EA Sports UFC 4 "Exploring Opportunities" for Next-Gen, But No Plans For the Moment

EA Sports UFC 4 has been confirmed as the game returning to Electronic Arts's sports lineup this year, reviving the mixed martial arts competition in just a handful of weeks. But while it's confirmed for current-gen systems, next-gen plans don't seem to be in the picture right now.

Speaking in a Q&A during a preview event earlier this week, UFC 4 Producer Nate McDonald said that the team is excited about the future of next-gen technology. The team's goal at the moment, however, is to provide the "best fighting game experience" it can on current-gen systems at launch.

"We are exploring opportunities on Gen 5, but nothing to share right now," said McDonald.

In a follow-up from Electronic Arts, UFC 4 Creative Director Brian Hayes expanded on the subject. While there wasn't any confirmation of a next-gen version, similar to other EA Sports titles like FIFA and Madden, Hayes did pose the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X's potential for backward compatibility as way for players to, "presumably," play UFC 4 on those systems.

"We haven't yet had an opportunity to test this out and determine whether any additional development work is required to leverage Backward Compatibility, but we hope to see UFC 4 playable on Gen 5 hardware using that feature," Hayes says.

It's strange, considering box art sent out early for Xbox notes Xbox Series X and Smart Delivery. EA Sports UFC 4 will look to pick the series back up off the mat following a shaky third entry on August 14, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. If not through a next-gen upgrade, then hopefully backward compatibility can keep the submissions rolling into the new year and next generation.