Summary
Undisputed, the highly-anticipated boxing game developed by Steel City Interactive, is receiving mixed reviews from Steam players after leaving early access on October 8. While the full release ofUndisputedisn’t arriving until October 11, players who purchase the Deluxe WBC Edition have been able to jump into the ring three days early.
It’s been thirteen years since the release of the last major boxing game, butUndisputedis now aiming to fill the gap in the market with what Steel City calls “the most authentic boxing game to date.” After launching in early access via Steam in January 2023, Steel City and publisher Deep Silver finally confirmed the fullrelease date forUndisputedearlier this year. While Steam users have been able to play for almost two years now, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S users will finally be able to get in on the action from either October 8 or 11, depending on which edition they’ve pre-ordered.
Undisputedhas big shoes to fill after themassive success ofFight Night Championback in 2011, but it looks like the initial reception to the game’s full release isn’t great, as recent Steam reviews have left the title with a ‘mixed’ score on the platform. AlthoughUndisputedstill has a ‘mostly positive’ overall score, reviews have begun trickling in following the full release on October 8, with only 58% of its 339 reviews being positive. While the reasoning for each negative review varies, many are stating thatUndisputedactually felt better to play while it was in early access.
Undisputed Receives Mixed Reviews on Steam
On October 8, the first day ofUndisputed’s official release, the boxing game received a total of 42 negative reviews. While that might not seem like a huge amount, it’s a sharp rise from the days prior when it only received between 4 and 7 negative reviews per day. While October 8 did also bring in 49 positive reviews, it’s clear that the game is drawing a mixed reception fromnewUndisputedplayers.
Steam userBustersays thatUndisputedis still missing plenty of features that were once promised by Steel City, such as a referee being visible in the ring, improved camera angle, and more. They also said that the game’s career mode “feels so bare-bones.” Others state that the game makes little to no improvements from its early access period. Steam userMudbuttsays “Nothing feels different,” whileKiller Crocsbelieves the game has “taken a serious dive in quality.”
Unfortunately for Steel City Interactive,Undisputed’s mixed reviews will likely be the least of the studio’s concerns as it received plenty of backlash just a few days before launch after announcing that it would beremoving controversial boxer Ryan Garcia fromUndisputed’s fighter roster. Steel City said it was following the lead of the World Boxing Council after the organization expelled the fighter following controversial comments made on the boxer’s social media. While some believed this was the right decision, a large portion of the community stated that Garcia should have remained in the game.
