Dodgebrawling has begun in Knockout City. The strange new bouncy, arena brawler from developer Velan Studios has landed, bringing 3v3 dodgeball action to players on nearly every platform. The stylized, almost-entirely online game adopts an easy-to-learn but hard-to-master gameplay design, and while picking up and throwing a dodgeball at an opponent is simple, timing a perfect catch and curving the returned throw is going to take some practice.
Knockout City is hoping to cultivate a competitive scene early on with two Knockout City Community Tournaments, one in North America and another in the European Union. Each tournament will host 64 teams, playing in single-elimination, best of three match-ups. Knockout City's standard 3v3 Team KO game mode, complete with signature Knockout City special dodgeballs, will be the game type for the two day tournaments.
Aspiring competitors can sign up at the Knockout City Community Tournament smash.gg page. It's an open sign up tournament, but the developers to note that it is first come, first serve. Only 128 teams will be given a spot across the two regions, and the tournament will take place completely online on May 28 and 29.
The Tournament Is Important To Knockout City's Success
It's tough to break into the online multiplayer scene, and it might be difficult to sell competitive gamers on a title that's glorified dodgeball. Knockout City is off to a good start with a 10 day free trial, and launch day availability on Game Pass and EA Play, but the ability to cultivate a dedicated player base will determine the game's long-term success. Arena shooters have mostly fallen out of favor since the glory days of Quake and Unreal Tournament, but an arena shooter disguised as a dodgeball brawler is just unique enough to grab people's attention.
It also helps that the Community Tournament is coming with prize money. $10,000 total is being given out in the NA tournament, and $5,000 for the EU. The opportunity for a grand prize of $6,000 in the NA tournament might entice some big name streamers to jump in on Knockout City's dodgeball gameplay. The tournament allows teams to compete on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, so there should be no problem attracting talent. It also takes place within the free trial period, which ends May 30 - a good tactic for quickly building some interest and capturing players. Knockout City is built to last, with seasonal content and cosmetics already in the game, but these early weeks will be vital to its success.