EA Sports UFC 4 is real and it’s releasing in just a few weeks: 14th August. The sequel was revealed as part of UFC’s big bout on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi this weekend, and includes Jorge Masvidal and Israel Adesanya on the cover. As rumoured, anyone who pre-orders will unlock access to boxers Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, which is a little bit odd, but in the absence of Fight Night we’ll allow it.

The title’s currently only scheduled for release on the PlayStation 4, and there are no plans for a PlayStation 5 version just yet. However, PS5 backwards compatibility means you’ll almost certainly be able to play it on Sony’s next-gen system, so no harm done. As for the gameplay itself, expect a more accessible incarnation than its predecessor, which was notoriously challenging to get to grips with.

Unusually for EA Sports, it’s the single player career mode that the publisher’s invested the most effort in, as it found that fans spent the most time playing solo in EA Sports UFC 3. Training has been given an overhaul, while character customisation is bigger and better than ever. There will be microtransactions attached to the cosmetics, but everything can be earned in-game apparently.

And the Ultimate Team mode, which was clunkily implemented into the previous game, has been scrapped. The approach here is to make a more accessible UFC title without losing any of the depth. We’re looking forward to entering the octagon next month, because this sounds like a strong improvement to an already entertaining game.

[source youtube.com]