Knockout City Splits From EA, Goes Free-To-Play, Reveals Among Us Crossover

Knockout City, the "dodgebrawl" game from the creators of Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, has undergone a big change. Starting today, June 1, the game is now using a free-to-play model, while it has also split off from publisher Electronic Arts. Developer Velan Studios is now self-publishing the title. Additionally, Velan has revealed a surprise crossover with Among Us.

The business model change and split from EA was announced previously, but it goes into effect today. Velan also announced that Knockout City has now reached more than 10 million downloads, a figure sure to grow substantially now that the game is free.

June 1 also marks the launch of Season 6: City of Tomorrow. "In City of Tomorrow, the Super-Science Symposium (S3), the greatest technological showcase of all time, is back in town and scientists from all over the world are gonna be showing off their wildest inventions," reads a line from its description.

Season 6 adds a new ball, the Boomerang Ball, which flies back like a boomerang does. Additionally, there is a new between-match update that adds new minigames, audio tracks, and new cosmetics to use during downtime between games. Additionally, a new energy drink called Starfruit Special is now available, and it grants bonus XP for one hour every time players hit it with the special ball.

In League Play, players now earn rewards as they advance through a tier-based ranking system from Bronze to Diamond. At the end of each season, players will earn items like virtual currency, cosmetics, and other content based on their performance.

Season 6 also adds a new "Brawl Pass," which is Knockout City's take on a battle pass. The new pass includes a rang of cosmetics to unlock, as well as some crossover content with Among Us. Check out the trailer above to see more of what's in the Brawl Pass.

GameSpot's Knockout City review scored the game an 8/10.

"Knockout City's greatest strengths lie in its simplicity, but also in the ways it remixes traditional multiplayer elements to create something distinct," Alessandro Barbosa said. "Its easy-going nature and straightforward mechanics reduce the time it takes to feel invested in each match, but it's really the subtle complexity underneath that keeps the action engaging and compelling over long play sessions. There's certainly room for improvement with the game's rotating match modes and some of its special ball types, but Knockout City nails the fundamentals to create multiplayer fun that will likely hook you for a long time to come."