It's been more than a decade since there has been a major boxing video game. 2011 was the last time EA Sports produced Fight Night Champions. As the gaming industry got bigger and bigger in recent years, boxing was on the outside looking in with a new generation of fans.
This didn't escape Ash Habib, the founder of Steel City Inactive, who after several years of development is set to release 'Undisputed' this Friday.
"There has been a void for some time and look, I was one of those players, fans, that was calling for a few boxing game," said Habib, last month in Las Vegas, as they were scanning a few more boxers who would be part of the original release. "Growing up on a boxing game and what the 'Fight Night' series did for boxing was great."
"We just want to continue that legacy and create something bigger and deeper, and do what the fans want."
Undisputed Launch Trailer (ESRB)
This process began for Habib in 2020. He recalled, "It was literally a couple of months before the pandemic. My brother called me up one evening and said, 'Lets start this side project. Let's make a small boxing game and see what we can do. We just took it a day at a time. Fast forward four-and-a-half years and we are weeks from the launch."
Steel City Interactive
Now, they are on the doorstep. And what became this 'side project' became Habib's life. There wasn't a day that has passed in recent years when he hasn't tended to business that is related to 'Undisputed'. What's interesting is that he didn't come from the gaming world."
Habib explained to SNAC.com, ''My background is from performance management, so staff productivity for a large corporate firm. So it's nothing to do with the gaming industry. So I'm a complete outsider but I love boxing as a fan and I love gaming.
What he had was a particular fondness for the sport that fueled this pursuit.
Steel City Interactive
"I think if you have that passion and dedication, we're lucky enough to live in an age to go and research things ourselves, almost be self-taught, "Habib explained. "But you've got to have that initial drive. I think for me, I never let that be a barrier and in some ways it helped because when you don't know what the rules are -- you really don't care about breaking any."
(To learn more about Habib, watch this episode of 'the 3 Knockdown Rule', where he was in-studio guest)
THE 3 KNOCKDOWN RULE EPISODE 59 | VIVA CANELO | ASH HABIB INTERVIEW
Now, Habib is firmly in the video game industry. "We just organically turned into a real proper studio with over 75 employees now," he noted.
Steel City Interactive
As this process began, they not only needed to program a game, they also needed to reach out and sign boxers.
"It was a crazy, crazy time because we did things -- and I'm not going to say all backwards -- but completely differently from how games are usually made," said Habib. "We were essentially in pre-production and also production at the same time, while also signing fighters at the same time. Which would inherently change the shape and the life of the game. So that's what I mean, when I say the game grew organically."
Video games have come a long way since Atari 2600 (yeah, Im showing my age, here) Ms. Pac Man. The look of 'Undisputed' was paramount. "The beauty of what we tried to do is making a game as boxing fans, we always felt like the fighters movements weren't really replicated in previous boxing games," Habib stated.
"So that was a focus for us, realism, authenticity, how fighters moved, how fighters threw punches. Then using professional world champions to come in and do the motion-capture for us using state-of-the-art technology."
Steel City Interactive
The acquisition of talent to the game, of both current and retired boxers, was headed up by Jose De La Cruz. Currently on 'Undisputed' roster are the likes of Muhammad Ali, Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, Oleksandr Usyk, Terence Crawford and Roy Jones. Boxers will be constantly added to the roster, and an 'Undisputed' press release states, "The game incorporates real-world boxing organizations like the WBC, WBO, and IBF, iconic venues and gyms such as Coldwell’s Gym and the Kingdom Arena, as well as boxing equipment and apparel from brands such as Empire, Everlast, and Rival."
The game is compatible with Play Station 5, XBox Series X/S and PC.
Round one is set to finally begin.
"It's been a roller coaster, highs and lows," said Habib. "But it's been an amazing experience starting 'Undisputed' and getting to where we are now."
3KR
This week on 'the 3 Knockdown Rule', Mario Lopez and I break down the light heavyweight showdown between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev, and everything else in boxing:
THE 3 KNOCKDOWN RULE EPISODE 62 | BIVOL VS BETERBIEV: UNDISPUTED
To subscribe on your preferred podcast platform, click on the Linktree:
3knockdownrule - Listen on YouTube, Spotify - Linktree
FINAL FLURRIES
Reports are circulating that David Benavidez and David Morrell will clash in January in light heavyweight tilt....Golden Boy Promotions has made a bout between Alexis Roach and Raul Curiel for December 14 at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California....In what should be a really good action bout, Israil Madrimov will battle Serhii Bohachuk on the Usyk-Fury II undercard on December 21....I can be reached at k9kim@yahoo.com.....
