The Staffing Excuse vs. Fan Expectations

Ash Habib often cites “not being staffed enough” as the reason every boxer in Undisputed doesn’t feel unique. Yet fans have valid frustrations: they’ve paid full price for what feels like “reskinned” boxers who share animations, punches, and sometimes even fighting styles. At the same time, SCI continues to invest in features and marketing campaigns that hardcore boxing fans deem non-essential to authenticity.

The disconnect lies in priorities: if a studio is pushing authenticity, animation variety, boxer individuality, and ratings-based differences must be core resources—not an afterthought.

Can SCI Lean on the "Big Team" Excuse?

Ash often deflects by comparing SCI to 2K, EA, or Sony San Diego, arguing those companies have massive teams and budgets. On the surface, that’s true: AAA sports games often have hundreds of developers. But here’s why that excuse doesn’t hold:

SCI Isn’t Indie Anymore
With over a million copies sold, multiple studios (UK + Las Vegas), licensing deals, and veteran hires, SCI is a AA studio by definition. They no longer qualify as a scrappy indie.
Roster Size Is Manageable
NBA 2K handles 500+ players, Madden full NFL rosters, FIFA thousands of athletes. Undisputed has ~200. A smaller scope should make uniqueness more achievable, not less.
Modern Tools Reduce Needed Manpower
Unreal Engine, modular animation frameworks, and data-driven AI allow smaller but specialized teams to achieve individuality without the manpower of a AAA juggernaut.

The Developers SCI Actually Needs

To achieve authentic boxer individuality, SCI doesn’t need 500 developers — they need the right ones:

1. Animation Specialists

Motion Capture Directors for authentic sessions.
Animation Engineers to build modular systems where tweaks don’t overwrite others.
Gameplay Animators to polish timing, weight transfer, and hit reactions.

2. AI & Systems Developers

Sports Gameplay Engineers experienced in stamina, footwork, and adaptive AI.

3. Roster & Data Experts

Boxing Statisticians / Analysts to translate real footage into ratings (power, chin, accuracy, footwork).
Roster Editors to maintain balance and individuality updates.

4. Technical Directors

Pipeline Engineers to keep animation changes isolated.
Tool Developers to build editors so designers can tweak boxers without touching raw code.

Why the Game Needs Tendencies, Capabilities, and Traits

Even if animations improve, boxers won’t feel alive without behavioral and systemic depth.

Tendencies: Control punch frequency, movement, aggression, and defense. Example: Ali circling and jabbing vs. Tyson pressing forward.
Capabilities: Define physical/technical ceilings—speed, endurance, punch variety, chin resistance.
Traits: Unique quirks that create personality: “Gets Stronger When Hurt,” “Iron Chin,” or “Weak Gas Tank.”

Right now, traits in Undisputed don’t function properly, and tendencies/capabilities are missing. Without them, every boxer plays the same, which undermines the entire claim of authenticity.

Can Boxers Be Fine-Tuned Individually Without Breaking Others?

Yes — and this is where SCI’s reasoning falls apart.

Modular Animation Systems: Blend trees and per-athlete override slots mean Tyson’s uppercut can be tweaked without breaking Ali’s jab.
Parameter-Driven Ratings: Power, stamina, accuracy, and defense can all be edited independently for each boxer.
Live Service Updates: Other sports games update individuality weekly across hundreds of players — SCI could do the same on a smaller scale.

The barrier isn’t technology — it’s staffing priorities and workflow.

What Needs to Be Done Logically

Reorganize Priorities: Make boxer individuality (animations + stats + traits) the #1 resource focus.
Hire Specialists: Small, targeted roles in animation, AI, and data will accomplish more than large generic teams.
Build Internal Tools: Editors for animations and boxer data ensure one change doesn’t ripple across the roster.
Pipeline Structure:
- Mocap → engineer blends → assign to boxer profiles → test in isolation → deploy.
- Ratings, tendencies, and traits should be editable via sliders, just like NBA 2K’s player editor.
Iterative Rollout: Release updates in waves (10–20 boxers per patch), making progress manageable and visible.

The “Indie Excuse” Problem

SCI continues to market itself as a small indie studio, but the reality says otherwise:

Over a million units sold (tens of millions in revenue).
Two studios and a Vegas facility.
Partnerships with sanctioning bodies, boxers, and broadcasters.

Fans see “indie” as a shield to deflect accountability while the studio pushes DLC monetization. That contradiction fuels backlash and distrust.

Conclusion

SCI can’t hide behind the “we don’t have 2K’s team size” excuse. As an AA studio, they have the resources to deliver individuality if they prioritize correctly. To meet fan expectations, they must:

Hire the right specialists (animation engineers, AI coders, roster analysts).
Build a modular pipeline that keeps boxer adjustments isolated.
Implement tendencies, capabilities, and functional traits to give each boxer a unique identity.
Stop using indie as a shield while monetizing DLC.

Fans aren’t asking for miracles — they’re asking for what other sports titles have already delivered for years: authenticity, individuality, and respect for the sport of boxing.

Poe’s Think Tank

Thursday, September 25, 2025

“From Excuses to Execution: Building Realistic Boxer Individuality in Undisputed”