Stop Asking Indie Boxing Game Developers for Free Boxers: Understand the Real Costs
Introduction
As boxing video games regain momentum, especially with indie developers like Steel City Interactive (SCI) at the forefront, fans are rightfully excited. But with that excitement comes an often overlooked and unfair expectation: the demand for free licensed boxers. It's time for fans to understand a fundamental truth — boxers sign on to be in a game for money. Licensing isn't free, and expecting it to be is not only unrealistic, it actively hurts development.
1. Licensing Costs Are Real and Necessary
When a boxer is included in a video game, they are being paid. Whether it's a lump sum, royalties, or another form of compensation, that inclusion comes at a price — and rightfully so. Fighters train their entire lives to build their brand, their image, and their legacy. Using that brand in a game means they deserve to be compensated.
Even lower-profile fighters or legends from decades past often come with a price tag due to management teams, estates, or legal rights. This isn't about ego; it's about business.
2. Indie Developers Don’t Have AAA Budgets
SCI, the team behind Undisputed, is not a billion-dollar publisher. They’re a small, passionate group building a realistic boxing experience from the ground up. That means every dollar matters. Staff, animators, physics engineers, AI developers, presentation teams, QA testers, and more — these people need to be paid to keep development moving forward.
When fans push for free boxers, they're essentially asking SCI to either:
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Divert budget away from game development, or
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Stretch their already limited resources even thinner.
This can lead to compromises in crucial areas such as gameplay mechanics, realism tuning, career mode depth, or even bug fixing.
3. "Free" Boxers Aren’t Free
Even if a boxer volunteers to be in the game for free (a rare but appreciated gesture), there are still costs involved:
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Scanning and modeling their likeness.
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Creating accurate stats and tendencies.
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Voicework, entrances, gear assets, and animation tuning.
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Legal and paperwork processing.
Time, labor, and resources are still spent, and that investment has to come from somewhere — usually from time and manpower that could’ve gone into developing features, refining AI, or expanding the Creation Suite.
4. Development vs. Fan Pressure: A Dangerous Trade-Off
Every time SCI says "yes" to a free boxer, it potentially means saying "no" to something else. Maybe it delays work on improving punch impact physics. Maybe it slows down implementing women’s divisions. Maybe it pushes back improvements to online play or AI behavior.
Adding boxers before the game engine and systems are mature could also create long-term issues. It’s the classic dilemma of short-term satisfaction vs. long-term quality. A couple of popular names might give a short-term buzz, but a polished, in-depth simulation is what ensures a game’s success and legacy.
5. What Fans Should Ask For Instead
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Deep Creation Tools: Support tools that let the community build and share high-quality created fighters.
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Post-Launch Support: Allow the studio to finish the game engine first before bloating the roster.
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Transparency and Patience: Respect the studio’s journey. Understand that they’re navigating a niche market with limited funds.
Most importantly, fans should support realistic business models. If a developer includes licensed boxers, expect them to either be in the base game (factored into price) or part of paid content. That’s fair, sustainable, and supports ongoing development.
Conclusion
Boxers don’t sign into video games for fun — they do it for compensation, branding, and legacy. Indie studios like SCI can’t and shouldn’t be expected to throw in boxers for free just to please the masses. Fans who want a deep, realistic boxing game need to shift their expectations. The focus should be on supporting a sustainable, high-quality simulation — not draining a developer’s resources for instant gratification.
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