A HISTORIC CALL TO ACTION: COMBAT SPORTS GAMING CONTENT CREATORS, IT'S TIME TO UNITE!
Poe & The Community Speaks…
A Special Invitation to Combat Sports Gaming Content Creators, Sports Gaming Influencers, Boxing Fans, and the Entire Gaming Community
The Mission: One Community. One Historic Stream. One Opportunity to Help Shape the Future of Boxing Video Games.
OPENING MONOLOGUE: THE CLOCK IS TICKING!
Let me address something tonight that I believe is bigger than any one content creator, any one YouTube channel, any one podcast, and any one gaming community.
I'm calling on every combat sports gaming content creator, every influential sports gaming personality, every boxing enthusiast, and every person who genuinely cares about the future of boxing video games.
We need to come together, if not for anything else, just this one time!
I'm talking about the Fight Night community, the Undisputed community, the UFC gaming community, the realistic boxing enthusiasts, the competitive online players, the offline players, the career mode enthusiasts, and the people who enjoy creating their own boxing universes.
I'm also talking about the content creators who don't necessarily cover boxing games but have significant influence in sports gaming.
Whether you're covering Madden, NBA 2K, MLB The Show, WWE 2K, or other sports games, I'm extending this invitation to you.
Because this conversation is about something bigger than boxing.
It's about the relationship between consumers, content creators, developers, publishers, and investors.
It's about whether the people spending their hard-earned money on these games have any meaningful influence over the products being developed for them.
And here's something I want everybody to understand.
We cannot afford to keep waiting until a game is nearly finished before we start demanding the features, mechanics, modes, and authenticity we should have been discussing during development.
By then, some of the biggest decisions may have already been made.
Time is ticking!
And I refuse to sit back and watch another opportunity pass us by without at least trying to bring this community together.
1. THIS IS NOT ABOUT EA VERSUS STEEL CITY INTERACTIVE
Let me make something perfectly clear.
This is not about choosing EA over Steel City Interactive.
This is not about defending Undisputed or promoting Fight Night.
This is not about which company has the most popular content creators, which game has the largest online community, or which company has the biggest marketing budget.
This is about boxing!
This is about demanding that the sport be represented accurately, authentically, and realistically in a video game.
EA has its history. Steel City Interactive has its history.
Both companies have their supporters, critics, and customers with different expectations.
But neither company should be immune from criticism or accountability.
We should not have to choose between two games that potentially fail to represent important aspects of boxing.
We should be encouraging both companies to improve.
I don't want EA to succeed simply because of nostalgia.
I don't want Steel City Interactive to succeed simply because they're making another boxing game.
I want both companies to succeed because they've produced something genuinely worthy of the sport and the people who support it.
And if competition encourages both companies to give us better games, that's a victory for consumers.
The community should not be divided into corporate fan clubs.
We are consumers first!
2. CONTENT CREATORS HAVE MORE INFLUENCE THAN THEY REALIZE
Here's where I want to challenge the content creators.
Some of you have thousands of subscribers.
Some of you have hundreds of thousands.
Some of you have millions of followers across YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X.
Some of you have direct communication with developers, community managers, marketing representatives, and publishers.
Some of you receive early access, special invitations, interviews, promotional opportunities, and other benefits.
There's nothing inherently wrong with any of that.
But I have a question.
What are we doing with that influence?
Are we using it primarily to promote games?
Are we using it to protect our relationships with developers?
Are we afraid to ask difficult questions because we might lose access?
Or are we willing to use that influence to represent the consumers who helped build our platforms?
We have to stop confusing access with accountability.
Having access to a developer doesn't automatically mean you're representing the community.
Being invited to play a game early doesn't mean you understand every aspect of boxing.
And having a large audience doesn't mean your personal gaming preferences represent everybody else's.
There are online competitors who understand competitive gaming.
There are experienced boxers and trainers who understand boxing mechanics.
There are offline enthusiasts who understand career modes and universe-building.
There are content creators who specialize in game development, sports authenticity, customization, accessibility, and technical performance.
Nobody has to know everything. That's why we need everybody at the table.
Imagine what could happen if we brought those different perspectives together.
Not to argue about who's the biggest influencer.
Not to determine who's the most popular.
But to establish what consumers expect from the next generation of boxing video games.
3. WE NEED A HISTORIC COMMUNITY STREAM
I'm proposing something that I believe this community should have done a long time ago.
A historic, organized, public roundtable featuring combat sports gaming content creators, popular sports gaming influencers, and representatives of the different boxing gaming communities.
One major stream.
One organized conversation.
One opportunity to establish our expectations publicly.
And I want the people who normally disagree with one another to participate.
Bring the online competitors.
Bring the offline career mode enthusiasts.
Bring the realistic boxing advocates.
Bring the arcade-style gaming enthusiasts.
Bring the creators who support EA.
Bring the creators who support SCI.
Bring the critics of both companies.
Bring experienced boxers, boxing trainers, independent developers, and people who understand the technical challenges associated with game development.
Nobody has to abandon their personal preferences.
Nobody has to pretend they agree with everything somebody else says.
All I'm asking is that we leave our egos, personal grudges, and unnecessary rivalries outside the conversation.
We can disagree respectfully while identifying the things we collectively want.
And we can recognize where our preferences differ without forcing everybody into the same gaming experience.
This stream should be broadcast publicly through participating channels, with a full recording available afterward.
I don't want another conversation that disappears after a few hours.
I want something documented.
Something developers, publishers, investors, gaming journalists, and consumers can revisit.
Let's create a historic record of what the boxing gaming community actually asked for.
4. ONLINE AND OFFLINE PLAYERS MUST STOP FIGHTING EACH OTHER
This is one of the most important parts of this entire conversation.
Online and offline players have different priorities.
And that's perfectly fine.
But why are we allowing those differences to divide us?
If you're a competitive online player, you should want responsive controls, reliable matchmaking, quality netcode, meaningful competitive rankings, fair matchmaking systems, and boxing mechanics that reward actual boxing knowledge.
If you're an offline player, you should want intelligent CPU opponents, deep career modes, extensive creation tools, realistic boxer tendencies, authentic boxing organizations, and the ability to build your own boxing universe.
Why can't both groups have what they want?
Why should online competitive balancing automatically determine what offline players are allowed to customize?
And why should offline preferences interfere with the integrity of legitimate ranked online competition?
These experiences can have different configurations while sharing a strong foundation of authentic boxing mechanics.
A realistic boxing game can also offer optional simplified controls and alternative gameplay settings.
Not everybody wants the exact same experience.
That's precisely why developers should provide meaningful options instead of forcing everybody into one approach.
One thing I want to establish during this historic stream is simple:
Your preferred way of playing should not automatically eliminate somebody else's preferred way of playing.
We need to stop allowing companies to use the differences between consumer groups as an excuse to ignore important requests.
5. BOXING MUST BE THE FOUNDATION OF A BOXING VIDEO GAME
I want every content creator participating in this stream to think about something.
What makes boxing different from other combat sports and traditional fighting games?
Is it simply throwing punches until your opponent falls?
Absolutely not!
Boxing is about distance, timing, positioning, footwork, angles, balance, anticipation, defense, intelligence, adaptability, conditioning, and strategy.
Every boxer should not move alike.
Every boxer should not throw punches alike.
Every boxer should not defend alike.
Every boxer should not react to pressure alike.
A pressure boxer should behave differently from an outside boxer.
A counterpuncher should have different tendencies from a volume puncher.
A veteran should demonstrate different habits, decision-making, and experience than a young prospect.
I want us to discuss the systems that make those differences possible.
That means proper footwork, pivots, clinching, inside fighting, defensive techniques, distinct punch variations, realistic fatigue, intelligent ring positioning, and authentic boxer-specific tendencies.
It means incorporating meaningful officiating, including a referee who actually participates in the match.
It means intelligent corners, realistic damage, scoring, fouls, medical examinations, and referee stoppages.
And it means creating CPU opponents who can analyze, adjust, and behave differently depending on the situation.
A boxer having a high overall rating doesn't automatically mean the game has accurately recreated that boxer.
Ratings and gameplay behavior are not the same thing.
We need to discuss both.
I don't want boxing to be something developers simply decorate a generic combat system with.
I want boxing knowledge to matter!
6. CAREER MODE, CREATION MODES, AND OFFLINE GAMERS DESERVE REPRESENTATION
There are people who will purchase a boxing video game and never play a single online match.
Let that sink in.
There are people who love creating boxers.
People who enjoy developing prospects.
People who want to manage gyms, promoters, organizations, rankings, championships, and historical eras.
People who want to watch CPU-controlled matches.
People who want to create tournaments, events, fictional boxing organizations, and entire boxing universes.
And there are older boxing enthusiasts who might become interested in boxing video games if the experience accurately reflected the sport they know.
Are we going to represent those consumers during this stream?
We absolutely should!
I want the community discussing deep amateur and professional careers, scouting, training camps, contracts, trainers, managers, matchmaking, injuries, retirements, boxing organizations, and championship politics.
I want extensive creation options that allow players to build and edit boxers, trainers, referees, judges, venues, championships, boxing organizations, broadcasts, and entire careers.
I want CPU versus CPU matches treated as a legitimate mode, not an afterthought.
I want offline gaming to function independently, without unnecessary online requirements.
And here's something else.
Creation modes have their own dedicated fanbase.
We cannot overlook those consumers simply because they don't dominate streaming platforms or competitive online leaderboards.
A great boxing video game should have depth that keeps people engaged for years.
Nobody knows whether a sequel will arrive in two years, five years, ten years, or at all.
So why shouldn't we demand a substantial experience from the game we're purchasing today?
7. STOP LETTING MARKETING DETERMINE OUR EXPECTATIONS
This is where I need everybody to be particularly careful.
A cinematic trailer isn't proof of realistic gameplay.
A famous boxer appearing in promotional material isn't proof of an authentic boxing system.
A long roster doesn't automatically mean every boxer has been accurately represented.
A developer saying they've listened to community feedback doesn't tell us which recommendations were accepted, rejected, or implemented.
And hiring people with experience at major game studios doesn't automatically guarantee the quality of the finished product.
We need to ask more specific questions.
What features are actually in development?
What systems have been demonstrated?
How are boxer tendencies implemented?
What is the development philosophy?
How much control do offline players have?
What technical standards are being used?
What happens when feedback contradicts the original development vision?
We have to distinguish between promises, plans, working features, and released functionality.
And we need content creators who are willing to ask those questions publicly.
Promotion and accountability should never be confused with each other.
8. THE COMMUNITY NEEDS AN INDEPENDENT VOICE
I want to raise another important issue.
How do EA and Steel City Interactive actually determine what the broader boxing gaming community wants?
Who is being surveyed?
Who decides which feedback matters?
Are the people participating primarily competitive online gamers?
Are offline players adequately represented?
What about people who aren't currently purchasing boxing games because the existing products don't appeal to them?
What about experienced boxing trainers and former boxers?
What about creation mode enthusiasts?
These are questions we should be discussing.
I believe we need a transparent, independently administered survey that represents the different consumer groups.
Not a survey designed to produce a predetermined result.
Not one where the questions push consumers toward certain answers.
And not one whose results disappear behind closed doors.
We should establish clear categories, disclose the methodology, publish meaningful aggregate results, and acknowledge disagreements.
That way, nobody has to pretend their personal preferences represent the entire community.
Let consumers speak for themselves.
And let's provide developers, publishers, and investors with organized information they can actually evaluate.
9. QUESTIONS EVERY PARTICIPATING CONTENT CREATOR SHOULD ANSWER
During this proposed historic stream, I want every participating creator to be prepared to answer some serious questions.
Are you willing to participate in a public discussion with content creators who disagree with you?
What are the five most important improvements you want from EA and Steel City Interactive?
What does realistic and authentic boxing gameplay actually mean to you?
Should offline and competitive online experiences have separate customization and balancing options?
What boxing mechanics are currently underrepresented or missing?
Do you believe individual boxer tendencies and capabilities are more important than overall ratings alone?
How deep should career mode and the creation suite be?
Should CPU versus CPU gameplay and advanced boxer AI be foundational features?
What measurable standards should developers meet before their games earn your endorsement?
Would you publicly criticize a company you have a positive relationship with if its game fails to meet reasonable expectations?
Should independent boxing experts, experienced players, and technically knowledgeable testers be included in development feedback?
Would you support an independent, publicly documented consumer survey?
What should publishers and investors understand about the different audiences for boxing games?
Can this community agree on shared priorities without demanding that everybody play the same way?
Will you commit to helping turn this historic conversation into a documented set of recommendations delivered to EA and Steel City Interactive?
These questions aren't designed to embarrass anybody.
They're designed to get us beyond surface-level conversations.
If we want meaningful progress, we have to be willing to discuss details.
10. WHAT WE SHOULD ACCOMPLISH WITH THIS HISTORIC STREAM
I don't want this to become a stream where everybody talks for three hours and nothing comes of it.
There should be a clear objective.
By the end of the event, we should aim to produce five things.
First: A Community Statement.
A publicly supported declaration explaining why consumers want boxing video games that accurately represent the sport while respecting different gaming preferences.
Second: A Shared Requirements Document.
An organized set of recommendations covering gameplay, boxer authenticity, online competition, offline modes, career mode, creation tools, presentation, customization, and technical performance.
Third: An Independent Survey Proposal.
A transparent plan to collect feedback from a broader and more representative group of consumers.
Fourth: A Public Questions Register.
Specific, answerable questions directed toward EA and Steel City Interactive, with a record of what has and hasn't been answered.
Fifth: A Formal Invitation to Both Companies.
An invitation for appropriate representatives of EA and SCI to review the community's recommendations and participate in respectful follow-up discussions.
Participation should be voluntary, and disagreement should be documented rather than hidden.
Nobody should be able to claim we reached unanimous agreement when we didn't.
The goal isn't manufactured consensus. The goal is organized, informed consumer representation.
11. TO THE POPULAR CONTENT CREATORS: ARE YOU WILLING TO STEP UP?
Now I want to speak directly to the creators who have the largest platforms.
Some of you have audiences that I don't have.
Some of you can reach hundreds of thousands of people with one video.
Some of you know other creators who may never see an invitation from a smaller independent platform.
That's why your participation matters.
I'm not asking you to endorse me.
I'm not asking you to promote my personal boxing video game Blueprint.
I'm not asking you to agree with everything I've said about EA or Steel City Interactive.
And I'm certainly not asking you to abandon your own communities.
I'm asking you to use your influence to help bring those communities together.
If you can't attend, perhaps you can share the invitation.
If you have concerns about the format, help improve it.
If you disagree with certain ideas, come explain why.
If your channel primarily covers online competition, bring those perspectives.
If you're known for career mode content, represent those consumers.
If you're experienced in creating boxers and fictional universes, explain what the creation community needs.
And if you're somebody who understands real boxing, help educate the people who might not recognize what's missing.
This shouldn't be about me controlling the conversation.
I want moderators, structured topics, fair speaking opportunities, and respectful disagreements.
The biggest channel shouldn't automatically have the most important opinion.
And the smallest channel shouldn't automatically have the least important one.
The strength of an argument should come from its evidence, boxing knowledge, experience, and reasoning, not simply follower counts.
12. A DIRECT MESSAGE TO EA AND STEEL CITY INTERACTIVE
EA and Steel City Interactive, I want both companies to understand something.
We appreciate the opportunity to have boxing video games.
But appreciation should never mean unconditional acceptance.
We understand development involves budgets, deadlines, licensing agreements, technical limitations, and business decisions.
We understand not every feature can necessarily be delivered at once.
But consumers deserve clear answers about your priorities, the compromises you're making, and the direction you're taking.
Don't mistake disagreement for hostility.
Don't assume your most visible supporters represent every customer.
And don't confuse consumer excitement with proof that expectations have been met.
There are people who want realistic boxing.
There are people who want deeper careers.
There are people who want robust creation systems.
There are people who want competitive online experiences built on reliable technology and authentic boxing mechanics.
There are people who want simplified gameplay options.
These audiences do not have to be enemies.
We want to see both companies compete to deliver excellence rather than compete merely for our attention.
We're not demanding that you surrender creative control to content creators.
We're demanding that informed consumer feedback be taken seriously, evaluated transparently, and incorporated where appropriate.
You make the games.
We purchase and play them.
That relationship should involve meaningful communication and mutual respect.
13. WE MAY NOT GET ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY LIKE THIS
Here's what concerns me.
Every time a boxing game is announced, we see the same cycle.
Excitement.
Speculation.
Promises.
Arguments between communities.
Content creators choosing sides.
Consumers defending companies before they've experienced the finished product.
And then, when the game arrives, people start asking why certain features aren't there.
Why isn't this boxer authentic?
Why is career mode missing depth?
Why can't I customize this?
Why does every boxer seem to behave similarly?
Why aren't important boxing mechanics represented?
Why isn't the AI more intelligent?
Why weren't these things discussed and prioritized earlier?
Well, I'm telling everybody right now:
We have the opportunity to have those conversations before another development cycle is completed.
We don't know exactly how much influence we'll have.
We don't know which recommendations either company will accept.
But doing nothing guarantees we won't create a unified public record of what we're asking for.
And that's why I'm calling on everybody now.
Not after another trailer.
Not after another round of promotional interviews.
Not after another launch.
NOW!
CLOSING MONOLOGUE: THIS IS BIGGER THAN ALL OF US
Before I close, I want everybody listening to understand where I'm coming from.
I've spent decades involved in boxing, gaming, and gaming communities.
I've watched boxing games evolve.
I've seen innovations.
I've seen opportunities missed.
I've listened to people from different parts of the community explain what they enjoy and what they believe is missing.
And one thing I've learned is that nobody should assume they have the right to dictate what everybody else is supposed to enjoy.
Not me.
Not a popular content creator.
Not a competitive player.
Not an offline player.
Not a developer.
Not a publisher.
And not an investor.
We can all contribute to making these products better.
But that requires communication, education, accountability, and cooperation.
So here's my invitation.
To the Fight Night content creators.
To the Undisputed content creators.
To the UFC gaming creators.
To the Madden, NBA 2K, WWE 2K, and other sports gaming influencers.
To the professional boxers, trainers, and knowledgeable boxing fans.
To the online competitors.
To the offline players.
To the career mode enthusiasts.
To the creation community.
To the independent game developers.
And to everybody who cares about the future of boxing video games.
Come together with us on Poe & The Community Speaks…
Not to declare one company the winner.
Not to attack anybody.
Not to turn this into another competition between influencers.
But to help establish meaningful expectations for the next generation of boxing games.
Even if we never agree on everything, surely we can agree that the community deserves to be heard.
And if we can come together for just one historic stream, imagine the message that sends.
A community that is organized.
A community that is informed.
A community that respects its different audiences.
A community that asks difficult questions.
And a community that refuses to let its standards be determined entirely by marketing campaigns and corporate decisions.
We don't have to agree on everything to stand together for something important.
The developers are making decisions.
The publishers are making decisions.
The investors are making decisions.
It's time for the consumers to make some decisions, too!
If you're a content creator, contact me.
If you know an influential sports gaming personality, share this invitation.
If you operate a podcast, YouTube channel, Twitch stream, or gaming community, help spread the message.
If you're interested in participating, come prepared with your questions, your recommendations, and your willingness to listen.
Because this is bigger than Poe.
This is bigger than EA.
This is bigger than Steel City Interactive.
THIS IS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF BOXING VIDEO GAMES!
And I'm asking everybody one final question:
Are we going to continue allowing our differences to divide us, or are we finally going to come together and make our collective voices heard?
The opportunity is in front of us.
The choice is ours.
TIME IS TICKING!
This is Poe, from Poe & The Community Speaks…
And I'm calling on the entire combat sports gaming community:
LET'S MAKE HISTORY, TOGETHER!
No comments:
Post a Comment