How community support is pushing development of Knockout City’s esports scene

June 30, 2021

by Andrew Kulp

Electronic Arts has been aggressive in its promotion of Knockout City, yet even one of the largest video game publishers in the world wasn't prepared for the overwhelming response from esports enthusiasts.

One week after the title's May 21 release, EA held what remains the biggest Knockout City tournament to date, with two 256-team brackets and a $10,000 prize pool for North America and $5,000 for Europe.

In terms of the volume of players, the event was nearly four times the size of what was originally planned.

"At first, it was a 64-team tournament," recalled Brandon "Stahly" Brenenstahl, whose team the TP Orgless Orphans took the $6,000 first prize for the NA region. "Once sign-ups went live, within two minutes, it filled up. Then, within five minutes, the whole Discord was spamming, 'Why is it only 64? My team couldn't even get in. WTF.'

"Everyone's freaking out. Everybody wanted to be in."

It no doubt helped that the tournament launched within Knockout City's initial 10-day free trial window. And EA has since extended the trial for the dodgeball-theme PVP "shooter" by Velan Studios, making the game free until players reach Level 25. As of a few weeks ago, over 5 million people had already logged on -- by now, that figure is probably closer to 10 million.

But although the trial no doubt inflated the overall totals, there's also ample evidence to support the existence of a burgeoning competitive scene.

"I'm just really hoping it pops, because it just fits for everyone, I feel like," Stahly said. "Anyone can pick it up at any time and feel like they're a good player, which is crazy.

"And it's dodgeball. Who doesn't like dodgeball?"

Groundswell of support for Knockout City

The NA region competitive Discord community has eclipsed 1,600 members, and some individual players are going to great lengths to help grow the game.

Stahly is fronting $1,000 from his past winnings, which he says matches equal contributions from Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers David Price and Joe Kelly, for a $3,000 tournament beginning July 11.

"They love the game and want to do their part in trying to help it flourish," Stahly said.

Another player, Maxence "Zoutriv" Cool -- a French gamer who helped The Last Resort Esports to a third-place finish in the EU region -- is working with a partner on a Knockout City-specific website, League Hub, which will facilitate everything from tournaments and scrims to recruiting teammates.

The site isn't finished, but its Discord channel is already only a few members shy of 2,500, and the scope of the project is ambitious, to say the least.

"Some will ask, 'Why League Hub,'" Zoutriv said. "Quite simply, because our long-term objective would be to establish a league for the game."

Both groups are moving ahead with the blessing of Velan Studios, which did not respond in time to requests for comment for this story, but indicated in previous interviews that it is looking into the Knockout City's potential as an esport.

There may be no better spokespersons than the players on the front lines of organizing efforts -- simultaneously the most enthusiastic about the game and some of its toughest competitors.

Image credit: Velan Studios

What makes Knockout City different?

Despite being separated by an ocean and a continent, Zoutriv and Stahly have quite a bit in common. Both are in their mid-20s, athletically inclined and have some experience in the streaming and esports spaces.

Interestingly and perhaps not coincidentally, both also arrived at Knockout City by way of Rocket Arena, a 3v3 shooter that failed to take off.

"Several Rocket Arena players have found themselves in Knockout City," said Zoutriv, who also spent time in the Call of Duty Warzone and Paladin scenes. "I think the 3v3 format was the closest thing to Rocket Arena, even though the gameplay had nothing to do with it."

He is confident that Knockout City can experience a different fate, maintaining the main link to Rocket Arena is the teamplay aspect.

"Knockout City has stood out unlike RA," Zoutriv said, adding the game was recommended to him by a viewer. "From my first games, I immediately felt the competitive potential. I'm a competitor at heart and attracted only to games with competition, rivalry. Otherwise, I'm bored, I'm not interested."

Stahly, a Washington state resident who wrestled collegiately at Boise St., revealed he dabbled in League of Legends and Overwatch. Knockout City "clicked" for him, though, and marks the first time he's getting serious about a competitive scene.

Like Zoutriv, he has a good feeling about where the game is headed.

"I've played a lot of games that were competitive ranked games that ended up dying within a month or two just because there was no scene behind it," Stahly said. "But this game, it's so niche, but it's everyone's niche somehow.

"There's sports to it, there's shooting to it, there's running around like you're in Fortnite, you have customizable characters and clothes, you can play with your friends -- and everyone loves dodgeball."

"The sky's the limit"

So far, Stahly sees Knockout City continuing to grow. Streaming the game has led to a jump in followers on Twitch. He now has 1,700 -- up from around 300 before launch.

The game isn't exactly on a rocket ship to the moon, but it's a sign of progress.

"More eyes are starting to get on it," Stahly said. "It just needs a little bit of time, I think."

As Velan Studios continues to work on updating Knockout City and adding new ways to play, "it could blow up."

"One thing everyone wants is crew battles," Stahly said, describing a series of different-sized matches between groups of up to 32 players. "Imagine your crew of 32 friends against my crew of 32 friends. With how the game is built, the sky's the limit with what they could do."

As much as these gamers are doubling as stewards for an emerging competitive landscape, though, it's clear where their hearts really are.

Stahly and his mates were grinding for up to eight hours a day before their major tournament win, while Zoutriv acknowledges that even if League Hub eventually becomes the infrastructure for a full-scale esport, he intends to be there with the sticks in his hands.

"If it turns out that Knockout City explodes and becomes an esport with a pro league, my main goal would be to be a player and compete at the highest level," Zoutriv said.

Lead image credit: Velan Studios