Deathrow is a 2002 sports video game developed by Southend Interactive and published by Ubi Soft for the Xbox as an exclusive.

In early 2001, Southend transitioned to an Xbox console release, which let the team use pixel shaders, bump mapped textures, and specular lighting.

The game is based on the fictional extreme sport Blitz, a futuristic full-contact hybrid of hockey and basketball played with a flying disc.

The single-player campaign's plot is set in the 23rd century, when Blitz is a popular, televised sport and the teams battle to scale the ranks and win the championship.

Reviewers praised the game's fast-paced action, and surround sound, but complained of its high difficulty curve, generic soundtrack, and lack of online multiplayer.

[2] Players attempt to toss a disc through a hoop while avoiding full-contact from their opponents, including punches, kicks, throws, and stomps.

[3] Examples include the Sea Cats (fast all-female team with European accents), the Marines (who wear camouflaged garb and use military jargon), the Demons (high strength attribute with demonic language),[3] and the Black Dragons (ninjas with high agility and combat skills).

Minor power-ups including health, credits, and skill augments for individual players regenerate regularly on the field.

[3] Players earn credits for knocking out opponents, scoring points, and impressing the crowd with violence and skill.

Computer players on teams rated with low teamwork will not take initiative to pursue the disc or to help teammates in need.

[15] Players switch between characters and taunt with the white and black buttons, respectively, and call plays with the directional pad.

A character in possession of the disc will show a trajectory line of their potential shot or pass, which is altered by player movement, breath, and physical contact.

[17] Conquest, the single-player tournament career mode, pits the player's team against the ranked hierarchy en route to the championship.

[17] Five friends opened Southend in Malmö, Sweden in 1998 to fulfill their childhood ambitions to make video games.

[15] Southend's nine-person team received Xbox development kits in June 2000[17] and decided to move the game to console in early 2001.

[15] According to Southend animator Rodrigo Cespedes in a 2002 TeamXbox interview, "Xbox was the only console that would allow [them] to produce the game as it was originally envisioned", adding that Microsoft and Ubisoft encouraged the mature direction with emphasis on blood, brutality, and profanity.

[17] Each character is made of over 7000 polygons and 55 bones, making for players with facial expressions, over 800 animations, and a capacity to blink.

[3][11] David Hodgson of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) found Deathrow's European origins apparent as "awkward, over-the-top expletives in obnoxious American accents" were paired with rugby.

He added that the game suffered from immoderate violence, frustrating fighting sequences, lack of online play, and "steep learning curve".

[4] William Racer of the Official Xbox Magazine (OXM) praised the fast-paced nature of the game and its eye for detail, and complained about the camera angles and difficulty.

[11] GameSpy's Osborne appreciated the game's small details like the streak trailing the disc through the air.

[13] IGN's Kaiser Hwang called the arena lighting effects, bump mapping, and textures the best since Halo: Combat Evolved.

[5][28] GameSpot's Greg Kasavin spoke highly of the tight controls and accessible gameplay in spite of a larger learning curve.

[13] In comparison, Charles Herold of The New York Times and a friend could not figure out Blitz's rules for 20 minutes, feeling "too macho" to do the tutorial.

[5] While Kasavin of GameSpot thought the theme was tired,[9] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Oxford wrote that the game felt "fresh".

[22] Two IGN staffers predicted the game to be a sleeper hit:[3][14] one noted the sparse press compared to the game's quality,[3] and the other explained that Ubisoft was busy promoting bigger titles such as Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Dragon's Lair 3D, and Rayman.

[19] IGN reported a month later that despite interest from Southend, Ubisoft would be unlikely to release a forthcoming Deathrow sequel due to the original's low revenue.