Undisputed: A boxing game That's Getting Knocked Out Before the Main Event!
Undisputed's Day-One DLC: A Costly Mistake That Could Sink the Game
Undisputed, the boxing game developed by Steel City Studios, finally launched on consoles on October 11th, a title that was intended to bring that exciting comeback for those fighting game enthusiasts, however some early reviews were underwhelming, receiving "Mixed" reviews on Steam, coupled with similar reception from consoles. Despite having a famous boxer, Canelo Alvarez, in that marketing and promotion efforts – it wasn't really enough, showing once again the challenges facing those gaming studios which must try to balance multiple expectations while needing to create engaging content for all fans of a particular genre. Even the appearance of this extremely popular boxing champion couldn't elevate this production. And unfortunately; those initial shortcomings are being amplified. This really makes me fear it might collapse completely!
I’ve been playing since the early beta, a true fan who already knew what to expect; yet it committed one terrible, fatal mistake – its $21.99 day-one WBC Pack DLC which creates a series of cascading negatives for the general audience. While that DLC contains cool apparel and features that might increase appreciation from fans who understand those fighters– this aspect fails to overcome those early issues already existing for many other individuals, including many people interested in a serious simulation fighting game, but instead, that same pricing approach that could have resulted in even higher financial returns instead creates a series of controversies which reduces consumer goodwill.
Why Undisputed's DLC is a Major Problem
Adding fighters like Dmitry Bivol, Caleb Plant, and Jaime Munguia as DLC is insane! These are currently relevant fighters who absolutely should've been part of the main game, especially for this 1.0 release! It's already hurting those marketing efforts, especially when considering it only has a smaller than average selection that needs way more to truly be considered a game capable of being sold as "complete", let alone enjoyable. This kind of incomplete feeling could greatly harm this title from generating significant traction among players, and the reviews demonstrate some of those weaknesses present; a key detail and area of improvement needed from those development studios that were mentioned.
The Era Pack adds legacy versions; these are significantly better – like Tyson Fury ’09, Canelo Alvarez ’11, Muhammad Ali ’64 – making it acceptable as paid DLC; and is more of an incentive and additional marketing effort which would attract some segment of the existing population. That same attempt remains an issue and it does continue harming the product’s reputation further and ultimately shows a flawed strategic decision; making this DLC questionable; adding a questionable choice which has failed at capturing increased audience demand.
UFC 5: A Better Way to Handle DLC and Fighter Additions
Here's where UFC 5 does it better. I hated how the deluxe edition gate-kept Fedor Emelianenko (he's an all-time great!), and was not exactly pleased about paying the required sum. It makes sense that other greats are present; but Fedor is one of the very greatest fighters of that time period; deserving greater inclusion than others and easily adding appeal and importance; particularly towards that niche fanbase.
Yet EA crEAted this much better solution; using in-game tokens that provide rewards to users through completion of objectives. That's smarter game design! It kept players engaged, especially those who simply wanted those legendary fighters without needing additional efforts. It is also impressive that there's that ongoing incentive toward newer, more recently discovered athletes in the game; ensuring the entire content remains timely; yet never needing additional financial expenditures and showing great design capabilities that this series clearly took pride in showing to audiences, and why those design approaches must always be appreciated, especially in free-to-play titles that don't have that initial revenue income.
Undisputed Needs a Serious Reality Check (and a Roster Overhaul!)
I really wanted Undisputed to be great! It is exactly that game which attempts to bring back this retro, much-loved game mechanics of boxing; and these particular designs that made it feel innovative when its beta released had far more excitement than the final product and some significant improvements needed across that entire player experience and game physics could resolve various gameplay problems; making it truly satisfying once again. This WBC Pack DLC is just insane, that kind of pricing makes little sense for such unproven characters which also only slightly improve that already underwhelming collection; greatly harming its chance for survival among competing titles; something seriously negative especially considering the lack of additional attempts to use the marketing momentum generated for creating that great game that most really did desire; demonstrating the flawed attempt of producing an amazing, beloved sequel.
That seriously huge funding, £15 million from investors such as Novator Ventures, Egis Klimas, Jose de la Cruz, and London Venture Partners, coupled with its partnership with Riyadh Season suggests Undisputed might last – fans, however may dislike it. If it's truly going to last long however, its strategy surrounding new fighters needs to be totally revised. They need to avoid charging fans constantly– making it sustainable long term.
Conclusion: Undisputed’s Path Forward
Undisputed started so strong! Its beta phase was well-received because of its design; providing many changes for a beloved franchise that needed serious changes and upgrades for maintaining competitiveness within an increasingly expanding market of combat fighting games. However, it messed up; creating poor user reception that will continue harming that fanbase and it really created this enormous controversy surrounding that flawed DLC release which seriously harmed its prospects greatly and the additional lack of any plan to fix these issues and implement some changes that would create improved user satisfaction may potentially destroy what was otherwise an interesting, exciting endeavor which generated huge anticipation. Hopefully; that studio's decisions greatly improve – not just for its own existence and survival, but also for the health of this genre overall!
