The basketball community has NBA 2K26, football has EA FC 26, and the racing fans feed on Forza Motorsport, NASCAR 25, and much more. Almost every sport comes with a unique video game franchise tied to it, something players can look forward to from time to time.
However, boxing enthusiasts are yet to have this treatment. It’s not like this fan base never had a worthy title, but the modern video game industry remains silent on this front. Fight Night Champion, UFC 3, and Knockout Kings have all been exceptional in their respective eras.
Fast forward to today’s date, and all we are left with is Undisputed. The game promised a lot and fueled hopes in the whole boxing scene. It had a controversial launch, but Update 2.0 was supposed to regain fans’ attention. However, that didn’t go as planned.
The Player Numbers Hit Rock Bottom
Boxing is one of the most-watched sports on the planet. It brings loads of engagement, that’s why we see thousands of audience and notable sponsors around the ring. But with just over 300 active players on Steam, things are not looking promising for Undisputed.
Back in the game’s early access period, the active players topped at a whopping 7,500, which, in comparison to the current numbers, is a significant difference. For a complete idea, here’s a full 2.8-year breakdown of the game’s Steam chart:
- January 2023: 7,433 ( the highest ever)
- February 2023: 6,506 (third highest)
- March 2023: 2,061
- April 2023: 1,641
- May 2023: 1,447
- June 2023: 1,050
- July 2023: 1,170
- August 2023: 946
- September 2023: 849
- October 2023: 857
- November 2023: 722
- December 2023: 998
- January 2024: 797
- February 2024: 6,878 (second highest)
- March 2024: 1,912
- April 2024: 1,136
- May 2024: 2,076
- June 2024: 1,474
- July 2024: 907
- August 2024: 816
- September 2024: 836
- October 2024: 3,897
- November 2024: 1,961
- December 2024: 1,882
- January 2025: 1,597
- February 2025: 979
- March 2025: 932
- April 2025: 937
- May 2025: 1,048
- June 2025: 1,015
- July 2025: 1,066
- August 2025: 1,071
- September 2025: 1,200
- October 2025: 999 (Update 2.0 dropped)
- November 2025: 1,077
- Last 30 days: 905
Judging by the chart, only February 2023 and 2024 have managed to gather enough players a day to compete with the all-time high of 7,433. Apart from these months, we have seen significant fluctuation in the period where the game was transitioning from early access to full release.
Undisputed was released on 8th October 2024, and since then, the 3,897 player count has dropped to lower or mid-thousand. For those wondering whether Update 2.0 saved the game or not. Well, it only managed to gather a handful of players, who also left after a couple of days.
Why Did Update 2.0 Fail To Regain Hype?
By doing the math, subtracting the October 2025 players from the November 2025 players leaves us about an additional 78 people interested in this big update. This was supposed to be a comeback from Steel City, a tactic to win back the interest of at least the existing players who had bought the game on launch.
Though all we saw was a limited crowd that walked away within a short time. But why? Was the stuff in the update really that unworthy? Let’s recall the major highlights it added:
- Crossplay: It’s now possible to fight across different platforms.
- Character Creator Online: Taking your custom character to the rings online is now a thing.
- Free Content Fighters: Skye Nicholson, Jake LaMotta, Lupe Fiasco, and Bugzy Malone.
- Fighting Venues: Madison Square Garden and DAZN Stadium.
Plus, a lot of general gameplay, fighter balancing updates, and bug fixes that the community has been requesting since launch.
So, why the decline? While all of the goodies that the game added for free were indeed interesting, I think the timing is to blame. Excluding free content fighters and venues, features such as crossplay and the ability to take your character online must’ve been part of Undisputed since day one. Whether to play with friends or compete alone online with their custom character, players could have a reason to dive into the game frequently.
To add further, I think it’s too late to rely on updates for fixing the game’s image. The hype Undisputed had in its early stages can no longer be matched until another installment arrives. The updates can only alter the existing game, but for a complete overhaul, dropping Undisputed 2 is the most ideal comeback for Steel City.
Published: Dec 8, 2025 05:15 pm