A resurgence in the popularity of real-life boxing and the excitement around the release of Steel City Interactive’s Undisputed has seemingly rekindled EA’s desire to bring back its beloved boxing series, Fight Night.
Recently, a report from Mike Straw of Inside Gaming claimed EA UFC 6 is in development for 2025, which I know to be accurate, and that the return of Fight Night is scheduled for 2026.
That sounds great for combat sports video game fans. However, there are a few issues EA will have to get past if they plan on bringing Fight Night back.
Steel City Interactive already has a roster of 81 unique fighters at launch, and even more have signed up to be a part of the game. I’ve spoken to many people with inside knowledge of the agreements SCI has secured with some of the fighters, and some are exclusive.
Some of the fighters–top-level guys and girls–have signed long-term deals and would not be eligible to be a part of another boxing game’s roster. If someone like Canelo Alvarez, Tyson Fury, and other big stars have exclusive deals with Undisputed, EA would have to deliver Fight Night without them.
There are famous fighters from the past and present who aren’t signed to Undisputed, like Gervonta Davis, Manny Pacquiao, Devin Haney, Errol Spence, Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad, Bernard Hopkins, Marvin Hagley, and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Securing the rights to half of those guys would make a massive impression, as would adding rights to use UFC fighters like Conor McGregor, Jose Aldo, Max Holloway, Holly Holm, and Ilia Topuria.
Still, fans would have to deal with split star pools due to affiliations, which are on brand with boxing.
The second potential hurdle is also related to Undisputed. While SCI’s long-awaited boxing title launched in a state with obvious room for improvement, a pretty significant update is coming in December.
That update figures to include gameplay improvements and potentially new fighters added to the roster. If Fight Night isn’t back until 2026, Undisputed will have an even bigger head start on the classic series, as the latter will likely have seen multiple updates by the time the former is officially announced.
Unlike some titles that are so far gone, they’re unsalvageable; Undisputed is not a lost cause. The game has mounds of potential, but it must fix some key gameplay issues to completely scratch the itch that boxing video game fans have had for over a decade.
There is one approach EA could take to bringing Fight Night back, and it could be the most practical of all possible methods.
UFC President Dana White recently announced he was all in on boxing. He said he would not be a promoter, but he and his brand would function more like “HBO” in boxing.
If White’s inclusion in the boxing space and the UFC’s current deal with EA can be melded together, would it be crazy to see Fight Night included as a boxing expansion to EA UFC 6?
Fight Night could use the same engine as EA UFC, only with boxing rules, a ring, and other presentation elements. If EA takes that approach, it wouldn’t have to invest the resources required to relaunch a complete game, and it would likely strengthen the relationship with the UFC.
Count that as nothing more than logical speculation, but it’s worth considering if EA wants to cautiously claim a piece of a market it once owned without rival.
