Here’s a detailed, structured list of many of the excuses, misleading claims, and contradictions made by Steel City Interactive (SCI) throughout the development and Early Access release of Undisputed. These are drawn from interviews, Discord messages, YouTube videos, and community observations, and grouped by theme for clarity:
🎭 Marketing and Vision Contradictions
| Statement | Reality / Contradiction |
|---|---|
| “Undisputed will be the most authentic boxing game ever made.” | Replaced simulation mechanics with arcade elements; realism regressed post-beta. |
| “This is chess, not checkers.” | Current gameplay favors pressure spamming and unrealistic movement over strategic boxing. |
| “We’re building the foundation of boxing.” | The game lacks core boxing fundamentals: realistic clinching, proper footwork, inside fighting, stamina management, and ring generalship. |
| “We’re making a game for boxing fans.” | Decisions appear to cater more to arcade fighting game fans; many real boxing fans feel alienated. |
| “This is not Fight Night.” | Yet many systems imitate or fall short of Fight Night mechanics, and "legacy" Fight Night devs were brought in. |
🛠️ Development Excuses
| Excuse | Community Response |
|---|---|
| “We’re just an indie team.” | After 5+ years in development and with a publisher (PLAION), the indie excuse loses weight. |
| “We didn’t anticipate this many players or expectations.” | SCI generated massive hype with early trailers and high-profile signings (Ali, Tyson), so high expectations were natural. |
| “Features like career mode will come later.” | Core features like offline progression and creation suite are still absent or vague, 1.5 years into Early Access. |
| “This was always meant to be an arcade-sim hybrid.” | Early trailers, interviews, and dev diaries pushed realism and simulation — not hybrid gameplay. |
| “Animations are hard to implement due to tech constraints.” | Other studios with fewer resources (e.g., Thud Games) achieved smoother results for boxing animations. |
🎮 Gameplay & Balance Excuses
| Excuse | Reality / Community Reaction |
|---|---|
| “We’re still balancing stamina and damage.” | Unrealistic output remains: users throw 100+ punches a round with no consequence. |
| “Footwork is a work in progress.” | Foot skating, pivots on rails, and lack of true ring cutting persist. Regressed from earlier builds. |
| “Clinch mechanics are hard to implement.” | Clinching was teased as a major feature early on, yet remains absent. Basic grab/interact logic exists in other games. |
| “Body shots are underutilized because players don’t use them.” | Body shots are ineffective due to tuning, and the lack of realistic fatigue or reaction systems discourages usage. |
| “Fighting on the inside is hard to implement.” | But the entire sport requires it — ducking, inside hooks, arm positioning, leaning, and pressure defense are absent. |
🧠 AI & Tendency Excuses
| Excuse | Reality |
|---|---|
| “AI is placeholder; it will improve.” | AI remains robotic, lacks true tendencies, doesn’t adapt, and shows no ring IQ. Promised boxer-specific behavior is not present. |
| “Boxer styles are coming later.” | Many boxers play identically, despite drastically different real-life fighting styles. Styles are cosmetic, not mechanical. |
🎨 Creation & Customization Excuses
| Excuse | Community Complaint |
|---|---|
| “Creation suite is on the way.” | Over a year into EA, still no full create-a-boxer system, no offline roster management, and limited customization. |
| “Offline features are coming post-launch.” | No timeline provided, unclear scope. Core simulation players prefer offline longevity, not online spam. |
📢 Community Engagement & Misleading Messaging
| Tactic | Result |
|---|---|
| Promised transparency, yet repeated silence on delays and features. | Dev updates are vague, defensive, or avoidant when pressed on core complaints. |
| Moderators ban and mute users for criticizing game direction. | Community morale has dropped, especially among realism-focused fans. |
| Over-marketed "alpha footage" in 2021–2022 as near-final gameplay. | Misleading footage created inflated expectations. |
🧾 Feature Promises Later Walked Back
| Promised | Reality |
|---|---|
| Realistic stamina | Now arcade-like recovery. You can sprint and throw hundreds of punches. |
| Fighter-specific behavior | Most boxers fight identically or share movesets. |
| Clinching, inside fighting, ref interaction | Still not implemented; excuses given include complexity. |
| Deep offline mode | Career mode still unreleased. No gym management, rankings, or corner control. |
| Full control over sliders and tendencies | Absent; no user-defined AI behavior. |
| Slipping, ducking, and lean mechanics | Extremely limited or misrepresented. Hard to execute under pressure. |
🧪 Systemic Issues Glossed Over
| Claimed Solution | Actual Outcome |
|---|---|
| Input lag fixes and control tuning patches | Control response still clunky; movement lacks fluidity. |
| Improved punch tracking and hit reaction | Still floaty or delayed; unrealistic physics and reactions persist. |
| Power punches toned down | Still see instant flash KDs from jabs or weird counter triggers. |
| Balance changes to prevent spamming | Spam still dominates in most online matches. |
🧨 Community View: Key Quotes Summarizing the Sentiment
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“SCI sold a sim to boxing fans, then switched to arcade after cashing in.”
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“They’re trying to convince hardcore fans that realism isn’t fun.”
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“We waited years for a game that disrespects the very sport it was built on.”
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“Undisputed is Fight Night 2.5 with even less boxing knowledge.”
🧾 Summary
SCI has:
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Overpromised and underdelivered
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Contradicted their own vision
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Avoided core mechanics of boxing
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Prioritized short-term mass appeal over authentic simulation
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Used “indie” status as a shield while making deceptive marketing moves
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