It’s time for some new faces on the front of UFC’s next outing as Conor McGregor makes way for not one, but two faces this August.
Replacing the now-retired Irishman (in as much as he can be retired until something pops up about a Diaz trilogy fight) are middleweight king Israel Adesanya and welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal.
Per EA, ‘The Last Stylebender’ and ‘Gamebred’ are the game’s official cover athlete duo.
Masvidal’s inclusion on the cover is a sign of his rise in recent years, and his backyard upbringing as the UFC have moved to include both backyard settings and kumite type events for UFC 4.
“Players can develop and customize characters through a unified progression system across all modes to go from unknown amateur to UFC superstar in the new Career Mode. New to UFC 4, players can also experience four all-new environments, including The Kumite, The Backyard, UFC Apex and Action Avenue, or challenge the world in new Blitz Battles or Online World Championships to become the undisputed champ.
“Performance details like weight class and one of five MMA disciplines, including Wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing and more, define how players fight, while over 1,600 new pieces of earnable gear, over 120 emotes and more allow players to put their personality on display while doing it.”
Career mode too has been overhauled for the 2020 edition.
“Additionally, an overhaul to Career Mode introduces a brand-new way to develop fighter backstories and offers an in-depth evolution process for the duration of the fighter’s career.”
“The new fighter evolution feature lets players dictate a fighter’s skillset, as every punch thrown, or every takedown executed builds fighters up in that specific discipline. Relationship Building brings the impact of partnerships and rivalries into UFC 4, learning from both friend and foe to gain experience and learn vital skills.”
“Players can pick their path, which allows them to choose the fights, weight class and rivalries they want, ensuring no two careers are alike.”
Missing so far, an Ultimate Team mode and Joe Rogan. Considering he was voice tracked for UFC 3 as opposed to recording new lines for the game, the commentary for the latest iteration will be driven by Jon Anik and Daniel Cormier. What happens when DC is in the cage remains to be seen though I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dominick Cruz or Paul Felder make an appearance.
If you’ve got an EA Access subscription, you can jump on the early trial from 7 August or failing that, you’ll be waiting until 14 August when the game drops worldwide on PS4 and Xbox One. Pre-orders also unlock boxers Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. If you’ve got a copy of UFC 2 or UFC 3 knocking about, you can also save 10% on the online price when you order through one of the games.
The reveal trailer includes nods to Masvidal v Askren, Adesanya v Gastelum, along with the Masvidal and Diaz BMF showdown. Conor McGregor, Valentia Shevchenko, Kamaru Usman, Justin Gaethje, Zhang Weili and more all make appearances.
August is going to be something of a hectic month on the gaming front but when it comes to all things MMA, colour me interested.
