The Removals Were Not Accidents: When A Company Tells You They “Can’t” Fix Real Boxing

For years, fans have been told a story that does not add up. Steel City Interactive continues to repeat that referees are too difficult to add, clinching is too complex to implement, and core boxing mechanics are somehow beyond reach. Yet every few weeks, they can roll out new boxer DLC and cosmetic patches with no hesitation. When a studio says “we can’t” but their behavior clearly shows “we won’t,” that is not confusion. That is a pattern.

And the community is finally waking up to it.

If Referees Were Truly Impossible, Why Were They Already in the Original Build?

This is the part that destroys the narrative. Referees were not a wishlist feature. They were a confirmed mechanic that existed in early builds and were showcased publicly. SCI demonstrated:

• In-ring referee positioning

• Break-up logic

• Warnings and foul detection

• Neutral corner calls

A mechanic that has already existed cannot suddenly become impossible. A removal like that only happens when a company decides it no longer fits the direction they want the game to take. And that direction is clearly leaning away from realism.

Clinch Removal Makes Even Less Sense

Clinch logic is not revolutionary technology. Hundreds of games across multiple genres use:

• Grab states

• Slowdown thresholds

• Control inhibition

• Proximity triggers

• Hybrid physics + animation blending

Clinch animations were recorded. Mocap sessions happened. SCI itself talked about it. So why is it “too hard” now? Why do they act like a basic mechanic in boxing somehow requires NASA engineers?

Because clinching slows down arcade pacing. Because clinching forces strategy. Because clinching interrupts spam-heavy gameplay that casual-first studios rely on for fast content creation.

A realistic clinch system exposes a shallow design.

The DLC Pipeline Exposes the Priorities

A company that is truly struggling with fundamentals does not:

• Release new paid boxers

• Release cosmetic updates

• Release monetizable content

• Release surface-level “fixes.”

All while claiming they do not have the resources to fix the foundation.

Any serious developer will tell you this:
A studio’s priorities reveal the truth more than their statements.

If a company consistently allocates time, money, and manpower toward revenue generators before completing the core systems of the sport, that means those systems are not part of the plan. Not for this game, and possibly not for the sequel either.

The “Conspiracy Theory” Was Never a Theory

Fans have been labeled emotional or ungrateful for pointing out missing features that the studio promised. Content creators were pressured into defending questionable decisions. Anyone who asked for authentic boxing was treated like a problem.

But what happens when the so-called conspiracy lines up perfectly with observable facts?

• Referees were once present, then removed, and never prioritized again.

• Clinching was confirmed, then erased, and now “too hard to fix.”

• Core mechanics are always “not possible right now.”

• DLC is always possible right now.

When reality matches the “theory,” it stops being speculation. It becomes evidence.

Why Remove Real Boxing? Because Real Boxing Requires Real Work

Authentic boxing forces a studio to:

• Balance stamina

• Build defensive layers

• Add footwork systems

• Implement foul logic

• Manage range, tempo, and rhythm

• Animate clinch entries, breaks, and exits

• Create a thinking, adaptive AI

Arcade leaning avoids all of this. An arcade direction is cheaper, faster, and easier to market to casuals. But it alienates the sport’s actual fans and boxers.

And the numbers show that realism sells.
Every major sports title that dominates the market does so because of realism and depth.

SCI chose the opposite.

The Truth Fans Are Finally Admitting

People are beginning to acknowledge what you have been saying for years.
The mechanics were not removed because of technical difficulty.
They were removed because they did not fit the simplified gameplay SCI pivoted towards.

This is not a bug.
This is not a limitation.
This is not an unfortunate accident.

This is a design philosophy.

And it is exactly why the game feels hollow, incomplete, and disconnected from the sport it claims to represent.

Final Word: Referees and Clinching Were Never the Problem. The Vision Was.

When a studio refuses to prioritize the foundational systems of boxing but continues to produce DLC at full speed, the message is clear.

They are not building a realistic boxing game.
They are building a casual punch-exchange product with boxing characters.

Fans deserve better. Boxers deserve better. The sport deserves better.

And the industry needs to stop acting like people pointing out the truth are the problem.

The real problem is a company pretending that realism is impossible while proving every day that it simply is not a priority.