 | Digital Release | PC (Steam, Epic Games) May 21, 2021 Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S May 21, 2021 (AU, EU, JP, NA) PlayStation 5 November 02, 2021 (AU, EU, JP, NA) |
| Delisting | February 28, 2023 – PlayStation 4, 5 (Removed from Availability) June 06, 2023 – Server Shutdown |
|
| Developer | Velan Studios | |
| Publisher | Electronic Arts (2021-2022) Velan Studios (Current) |
|
| Available On | PC (Private Server Edition) | |
| Links | SteamDB page Knockout City homepage |
Delisting
Velan Studios announced late on Thursday that Knockout City‘s Season 9 update would be its last and that the game will be shutting down on June 6th at 12pm UTC (7am EST). Game director Jeremy Russo provided an extensive blog post about the Season 9 update, the decision to shut the game down, and the future for Velan Studios, an excerpt of which follows.
Today we are announcing that Season 9 will be Knockout City’s final season. Then, on the morning of June 6, 2023, over two years after our initial launch, all servers around the world will be shut down and the game will no longer be playable. This was an extremely difficult decision for us, but a necessary and important one for our studio. Before that happens, there are a ton of new updates in store. We’ve got a jam-packed Season 9 full of all the amazing new content you’ve come to expect, an epic send-off both in and out of the game, and even a private server version on PC so Knockout City can live on forever.
Creating such a different game with no points of comparison and running live services for the first time in many of our careers has also made the past couple years particularly challenging. […] Since we are a small, indie studio, it’s simply impossible for us to make those kinds of systemic changes in the live game while continuing to support 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 by innovating. Now we can take everything we learned, everything that succeeded and everything that needs improvement, and get to work on exploring new possible experiences for Knockout City and other games and products we are very excited about. […]
Our hope is that sometime in the not-too-distant future, all this information can be used to start work on what comes next in the Knockout City universe. While we can’t promise that Knockout City will be back, what we can promise is that you’ll continue to see new and innovative games from Velan Studios that will surprise and delight players around the world. […]
Thank you, brawlers, for all your passion and support these past few years. I hope you all enjoy the final season of Knockout City, and I’ll see you out there!
Jeremy Russo
Knockout City Announcement – February 2nd, 2023
Game Director of Knockout City
Voice 1 in Brawler Customization
Crew Captain of Team FEAR
A detailed FAQ follows the blog post noting that all real-money transactions will end on February 28th making it impossible to buy in-game Holobux, the Deluxe Bundle, or either of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Bundles on any platform.
On April 25th, Velan Studios released their “Private Hosted Server Edition” of Knockout City on PC through their official website, which provides support for private servers and includes the vast majority of the game’s modes and cosmetic items.
About the Game
Team up and duke it out with rival Crews in epic dodgeball battles
Brace yourself for outrageous fun and intense competition in an all-new take on team-based multiplayer games.
Customize your character and form a Crew with friends to start your Knockout City takeover. Knock out opponents with trick shots and coordinated teamwork while dodging and catching balls flying across the map. No ball? No problem! You can literally ball up, roll into a teammate’s hands, and become the ultimate weapon!
A variety of outlandish ball types, locations, and game modes keep it exciting. Plus, each season introduces new maps, ball types, rewards, events, and challenges! Throw, catch, pass, dodge, and tackle your way to dodgeball dominance!