Launched in May 2021, Knockout City is a multiplayer online game whose mechanics are inspired by American dodgeball (or dodgeball in France). Published by Electronic Arts, the game is developed by Velan Studios, an independent studio founded in 2016. Designed as a service game, it regularly hosts new content in the form of seasons, as recently with an event dedicated to Ninja Turtles. However, season 9, which will mark the two years of the game, will also be its last.
Velan Studios wants to focus on a whole new project
After a successful launch with up to 2 million players, Knockout City had already made a change of model last June by becoming free-to-play. On this occasion, Velan Studios had separated from Electronic Arts to regain control of its title. As players waited for news of the ninth season which will kick off on February 28, 2023, the developers announced on their site making the decision to end Knockout City.
Several aspects of the game need to be shaken up to better attract and retain enough players to be sustainable. As a small independent studio, it’s simply impossible for us to make these kinds of systemic changes to the game while still supporting it. So it became clear to us that we needed to take a step back and pave the way for Velan to do what we do best: innovate.
The creators of the game do not have the human and material capacity to make the changes necessary to ensure the sustainability of Knockout City. With 12 million players in total, the studio nevertheless made its title a success, a bet that was not won in advance. It must be said that in the world of sports simulations, competition is raging and that a video game adaptation of dodgeball was more like an outsider. Going forward, Velan Studios will be able to use all the experience gained with its service game to create a whole new experience.
A ninth season designed as a final bouquet
It is therefore on February 28 that Velan Studios will kick off the final season of Knockout City. It will last until June 6, 2023, when all game servers will be closed. Until then, the developers have planned a whole program between festivities of the second anniversary, return of the favorite game modes of the community and a new final celebration during the last two weeks of life of Knockout City. Incidentally, Velan Studios announces that it will no longer be possible to purchase in-game cosmetic items with real money or passes from previous seasons from the launch of season 9.
Instead, an unlocking system based on in-game experience gains will be implemented with the possibility of unlocking most of the 3000 cosmetics created by the studio. As for the future, Velan says it will leave a PC version of the game playable using a private server so Knockout City never really goes away. The studio isn’t closing the door on Knockout City returning in a new form in the future, either. As for the current version, the countdown has well and truly begun.
