After an extensive early access period, boxing simulator Undisputed has made its way into the world. For years, the licensed boxing genre has lied dormant in gaming, which made Undisputed a truly exciting prospect. EA’s Fight Night franchise hasn’t released a game since 2011, so many fans of boxing were excited about potentially getting a fresh franchise focused on the sport.
However, the game’s full launch hasn’t gone smoothly. Much of the reception surrounding Undisputed has made it the receiver of mixed reviews. While the game has been praised for many of its fighting mechanics, much of the criticism surrounds multiplayer and a lackluster career mode story. Now that developer Steel City Interactive has confirmed Undisputed‘s first update won’t arrive until December, the potential franchise may be running the risk of digging itself into an early grave.
Related
Slow Post-Launch Support For Undisputed Doesn’t Bode Well For Its Future
Slow Momentum Could Squash Franchise Potential
Steel City Interactive recently addressed player feedback, especially in regard to online multiplayer, via blog post. In the official statement from the team, it was revealed that the first major update for Undisputed would arrive sometime in the middle of December. Many of these major issues, like Undisputed‘s power punches, have become notorious in the game’s community. For many titles now, it’s common for there to be bugs and problems at launch, but some players have deemed online gameplay as completely broken.
In today’s fast-paced industry, having to wait for two months before getting an official patch for specific issues is a really long time for many players. If these problems persist for long enough, the mixed reviews for Undisputed are likely to take a downturn, which could really hurt its chances at being the next big name in the boxing world. With the sports fighting genre being quickly eclipsed by the UFC and the WWE, many boxing fans have been ready to experience a renaissance of the sport in gaming. Unfortunately, if Undisputed is unable to bring timely updates in the future, the game’s player-base and attention could quickly vanish.
Undisputed
boasts authentic fighting mechanics and a roster that includes a robust list of licensed fighters.
Undisputed Will Hopefully Pick Up the Pace
Planned Updates For the Mid-December Patch
- Fixing stagger hit reactions
- Addressing issues with power punches in online matches
- Making Deontay Wilder less powerful, especially his power hook
- DLC fighters who can’t be used online will be fixed
- Fixing problems with players getting stuck in transition screens after winning with injury TKO
- For some players, the DLC doesn’t appear for secondary Xbox accounts.
Mixed reviews are rocky enough of a start for any release, but not bringing a much-needed patch to a game until two months after its 1.0 launch doesn’t send a positive message to a lot of players. Nailing combos in Undisputed can feel great, and the fighting mechanics as a whole hold a lot of promise. However, if Steel City Interactive isn’t able to bring timely fixes to the game, then Undisputed could lack the traction needed in order to warrant a larger series. The boxing drought in gaming has been an unfortunate turn of events, and Undisputed represented the potential for it to come back swinging.
With so much potential, the game can’t be outright discounted yet, but hopefully, Steel City Interactive is able to bring essential fixes to the game in a much more efficient timeframe than its first update. If Undisputed wants to be the next big name in licensed boxing games, then focusing hard on its post-launch support will likely be key. After a lengthy early access period, these issues have brought even more frustration, but Undisputed may still have a chance to bounce back from its divisive launch.
ReleasedOctober 9, 2024
Developer(s)Steel City Interactive
EngineUnity
ESRBTeen // Blood, Lyrics, Violence
How Long To Beat11 hours
Steam Deck CompatibilityUnsupported
OpenCritic RatingFair
