Undisputed is a game that exists because, for far too long a time, there simply wasn't another big boxing game around. Ash Habib, a boxing fan from Sheffield in the UK, found himself wondering why games like the Fight Night series had disappeared (the last was in 2010), with big publishers having seemingly decided there was no future in the genre.
Such thoughts eventually led Habib and his brothers Asif and Asad to found Steel City Interactive in 2020, which has since enjoyed significant venture investment and four years on boasts around 70 employees. Undisputed launched in early access in 2023, and PCG's own slugger Tyler Wilde calls the game "an aggressively complex boxing sim", with a focus on authenticity and a large licensed cast of real world fighters (both contemporary and historical).
Undisputed left early access and launched on Steam October 8. Steel City Interactive has now announced that the game has sold over a million copies. Game Developer reports this was achieved in one week, though I'm curious as to how many of those may be early access purchases: I've asked the studio to clarify, and will update with any response.
- Undisputed has added Jake Paul DLC and given the YouTube grandad-basher a rating equivalent to two-time world champion Ricky Hatton
- Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. isn't just a PC port of a 19-year-old game: it's the reason a diehard fighting game community can 'finally reach out and play with each other across the world'
Nevertheless, a million copies for an indie boxing game is great going and, above all else, shows the interest that remains in the sport.
"We are absolutely blown away by the reception to Undisputed,” said Habib. "Our ambition remains to create the new benchmark for combat sports games. Surpassing this milestone shows us that we are well on the way to achieving that."
But it's not all good news. There's a whole lot of player disquiet about the condition Undisputed has launched in, particularly focused on the online elements, and this has only been exacerbated by the studio announcing an update to address these issues would arrive… in December.
After so long in early access, and considering how key the online experience is to a competitive fighting game, the punters are not impressed. The game's Steam reviews stand at Mixed, and highlight that Undisputed has fallen into some familiar traps.
"People just disconnect intentionally to avoid a loss, and prevent your win," explains Fish. "Seriously, like half the fights. Wait for them to fix that crap before you buy it if you wanna play online."
That does seem like a fundamental problem, and one that should have been predicted and accounted for.
"I've played on and off since early access and can't recommend this to anyone, even the most avid boxing fan," says Mounjaro Merchant. "It plays awfully, punch connection is horrible, almost every match for me has horrible lag despite having excellent internet."
Undisputed has one thing going for it: It remains the only big licensed boxing game out there, unless you want to crack out your old Xbox 360 and Fight Night Champion. I've asked Steel City Interactive about the current dissatisfaction around the issues and its promised fixes, and will update with any response.
