Knockout City

Did You Know?

• Knockout City was nominated for 'Best Multiplayer Game' at The Game Awards 2021.
• The game was nominated for 'Online Game of the Year' at the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.
• Some reviewers compared Knockout City with Rocket Arena, a 2020 game also published by Electronic Arts.

Gameplay

Knockout City is a team-based competitive multiplayer game whose rules resemble dodgeball. Players aim to knock out opponents by throwing balls at them. Several ball types exist, such as the Moon Ball, which grants higher jumps, and the Bomb Ball, a time bomb that explodes on impact. Players can also throw other players as balls. When throwing, the player locks onto an enemy and can charge the throw for a faster, harder-to-catch shot; success depends on positioning and strategy rather than accuracy. Players may dodge or catch incoming balls, and respawn after being hit twice. Fake throws and tackles are also possible. Progression earns Holobux, spent at the Brawl Shop on customization items. The game launched with five maps set in the futuristic metropolis Knockout City, each featuring environmental hazards. Six modes were available at launch, including Team KO (a team deathmatch variant), Diamond Dash (collecting diamonds from defeated enemies), and Ball-Up Brawl (a four-versus-four mode where players throw teammates to eliminate foes). Players can form Crews of up to 32 members.

Development and release

Knockout City was developed by Velan Studios, the studio behind Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, over four years with a team of about 85 employees. The studio described the game as a 'dodgebrawl' title; CEO Karthik Bala stated that dodgeball was chosen for the core gameplay loop because it was considered an intuitive sport. The game was designed to be accessible to newcomers while offering depth for competitive players. Velan built a custom engine called Viper and a programming script named V-script to counter network latency. Electronic Arts announced a publishing deal with Velan Studios in March 2019 under its EA Originals initiative. The game was officially announced via a Nintendo Direct on February 17, 2021, and a beta ran from April 2 to April 4, 2021. Knockout City released on May 21, 2021, for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with cross-platform play and shared progression. It was available at no cost to EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers in April 2021, and was free-to-play for the first ten days after release. After that trial, it remained free until players reached level 25. Purchasers received in-game compensation. On September 19, 2022, Velan announced the game would move from EA's Origin online services to Epic Online Services with Version 7.1; a one-time account migration from EA to Epic was available until Version 8.1 on January 10, 2023.