Undisputed Excludes Controversial Boxer Before October Launch

Ahead of its much-anticipated launch on October 11, 2024, the boxing game Undisputed, developed by Steel City Interactive and published by Deep Silver, has decided to remove the controversial WBC boxer Ryan Garcia from its roster. The game’s developers have confirmed that while Garcia will be unavailable at launch, players currently engaging with the career mode through Steam's early access will still be able to use him until a new update rolls out in December.

Undisputed first made its debut exclusively on Steam early access in January 2023, and the full release date was announced earlier this year. The game will officially leave early access and become available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on October 11.

In addition to the launch, Steel City Interactive is offering all Steam early access players a special Roy Jones Jr. '93 pre-order bonus, along with the opportunity to experience the 1.0 version of Undisputed starting October 8.

Featuring a star-studded roster that includes boxing legends like Tyson Fury, Canelo Alvarez, and Muhammad Ali, the game will lose one notable boxer with Garcia's removal. The studio shared a message on the official Undisputed Discord channel, explaining that they are following the World Boxing Council's lead, which expelled Garcia from their organization this year due to his use of racial slurs on social media.

Garcia's Removal from Undisputed

According to the announcement, Ryan Garcia will no longer be playable in local, online, or prize fight modes starting October 8. Players will also be unable to create new career mode saves with him as a character. However, those who have existing career mode saves featuring Garcia will have until December 2024 to complete their progress before he is officially removed from the mode in the upcoming update.

The decision to remove Garcia has sparked discontent within the gaming community. The initial announcement was met with numerous thumbs-down reactions and negative comments on Reddit, with some users questioning the influence of the WBC on the game’s roster. One user remarked, “So the WBC now decides who is in the game? Doesn’t make sense.” They argued that Garcia would continue to box and suggested that Steel City should prioritize adding prominent fighters instead of getting entangled in boxing politics.

As EA Sports UFC 4 continues to expand its roster and maintain a dominant presence in the combat sports gaming landscape, Undisputed is set to become the first significant boxing game since 2010's Fight Night Champion. Currently, the game holds a "mostly positive" rating on Steam, with players praising its engaging gameplay and realistic combat mechanics.