UFC 5 developers explain decision to omit crossplay & last-gen editions

The UFC 5 development team spoke with Dexerto regarding their decision to not release a version of the title for last-gen consoles, and defer on crossplay.

The new UFC 5 game is set to be released in late October 2023, in what will be the first title released in the franchise in over three years.

The last time an official EA Sports UFC game was released, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were the current-gen consoles. Now, the franchise will get its first run on the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

However, those that were hoping for crossplay or a last-gen console will be disappointed.

Electronic Arts

UFC 5 will not be on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One

EA Sports confirmed that UFC 5, the first to launch on current-gen consoles, will not be available on last-gen consoles.

This means that those who only have either a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One won’t be able to access a version of the title.

Nate McDonald of the UFC 5 team told Dexerto that this decision was made in order to put the focus on delivering the best possible experience to fighting fans.

“The biggest reason is the team really wanted to focus in very specifically on curating the UFC 5 experience into the best possible experience it could be on the current generation consoles, so that players are able to experience the really hyper-realistic character likenesses, the facial motions of their favorite fighters and the next level environment fidelity. And the highest resolution possible.”

Electronic Arts

McDonald added, “We just wanted to make sure [that] holistically, the team was fully focused on where we think the future of the UFC product and the console generation is going.”

Another interesting note is that UFC, unlike its fellow EA Sports sister franchises Madden, NHL, and EA Sports FC, will not have crossplay.

When asked about whether UFC 5 will have crossplay, McDonald told us that the focus in the game’s development was on the “true to life gameplay and incorporating the visuals that Frostbites unlocked for UFC 5,” and the technological leap from console generation to generation.