Some of this information is reinforced by veteran game developers I have been conversing with.
Podcast Script – “The State of SCI: Deception, Downplaying, and the Death of a Vision”
Opening Segment – Setting the Tone
“Welcome back to the show. Today, we’re cutting through the smoke and mirrors surrounding Steel City Interactive and the Undisputed boxing game.
We’re talking inexperienced hires, deceptive messaging, questionable bans, ignored fan feedback — and why SCI is treating passionate, knowledgeable boxing fans like we’re clueless.”
Segment 1 – Raczilla’s Return & Deceptive Framing
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Will “Raczilla” Kinsler reappears on Discord, but instead of transparency, he reframes past events.
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Calls playable ESBC builds “videos” to downplay that they were functional representations of Ash Habib’s original vision.
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Uses “It was before my time” as a distancing tactic to avoid accountability for the game’s drastic pivot.
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Worse — he appears to have sidelined Ash’s vision and restarted with his own direction: a hybrid, arcadey boxing game that no core fan asked for.
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The sim foundation Ash was building toward? Gone. What we have now feels closer to EA Fight Night than the “NBA 2K of boxing” that was promised.
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Talking prompts:
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Why call a playable build a “video” unless you’re trying to erase the context?
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Was the restart designed to push out sim mechanics in favor of arcade gameplay?
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How much of the current product is Raczilla’s vision, not Ash’s?
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Why did communication shift from hype to corporate spin?
Segment 2 – Downplaying Boxing Credentials
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Moderators and community managers downplay or dismiss my boxing background and accolades.
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“We have boxing fans on the team” gets used as PR cover — but having “fans” isn’t the same as having seasoned boxers influencing gameplay.
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I’ve had decades of involvement, fought amateur and pro, and spoken with countless developers.
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This isn’t ego — it’s about removing qualified voices from the room.
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Talking prompts:
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Why dismiss actual boxing expertise while elevating those with little to no combat sports dev background?
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When did real boxing credentials stop mattering for a boxing game?
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Is SCI intentionally avoiding voices that might challenge their direction?
Segment 3 – Inexperienced Hires
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SCI is stacking the team with inexperienced developers over proven talent.
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Is this to save money or to avoid pushback on design choices?
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The result is inconsistent systems, half-finished mechanics, and questionable decisions.
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Talking prompts:
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Who’s doing the hiring, and why prioritize inexperience?
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How many on the team have zero boxing or sports sim history?
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Is this about control rather than quality?
Segment 4 – The Head of Design/Game Director Problem
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The Head of Design/Game Director has no sports or combat gaming history.
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His track record is in writing books — but book writing doesn’t deliver the realism boxing fans want.
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Leadership without domain expertise risks design decisions disconnected from the sport.
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Talking prompts:
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Why is the top creative role filled by someone without the relevant background?
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Does book-writing experience translate into boxing sim design?
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How can fans trust the vision without proven combat sports game leadership?
Segment 5 – Why Didn’t SCI Hire Poe?
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SCI claimed they weren’t hiring outside the UK — then brought in Todd Grisham, Boxing Fanatico, Will Kinsler, JxShepp, and more from the U.S.
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Meanwhile, I was passed over despite decades of experience and advocacy for realistic boxing games.
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Some hires had no dev background — just casual boxing fandom.
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Talking prompts:
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Why the “UK-only” claim if multiple U.S. hires were made?
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Were they avoiding someone who knows the sport too well?
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Why choose unqualified casuals over boxing/game experts?
Segment 6 – Ash Habib’s Decisions
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If investors and publishers were the bottleneck, why didn’t Ash buy them out or renegotiate?
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He had community trust, momentum, and a unique product.
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The pivot to an EA-style hybrid was not what the original backers supported.
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Was Ash sidelined from his own project?
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Talking prompts:
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Was the “NBA 2K of boxing” line just marketing?
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Why not protect the original vision at all costs?
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Could early sales success have been used to regain control?
Segment 7 – The “Lost” Source Code & WIP Myth
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SCI acts like old builds, WIP code, and assets are gone.
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Reality: studios always keep archives.
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Suggesting otherwise insults anyone who’s been around game development.
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Talking prompts:
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Why pretend restoring old builds isn’t possible?
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Is this just to avoid returning to more sim-accurate versions?
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Are they hiding that the old mechanics were better for realism?
Segment 8 – Leafy’s Ban & The “Movement With No Specifics”
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Leafy’s Discord ban looked like silencing a critic more than enforcing rules.
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Talk of “movement” in development without dates or details is empty PR.
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Talking prompts:
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Was the ban about rule-breaking or shutting down dissent?
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Is vagueness on progress deliberate to hide delays?
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How do fans stay engaged when updates say nothing concrete?
Segment 9 – The AI Developer Problem & Publisher/Investor Mindset
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SCI removed their AI developer and never replaced them.
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AI is the brain of a boxing game — without it, there’s no realism in tendencies, decision-making, or style.
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Investors/publishers still think arcade sports games sell better, stuck 20–30 years in the past.
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DLC won’t sell if the base game lacks authentic mechanics.
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Talking prompts:
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Why no AI developer replacement?
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Do decision-makers even want a sim boxing game?
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Who’s really calling the shots?
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Is “transparency” a smokescreen?
Segment 10 – What’s Possible vs. What We’re Getting
If the Big Dogs Made a Boxing Game
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EA Sports: Big-budget realism possible, but gamers doubt they’d go sim. Could deliver dynamic career, true stamina/damage, official belts.
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2K Sports: Deepest career/promoter mode in history, with a living boxing world.
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Konami (Victorious Boxers): Best footwork/stamina in the genre, modernized for motion-matched animation and style realism.
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Capcom: Esports-ready controls and precision.
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Sega/RGG Studio: Story-driven career with gym building and side content.
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Rockstar Games: Open-world boxing drama from underground fights to world titles.
Past Games in Today’s Tech
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Fight Night Champion: 4K, ray-traced arenas, physics-based damage.
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Victorious Boxers: Perfect movement, stamina realism, hybrid anime/realism visuals.
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Knockout Kings: Huge rosters, era-specific presentation.
Modern Modes That Could Be Delivered
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Full Career Mode
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Promoter Mode
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Legacy Mode
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Esports Circuit
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Cinematic Story Mode
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Historic Rivalries
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Amateur Circuit
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Gym Builder
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Community Creation Suite
Transition:
“That’s what’s possible. That’s what other companies could deliver right now. Now let’s look at what SCI is not delivering…”
Fan Wishlist vs. SCI Silence
Core Mechanics & Gameplay:
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CAB revamp, more slots, weight scaling, separate punch styles, clinching with punches, more taunts, more illegal blows, correct styles, fixed haymakers, unique power punches, logo creator, community creations, more stances, full-time ref.
AI & Realism:
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Replace AI developer, add realistic tendencies, fix footwork, stamina realism, dynamic damage, feints, pivots, ring craft.
Transparency & Trust:
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Why ban Leafy, no hiring transparency, vague “movement” updates, unqualified hires.
Publishers & Direction:
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Why investors still think arcade > sim, why DLC over core fixes, why pivot from Ash’s vision.
Closing punch for the segment:
“One side is what’s possible, the other is what we’re actually getting — and the gap between those two is where this game is losing the very fans it was built for.”
Segment 11 – Additional Critical Questions for SCI
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Why are key elements still absent?
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Why act like sim realism is niche?
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Why moderate criticism instead of addressing it?
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Who’s making the real decisions?
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Why not be transparent about mechanic removals?
Segment 12 – Your Perspective
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Decorated amateur career.
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Professional boxing experience.
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Spoke with countless developers.
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Advocate for realistic boxing games for decades.
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This isn’t ego — it’s holding SCI accountable to its original promise.
Mic Drop Closer – “Boxers & Fans: No More ‘It’s Just a Game’”
“Boxers — past and present — it’s time to speak up.
Too often, we hear ‘It’s just a game’ as an excuse for watered-down, inaccurate portrayals.
But a boxing video game isn’t just a game. For millions of people, it’s their first — and maybe only — introduction to the sport.
And if that game misrepresents boxing, then it’s misrepresenting you.”
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If you’re Muhammad Ali, your footwork and ring generalship should be exact.
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If you’re Mike Tyson, your peek-a-boo style and explosive hooks should feel like Tyson, not “generic brawler.”
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If you’re Mayweather, your shoulder roll and defensive counters need to be on point.
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If you’re Lomachenko, your angles and pivots should be yours — not a re-skin of someone else’s moves.
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If you’re Katie Taylor, Claressa Shields, or Amanda Serrano, your craft deserves the same depth and detail as any male champion.
“Silence lets developers cut corners and hide behind ‘nobody asked for it.’
Well, we’re asking — and not just fans. Boxers and fans together are unstoppable.”
Rapid-Fire Demands
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Authentic tendencies — no generic punch patterns.
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Signature styles and movements, down to the smallest details.
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Real boxing mechanics — clinches, pivots, inside fighting.
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Full-time referees.
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Accurate weight scaling.
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Deep, customizable boxer creation.
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Style-specific power punches.
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Smarter, adaptive AI.
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Transparent roadmaps.
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Publishers and investors listen to fans.
“Boxers, this is your legacy. Fans, this is our sport.
Together, we demand realism — and we won’t stop until we get it.
Because boxing is bigger than any one game, and it deserves the truth.”
Closing
“The boxing gaming community isn’t as naive as some in SCI think. We’ve been here long before this game, we’ll be here long after, and we know when we’re being fed half-truths.
You can water down mechanics, you can spin words, but you can’t erase what we’ve seen, played, and believed in.
The truth is in the code — and no matter what they tell you, the code is still there.”
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