A new investigation into Ultra Pro Wrestling has raised further questions about how the crowdfunded wrestling game has been developed and how money and development time have been used. Insider Gaming says its follow-up report is based on tens of thousands of internal messages spanning roughly three and a half years, budget documents, executed contracts and federal trademark records. Hyperfocus Games founder Sam Vallely has disputed parts of the outlet’s earlier reporting and maintains that Ultra Pro Wrestling remains in active development.
The investigation follows a lengthy response Vallely gave to a YouTube channel after Insider Gaming published its first report on September 2. According to the outlet, some parts of Vallely’s account were supported by the records it reviewed, while other claims were contradicted by internal messages. Insider Gaming also says it sent Vallely additional questions and requests for supporting material but had not received a response before publication of the follow-up.
One area examined is the project’s use of generative AI. Insider Gaming reports that internal records show AI tools being used during development despite Vallely publicly distancing the project from AI-generated game content. The outlet says it reviewed messages referencing Anthropic’s Claude and other AI tools, as well as invoices showing nearly $400 spent on Claude over a 13-day period. The report distinguishes that use from whether final artwork or other generated assets will ship in the finished game, which remains unclear.
The investigation also details spending on a model for professional wrestler Rob Van Dam despite the wrestler not being signed to Ultra Pro Wrestling. Insider Gaming says a third-party studio was paid to create models and designs, while internal messages show Vallely discussing the possibility that seeing himself represented in the game could encourage Van Dam to sign. As of July 2026, according to the report, no agreement had been completed.
That spending is particularly relevant because Ultra Pro Wrestling has operated with comparatively limited funding. The project’s 2023 Kickstarter raised £61,801 from 1,094 backers against a £17,000 goal, while Hyperfocus Games has also received ongoing Patreon support. Insider Gaming reports that some contributors worked unpaid for years and that Vallely has said he paid himself £420 per month while the project’s art director received £1,000 per month.
The follow-up also examines time spent preparing pitches for outside companies. Internal records reviewed by Insider Gaming reportedly show work being redirected toward a pitch connected with Netflix in late 2024, followed by a separate effort in 2026 involving a potential AEW Fight Forever successor. The outlet reports that work was done to adapt Ultra Pro Wrestling’s technology for those presentations, even though neither opportunity ultimately produced a development deal.
Insider Gaming says sources at AEW disputed the idea that Hyperfocus Games had a realistic opportunity to develop Fight Forever 2. According to the investigation, the AEW-related work was paused in June after the executive overseeing video game development left the wrestling company. The report says Ultra Pro Wrestling’s paying supporters were not informed about the extent to which these external pitches were occupying development resources at the time.
Questions also remain around physical Kickstarter rewards. Roughly 50 full-size championship belts were promised to high-tier backers during the crowdfunding campaign, but Insider Gaming says those belts have still not been delivered and have received no substantive public update in approximately three years. The outlet’s earlier reporting estimated that fulfilling the rewards could have cost tens of thousands of dollars depending on the quality selected.
Ultra Pro Wrestling was originally promoted as a modern successor to the Nintendo 64-era wrestling games associated with AKI Corporation. Hyperfocus Games’ own website says full development began after the successful 2023 Kickstarter and describes the project as an independently developed wrestling game focused on recreating that style. Steam currently lists Ultra Pro Wrestling with a release date of “to be announced.”
Vallely has said new gameplay footage is planned before the end of September, while Insider Gaming reports that early access is now being targeted before February. That would represent the latest in a series of projected playable dates for the project. Until a public build is released, the new investigation leaves Ultra Pro Wrestling facing continued scrutiny over how its crowdfunding, development priorities and promised features have been managed.
