Knockout City, Electronic Arts and Velan Studios' new high-octane competitive take on dodgeball, is currently in its trial phase. Players will be able to try out the game for free, but the free ride won't last as long as some may have expected.
Knockout City's full release has finally arrived with all its chaotic dodgeball action, letting players back into the game for the first time since the free cross-play open beta last month. Currently, the editions available for purchase are Trial, Block Party Edition and Block Party Deluxe Edition.
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The trial version of Knockout City is limited to a ten-day period, spanning May 21 to May 30. After this period expires, players will be forced to purchase one of the paid editions in order to continue playing the game.
EA and Velan Studios must be confident Knockout City will sell for its entry price despite the game's design featuring elements similar to popular free-to-play games, such as its camera positioning, art style, and control scheme being somewhat similar to Fortnite. The game will also be available on EA Play and Xbox Game Pass at launch, which could be their fallback point to bring more players into the game in case sales fall short of expectations. Considering over one million players downloaded the beta, it's safe to say that players of competitive games are at least somewhat interested in the game.
Crossplay being available in Knockout City at launch is a surefire way to attract more players, as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues bringing gamers into online spaces to interact and compete. Games with crossplay available have been some of the biggest hits of the past year despite console manufacturers' distaste for crossplay, so this feature quickly becoming an industry standard for multiplayer games is a predictable result. If Knockout City performs well, it will be yet another example of a successful game featuring crossplay.
EA and Velan's confidence in selling a free-to-play structured game such as Knockout City for a non-zero price of entry has a chance of backfiring hard when the trial period ends, and it remains to be seen whether their attempt at breaking into esports will go as planned. If Knockout City plans to hit it big in the esports scene, it will take more than just a successful launch; EA will have to host events to get more players talking about the game, and Velan will need to continue supporting the game post-launch to keep players engaged.
Knockout City is available now for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.
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Source: Knockout City Official Website