Is Steel City Interactive Its Own Worst Enemy?

An investigative look at hiring, org design, and whether SCI has the right developers for the game it’s trying to make

Executive Summary

Steel City Interactive (SCI) has achieved rare success for a boxing studio—shipping Undisputed, surpassing a million sales, and winning a TIGA Award for “Best Large Studio.” Yet despite that momentum, the company’s internal structure and hiring timeline reveal cracks beneath the surface. SCI’s biggest obstacle may not be competition or fan pressure—it may be its own lack of critical technical specialists to build what it keeps promising: a living, breathing, intelligent boxing simulation.

The Reality Behind the Ring

Undisputed isn’t just another sports title. It’s a simulation-first concept trying to reproduce real boxing mechanics—movement, fatigue, timing, intelligence, damage, and ring control—inside a modern online framework. That means it needs the type of development team you’d find at studios known for systemic simulation (e.g., Codemasters, EA Canada, or Kojima Productions), not a standard indie or small-scale fighting game team.

But even as SCI expanded to new studios in Leamington Spa (UK) and Las Vegas, its own job listings and public-facing credits show key technical gaps that directly impact gameplay, AI, and long-term credibility.

The Roles SCI Is Still Hiring (and Why That’s Telling)

SCI continues to recruit for:

Senior Gameplay Network Programmer — to stabilize multiplayer and rebuild replication around UE5.
Lead Graphics Programmer — to bring Undisputed’s visuals closer to “AAA standards.”
Senior Character Physics Programmer — to make boxer reactions and movement feel grounded and consistent.

These positions—core pillars of any AAA combat sports engine—should have been filled long before launch. Their absence until now signals that SCI’s foundation wasn’t built for longevity or systemic expansion.

The Missing Developers That Fans—and SCI—Desperately Need

Below is a list of must-have roles for any studio serious about creating the kind of authentic, intelligent boxing game the community has been demanding for years.

1. AI Developer / AI Systems Engineer (Highest Priority)

Why it’s critical:
No boxing game can simulate real match flow, defensive awareness, or adaptive counter-strategy without deep AI logic. SCI’s lack of a dedicated AI developer explains why CPU opponents feel scripted and fail to exhibit unique boxer intelligence.
Responsibilities:
- Design adaptive fight plans, tendencies, and learning behavior.
- Integrate AI layers for decision trees, risk assessment, ring control, and fatigue management.
- Build “AI Coach” or corner logic that responds to player style.
Fan expectation:
Fans want a CPU that thinks, adapts, and mimics human-level ring IQ—not pattern repetition.

2. Gameplay Systems Designer (Simulation Specialist)

Purpose: Build frameworks for stamina, balance, weight transfer, punch accuracy, and footwork systems that interact realistically.
Why missing: Current gameplay feels more “hybrid arcade” because systems aren’t connected through physical logic.

3. Animation Technical Director / Animation Programmer

Purpose: Oversee the blend tree logic for realistic transitions, punch recovery, and defensive motion.
Impact: Missing this leads to robotic, floaty, or mismatched punch animations and poor foot planting.

4. AI Behavior Designer / Data Curator

Purpose: Bridge the gap between boxer tendencies and gameplay code—essential for the long-promised “unique boxer styles.”
Deliverable: A data-driven system mapping each boxer’s aggression, accuracy, defense, and psychological tendencies.

5. Physics & Collision Engineer

Purpose: Handle real-time interactions between gloves, arms, and head movement for proper impact zones, clinches, and body reactions.
Why needed: Current hits lack weight and feedback due to simplified collision and force mapping.

6. Referee & Rules Logic Developer

Purpose: Implement referee presence, warnings, breaks, fouls, and ring enforcement logic.
Fan impact: Adds immersion and tactical realism missing from most modern boxing titles.

7. Crowd & Atmosphere Systems Programmer

Purpose: Control crowd chants, reactions, dynamic camera cues, and ring walk logic.
Why it matters: Boxing is theater. Without dynamic audience systems, fights feel lifeless.

8. Audio Systems Engineer (Fight Event Layering)

Purpose: Implement adaptive soundscapes—grunts, corner shouts, commentary triggers tied to fight flow.
Fan expectation: Commentary that reflects ring IQ and momentum shifts.

9. QA Analyst (Simulation-Focused)

Purpose: Train QA testers to analyze frame data, AI responses, and stamina systems, not just “bugs.”
Why it matters: Most boxing QA so far seems geared toward arcade fighters, missing realism flaws entirely.

10. Technical Producer / Systems Coordinator

Purpose: Synchronize engineers, animators, and designers across multiple studios.
Why it matters: Prevents duplicated work and misaligned system updates—a growing issue as SCI scales.

Why Missing an AI Developer Is the Most Costly Mistake

No sports game survives long-term without strong AI engineering.
Even EA’s Fight Night Champion had a small but specialized team dedicated to AI heuristics and stamina logic. SCI’s lack of such a position directly explains:

CPU fighters that don’t adapt or strategize mid-fight.
One-dimensional pacing regardless of boxer archetype.
Broken immersion for offline and career players who expect dynamic opponents.

AI is the heart of simulation. Without it, every other system—animation, damage, stamina—feels disconnected. It’s not just a missing role; it’s the missing soul of the sport.

What Happens If SCI Keeps Skipping the Right Hires

Stagnant Gameplay: Without AI evolution or smarter systems designers, Undisputed risks repeating the same mistakes with prettier visuals.
Widening Player Divide: Simulation fans lose interest; casual fans move on; the game’s identity collapses.
Developer Burnout: Overworked generalists filling specialist roles often produce slow, patch-based fixes rather than systemic improvements.
Lost Credibility: The lack of an authentic AI foundation will prevent SCI from achieving the realism it advertises and the accountability fans demand.

What a Corrected Team Would Look Like

Department	Key New Hires Needed	Core Deliverable
AI & Systems	AI Developer, AI Behavior Designer	Smarter CPU, adaptive tactics, realistic boxer personalities
Gameplay & Mechanics	Simulation Gameplay Designer, Combat Systems Analyst	Authentic stamina, rhythm, timing, and tactical layers
Animation Tech	Animation Programmer, Motion Systems Lead	Seamless transitions, grounded footwork, better hit reactions
Physics & Impact	Collision/Physics Engineer	Weight, momentum, clinch realism
Online & Infrastructure	Netcode Architect, Server Engineer	Stable competitive multiplayer
Audio & Presentation	Audio Systems Engineer, Commentary Scripter	Dynamic fight atmosphere and broadcast authenticity
QA & Analytics	Simulation QA Lead, Telemetry Analyst	Real data on realism, fatigue, and AI performance

Final Round: SCI’s Next Fight Is Internal

Steel City Interactive’s next challenge isn’t fan patience—it’s internal structure.
Without filling these critical developer roles, the studio will keep shadowboxing against its own ambitions.
The millions in sales and global exposure prove there’s demand.
But to win the long game—and earn boxing fans’ trust—SCI must hire the specialists who can make the simulation actually think, breathe, and fight back.

Because right now, the company’s biggest opponent isn’t EA, 2K, or the critics.
It’s itself.

Poe’s Game Intel

Saturday, November 8, 2025