**From ESBC to Undisputed: How a Simulation Dream Became a Hybrid Reality**

An investigative editorial on how vision drift, misplaced “safe bets,” and misunderstanding the boxing audience reshaped the most anticipated boxing game in years.

By Poe / Poeticdrink2u

The Birth of a Dream

When Steel City Interactive (SCI) appeared in 2020, the studio didn’t look like a juggernaut.
Founder Ash Habib was a lifelong boxing fan, not a game-industry veteran. His idea was bold:

“If no one else will bring real boxing back to gaming, I will.”

He and his brothers built a small team in Sheffield, UK, partnered with Ten24 Studios for cutting-edge photogrammetry scans, and began crafting ESBC — eSports Boxing Club.

Their early vision promised something fans had begged for since Fight Night Champion:

Realistic footwork, stamina, and fatigue.
Licensed fighters, trainers, and gyms.
Referee logic, corner AI, and true judging.
A simulation, not an arcade imitation.

For the first time in over a decade, realism felt possible again.

The Viral Spark

In March 2021, the now-legendary “Official Alpha Gameplay Features (First Look)” video dropped on YouTube.

It wasn’t CGI. It was in-engine footage showing authentic pacing, smooth transitions, adrenaline systems, and sweat-slick realism powered by Ten24’s scans.
Within hours, the clip went viral.

“Finally, someone understands boxing.”
— Fan comment that echoed across Reddit and Twitter

That moment turned ESBC from an indie curiosity into a phenomenon.
It wasn’t the budget or publisher that won people over — it was Ash Habib’s raw simulation promise.

The Expansion and the New Voice

As momentum grew, SCI began signing fighters, promoters, and sanctioning bodies.
Partnerships meant funding, and funding meant publishers and investors.
Enter Plaion / Deep Silver — bringing distribution muscle but also milestone control.

Around the same time, Will Kinsler joined as Director of Global Communications (later Product & Authenticity).
His background: PR, community management, and licensing in sports gaming — not gameplay design.

Kinsler’s arrival changed how the company communicated, both internally and externally.
He became the translator between Habib’s vision and the publisher’s expectations, reframing authenticity from simulation mechanics to broadcast presentation: camera angles, commentary, arenas, and polish.

And with that subtle redefinition, ESBC’s soul began to shift.

From Simulation Authenticity → Broadcast Authenticity

Under Kinsler’s tenure, public updates stopped talking about stamina systems or referee logic.
Instead, they highlighted cinematic cameras, fighter entrances, and “real broadcast feel.”

To casual audiences, that sounded exciting.
To long-time boxing purists, it sounded like dilution.

Features once core to the project — referee AI, cut-man systems, adaptive judging — quietly vanished from the spotlight.
The simulation heartbeat slowed as the marketing volume rose.

Early Access and the Fan Reality Check

In January 2023, ESBC re-emerged as Undisputed, launching on Steam Early Access.

What fans found was playable — but not what they’d expected.
Animations were stiff, footwork robotic, visuals downgraded, and referees missing entirely.

It felt like a different philosophy wearing the same logo.

“This isn’t what you promised.”
— Common refrain across reviews and forums

While casual players enjoyed the pick-up-and-play rhythm, veterans who had followed since 2021 felt betrayed.
The simulation torch that had drawn them in was dimmed in favor of accessibility.

Commercial Win, Creative Compromise

Despite the backlash, Undisputed sold over 1 million copies across PC and consoles — the first boxing game in years to do so.

But those numbers tell only half the story.
Sales proved there is a massive audience for boxing games, yet the reception proved that authenticity, not accessibility, drives loyalty.

Critics split the verdict:

“Good to see boxing back, but missing the depth promised in the alpha.”

Behind the scenes, fans noticed every interview now featured Will Kinsler beside Ash Habib — Kinsler explaining direction, Habib nodding along.
Many concluded that the founder’s vision had been replaced by a communications-driven strategy.

The Power Triangle Inside SCI

        Investors / Publisher
               ▲
               │
               │ (funding leverage)
               │
   Ash Habib ◄─┼─► Will Kinsler
 (creative)     │   (industry liaison)
        ▲       │
        └─ Dev Team (implementation)

Habib: dreamer and founder, but inexperienced in production.
Kinsler: the industry voice, trusted by investors.
Publisher: funding control, milestone power.

In that triangle, whoever can “speak corporate” best usually steers direction.
Habib may have owned the company, but Kinsler’s framing of what authenticity meant became the version investors approved.

That’s how a simulation project morphed into a hybrid product.

The Safe-Bet Myth: Arcade Isn’t Safe

Publishers often assume “arcade = wider audience = safer investment.”
History shows the opposite — especially in boxing.

Game	Style	Reported Sales	Result
Creed : Rise to Glory (2018)	VR Arcade	~500–700 K lifetime	Respectable niche
Big Rumble Boxing (2021)	Console Arcade	Undisclosed, low reach	Quickly forgotten
Real Boxing 1 & 2	Mobile Arcade F2P	High downloads, low revenue	Casual filler
Fight Night Round 3 (2006)	Sim-Hybrid	~1 M in first month	Genre classic
Undisputed (2024)	Promised Sim → Hybrid	1 M in first week	Sold on sim hype

No arcade boxing game has ever hit a million in a week.
The only titles that did so leaned toward realism.

Fans didn’t buy Undisputed because it was new boxing.
They bought it because the 2021 alpha convinced them real boxing was coming back.

Accountability in the Corner

Decision Area	Primary Responsibility	Explanation
Simulation Vision	Ash Habib	Creator and original driving force
Pivot to Presentation	Will Kinsler + Publisher	Reframed goals to marketable “authenticity”
Technical Downgrades	Production Management	Time/budget trade-offs
Final Approvals	Ash Habib	Founder sign-off; authority remains his

Kinsler didn’t code or animate, but his influence and narrative control changed which features were prioritized.
Habib trusted that “industry experience.”
Publishers backed it as the safe, mass-market option.
Fans felt the fallout.

The Numbers Prove the Opposite

If arcade really were the safer play, Creed, Big Rumble, or any other simplified title would have cracked 1 million sales. None did.
It was the simulation promise — the ESBC identity — that generated hype strong enough to push Undisputed past that line.

So the lesson is clear:

Boxing’s “safe bet” is realism done right, not accessibility done easy.

The Community Divide

Today, Undisputed occupies a strange middle ground:
Commercially successful, yet spiritually conflicted.

The fanbase splits into two camps:

🟢 Those happy just to have a modern boxing title.
🔴 Those who still feel robbed of the true simulation they were promised.

Every patch note, every developer blog now carries an undercurrent of hope:

“Will they return to the ESBC vision?”

How SCI Can Reclaim the Trust

Re-define “Authenticity.”
Make it about mechanics and behavior, not just cameras and logos.
Empower Simulation Leads.
Let AI, physics, and animation directors drive gameplay priorities.
Deliver the Missing Referee & Judging Systems.
Boxing without a ref isn’t authentic — it’s incomplete.
Show Transparent Roadmaps.
Rebuild credibility through openness and progress footage.
Honor the Fanbase That Built the Hype.
The people who watched that 2021 alpha video are still your best allies.

Final Round

The story of Undisputed is bigger than one game.
It’s a cautionary tale about vision drift inside modern development.

Ash Habib dreamed of realism.
Will Kinsler and the investors chased market safety.
The truth was the opposite: realism was the safer path all along.

Every arcade boxing attempt before failed to light up the scoreboard.
It was ESBC’s simulation heartbeat — the sweat, physics, and respect for the craft — that made fans care again.

Fans didn’t buy hope for an arcade slugfest.
They bought hope that boxing could be real again.

And that’s something no marketing pivot can ever replace.

© 2025 Poe’s Think Tank / The Boxing Videogame Blueprint Series
For interviews, citations, or collaboration inquiries: contact Poe via official channels.

Poe’s Game Intel

Monday, November 10, 2025