A letter to Steel City Interactive( Undisputed)

 

Dear Steel City Interactive and Ash Habib,

I am writing this letter as a frustrated and deeply disappointed boxing fan and gamer who once held high hopes for your game, Undisputed. Like many others, I initially believed in your vision of creating a groundbreaking, realistic boxing video game—a dream project that would finally do justice to the sport we love. However, your repeated missteps, evasive actions, and lack of sincerity toward both the game and its audience have forced me to speak out.

Fix Your Game

Let’s start with the glaring issues that make your game a source of frustration rather than enjoyment. Core gameplay mechanics are still riddled with problems. The punch animations are limited and repetitive, failing to capture the fluidity and variety of real-life boxing. Defensive mechanics are half-baked and fail to reflect the strategies that define the sweet science. The lack of nuance in footwork and positioning—a fundamental aspect of boxing—is unacceptable for a game marketed as a realistic boxing simulator. And don’t even get me started on the clinching system, or rather, the lack of one.

Your game is plagued by bugs and balance issues, and instead of addressing them promptly, you hide behind vague promises of updates and fixes. The lack of transparency and urgency in tackling these issues suggests a troubling indifference to the concerns of your paying customers. We deserve better.

Hire Experienced, Passionate People

It’s painfully obvious that your development team lacks the experience and passion needed to create a truly authentic boxing game. Boxing isn’t just a sport; it’s an art form, a chess match, and a test of wills. To capture its essence, you need people who understand it intimately—not just from a technical standpoint but as fans who respect its history and nuances. Stop cutting corners and start investing in talent that can bring your vision to life.

Why are you not consulting seasoned professionals, analysts, and trainers who live and breathe boxing? Why are you not working directly with boxers to ensure their styles and tendencies are accurately represented? Other sports games have done this successfully. Your reluctance to engage with experts is holding your game back.

Stop Deceiving Your Audience

We are adults. Many of us are lifelong boxing fans who can see right through the marketing fluff and empty promises. Stop trying to deceive us with flashy trailers, buzzwords like “realism,” and token gestures that barely scratch the surface of what we want. Your attempts to rebrand mediocrity as “realism” are insulting to our intelligence and our passion for the sport.

Realism isn’t about buzzwords or superficial graphics. It’s about depth, authenticity, and respect for the sport and its fans. Yet, you continuously nerf realistic elements like height, reach, and body type to appeal to some ill-conceived notion of “balance.” You water down gameplay to the point where it barely resembles boxing, then expect us to applaud you for it. Enough is enough.

Respect Your Community

The boxing and gaming communities have been incredibly patient and supportive, even as you’ve stumbled time and time again. But that patience is wearing thin. Stop treating us as if we’re an afterthought. Listen to our feedback, not just through the lens of what’s easiest or cheapest for you to implement, but with the intention of genuinely improving the game. Engage with us honestly and transparently. Admit your mistakes and show us that you’re committed to fixing them.

A Call to Action

You have an opportunity to turn things around, but it requires a radical shift in your approach. Here’s what I’m asking for—and what the community deserves:

1. Prioritize Gameplay Fixes: Address the core issues with punch animations, defense, footwork, and AI. These are non-negotiable for a boxing simulator.

2. Bring in the Right People: Hire boxing experts, trainers, and passionate developers who understand the sport and can translate its complexity into compelling gameplay.

3. Be Transparent: Stop hiding behind vague promises. Give us clear timelines for updates and an honest assessment of what’s being worked on.

4. Commit to Realism: Stop watering down the game. Give us the option to customize realism settings if you’re worried about accessibility.

5. Engage with the Community: Involve us in the development process. Show us that our voices matter and that you’re listening.

Steel City Interactive, you have the foundation of something great, but you’re squandering its potential through poor decisions, lack of passion, and a dismissive attitude toward your audience. It’s time to wake up and realize that we, the fans, are your greatest asset. We want to support you, but only if you show us that you’re willing to meet us halfway.

The ball is in your court. Fix your game. Respect the sport. Respect us.

Sincerely,

Poe