From Ratings to Tiers: Why Removing Boxer Ratings Turns Undisputed into an Arcade Game

 

I Asked Ash Habib About Boxer Ratings in Undisputed- Darhkseid

The video discusses the potential removal of fighter ratings and a shift to a tiered system in Undisputed (8:31). This idea is being discussed internally by Steel City Interactive, the game's developers (7:21-7:26, 8:41-8:48).

Here’s a structured deep dive on why removing a rating system and replacing it with a tier system in a boxing videogame (like Undisputed) is a move that strips away realism, pushes the design into arcade territory, and risks disrespecting the sport’s authenticity.

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1. The Core of Authenticity in Boxing Games

In boxing, a rating system is not just a gameplay feature—it mirrors the sport’s real-world hierarchy. Boxers are judged on measurable attributes:

• Punch speed, timing, power

• Endurance, chin, recovery

• Defensive ability, footwork, and adaptability

Removing ratings in favor of tiers collapses these nuanced differences into broad, generic categories. That’s what arcade fighting games like Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat use: simple “tiers” where a character is either strong, mid, or weak. Boxing isn’t about that—it’s about the details that separate a slick defensive counterpuncher from a relentless pressure brawler.

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2. Why Ratings Matter

• Granularity: Ratings allow small differences between two boxers to be felt in gameplay. A jab rating of 90 vs. 88 changes how exchanges play out.

• Historical Respect: Legends like Roberto Durán or Julio César Chávez should feel different from modern greats like Terence Crawford, even if both are elite. Tiers erase that individuality.

• Player Education: Ratings help casual fans learn who excelled in which areas. If Caleb Plant’s speed isn’t reflected properly, you’re teaching fans the wrong boxing history.

Without ratings, the game reduces every boxer to a tiered stereotype.

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3. The Problem With SCI’s Justification

SCI seems to argue that:

1. Many boxers share similar overall ratings → fighters feel indistinguishable.

2. Online play is dominated by a handful of top-tier boxers (Ali, SRR, Canelo).

3. Some stats don’t match real life (e.g., Eric Morales’s health, Caleb Plant’s speed).

Instead of fixing the accuracy and spread of ratings, SCI’s proposed solution is to dump the whole system and create tiers. That’s like removing a scale because it doesn’t give you the weight you wanted—it dodges the responsibility of properly balancing and representing the boxers.

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4. Why Tiers = Arcade

• Arcade shortcut: Tiers tell you “pick this guy, he’s strong” without nuance. Ratings make you weigh strengths vs. weaknesses.

• Loss of Simulation: Boxing sims are about authentic replication. Arcades are about quick, simplified fun.

• Casual Over Hardcore: Casual fans might accept tiers for instant gratification, but long-term boxing fans, historians, and hardcore players will feel betrayed.

This shift effectively says: “We don’t want to simulate boxing, we want to gamify it.”

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5. Better Solutions Without Going Arcade

If SCI really wants variety and fairness, they don’t need tiers. They could:

• Refine Attribute Ratings: Make sure stats reflect real-life boxing attributes more accurately.

• Situational Bonuses: Traits (like Morales’s warrior heart, Ali’s rope-a-dope, or Marciano’s relentless pressure) can matter as much as base ratings.

• Archetype Balance: Create balance by style archetypes (slick boxer, pressure fighter, counterpuncher) rather than lumping boxers into generic tiers.

• Dynamic Ratings: Allow attributes to shift with fatigue, damage, or momentum (just like real fights).

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6. Why This Feels Disrespectful to Boxing

Boxing is a sport of detail, history, and individuality. Flattening it into tiers not only alienates hardcore fans but also teaches casuals the wrong lessons about the sport. Instead of appreciating that Eric Morales had an iron chin and incredible grit, they’ll just know him as a “B-tier” character. That’s not authenticity—it’s arcade dressing.

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✅ Bottom line:
Removing ratings in favor of a tier system is a regression into arcade design. It strips the sport of its authenticity, disrespects the individuality of boxers, and alienates the very hardcore fans that care most about boxing’s history. The fix isn’t to abandon ratings—it’s to refine them, make them accurate, and integrate them with traits, tendencies, and archetypes.