islegendary boxer Mike Tyson. Tyson has 44 knockouts in his professional record, though he doesn’t appear to have any MMA experience.
A third bonus fighter has also been advertised forUFC 5, available for those who pre-order the game.That fighter is Muhammad Ali, the legendary boxer and activist. Ali did notably have an exhibition bout against professional wrestler Antonio Inoki that has been described as foretelling the arrival of standardized MMA. Ali is included with pre-orders of bothUFC 5’s standard and deluxe editions.
UFC 5will of course be packed full of the MMA promotion’s own contracted talent, too. The debut trailer shows off combat from Israel Adesanya, Valentina Shevchenko, and Alex Volkanovski. Many more fighter reveals, as well as a gameplay reveal, will be shared in the near future.UFC 5’s October launchisn’t far off, after all.
EA Sports UFC 5releases October 27 on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
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