SCI’s Deception: “A Boxing Game by Boxing Fans for Boxing Fans” – What Happened?
Introduction:
When Steel City Interactive (SCI) first unveiled eSports Boxing Club (later renamed Undisputed), fans of the sweet science were electrified. The game promised to be made by boxing fans, for boxing fans—a love letter to the sport with simulation-heavy gameplay, authentic boxer representation, and AI that behaved like real-life champions. But years later, many fans feel betrayed. The final product feels far removed from the vision originally pitched.
I. The Promise: A Love Letter to the Sport
From its earliest trailers and interviews, SCI made bold claims:
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“We are creating the most authentic boxing video game experience ever.”
— SCI Developer Commentary, YouTube, 2020 -
“This is not an arcade game. This is boxing. This is strategy, stamina, footwork, timing.”
— Alpha Gameplay Reveal, July 2021 -
“A boxing game by boxing fans for boxing fans.”
— SCI Official Discord, 2021
(widely cited in screenshots and developer replies)
They compared Undisputed to NBA 2K in terms of depth and authenticity, even referencing Fight Night Champion as a game they intended to surpass in realism.
II. The Deception: A Shift in Vision
As development progressed, the community noticed red flags:
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Key simulation features were missing: Referees, realistic clinch mechanics, broken get-up systems, no ring physics, and underwhelming AI.
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Online-first decisions: The focus heavily shifted to online matchmaking, esports, and cosmetics, marginalizing offline sim players.
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Tone-deaf updates: Developers repeatedly downplayed realism. In interviews and Discord Q&As, phrases like “realism isn’t fun” or “we have to balance sim and arcade” were used to justify simplification.
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Contradictory patches: Patches introduced unnatural movement speeds, punch spamming tolerance, and arcade-like interactions that contradicted earlier dev statements.
III. The Influence Behind the Curtain
Much of the shift has been attributed to the hiring of developers with backgrounds in arcade-style games and titles like Fortnite. One particular developer—who previously worked at EA and Epic—was described by some insiders as steering the vision away from realism, influencing SCI’s founder, who lacked prior game development experience.
“We had a vision for realism, but some of that had to change for accessibility and gameplay fun.”
— Unnamed SCI Developer in Reddit AMA, 2023
This language echoed industry speak from companies known for diluting their games to hit broader markets, alienating the very core fanbase that supported them early.
IV. The Fallout: Community Betrayal and Mixed Reviews
Fans who supported SCI from the start began calling out the broken promises:
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“This is not what you advertised. This isn’t by boxing fans anymore.”
— Top Reddit post, r/UndisputedBoxing, 2024 -
“You can’t say you’re sim and then remove the get-up mechanic, ignore fatigue, and make punch spamming meta.”
— Boxing Game Youtuber ‘Boxing Fanatic’, March 2025 Review -
Multiple high-profile boxers who once supported the game (e.g., Johnny Nelson, Caleb Plant) stopped promoting it as updates turned it into an unbalanced mess.
Even SCI’s Steam reviews show the tension:
“Great concept. Poor execution. Broken promises.”
— Steam User Review, March 2025
V. The Verdict: Was It Ever For Boxing Fans?
Many now believe that SCI used boxing fans’ hunger for realism to gain attention, only to pivot toward a more commercial, arcade-oriented model when the pressure of live service development and esports potential set in.
They marketed realism, but delivered accessibility. They promised a deep career mode, but provided cosmetics. They promised sim boxing AI, but released bots that swarm, swing, and chase—far from Ali, Mayweather, or Joe Frazier.
Citations:
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SCI Official YouTube Channel
Alpha Gameplay Reveal | July 2021 -
Reddit AMA Archive – r/UndisputedBoxing
SCI Developer AMA, 2023 -
Steam Reviews – Undisputed
Steam Store Reviews Snapshot -
Discord Leaks and Community Screenshots
– Screenshots archived and reposted by content creators and former mod team members on Discord, YouTube, and Reddit -
BoxingFanatic YouTube Channel
Undisputed is NOT a Simulation Anymore | March 2025
Conclusion:
What began as a revolutionary promise to boxing fans devolved into another cautionary tale in modern game development. Steel City Interactive may still claim it’s “by fans, for fans,” but those who truly respect the sweet science know: the jab missed, the footwork stumbled, and the heart just isn’t in it anymore.
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