In 2020, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout quickly became hotter than just about everything else in the video game sphere for a short period of time. It seemed like no matter where heads turned, Fall Guys was there. The game stayed hot for quite some time, but fell off as all trends eventually do. Now, a new summer sports game is here to take Fall Guys’ crown: Knockout City.
Knockout City is the latest game from Velan Studios, and seems like it's set up for success in a similar way to Fall Guys. It's only been out for a week or so, and yet the internet is already ablaze as fans talk about tips and tricks, share clips of expert eliminations, and show off their cool avatars. It seems to be gaining momentum fast, and could be the competitive multiplayer game that defines the summer of 2021. Knockout City's long-term future, following its current popularity, is up in the air. However, Velan should look to mistakes made with Fall Guys' release to ensure Knockout City's staying power among fans.
Knockout City Server Issues
In just four days, Knockout City hit two million active players, all looking to enter the dodgeball fray. While that number is already a lot, things might skyrocket from here. Four days after the launch of Fall Guys, the game had 6.71 million players, and went on to have 29.2 million at its peak in 2020, according to Gamstat.com. If Knockout City continues growing at an exponential rate, then its player count might exceed how much the game's servers can handle. Anyone who played Fall Guys in the weeks following its launch can attest to the frustrations of trying to join a game, but being met with an infinite loading screen or a message about server issues.
Those frustrations turned a lot of potential players away from the game never to return. While Fall Guys was able to eventually get their servers up to snuff and support a large and growing player base, it lost the attention of many due to those issues. It's imperative that Knockout City doesn't make the same mistake.
Fall Guys' Low Skill Ceiling
One part of Fall Guys' major appeal was its low skill ceiling. Gamers of all ages and experience levels could enjoy the game together because there wasn't much skill involved in running to the end of each level, or memorizing fruit patterns. While there was some skill needed to play the game, Fall Guys' fun came from the thrill of competition and knowing that the player was always one wrong jump away from losing it all. The problem with that is that once someone had played the game for a few hours, they essentially got as good as they'd ever be at it, and any type of noticeable improvement slowed to a stop.
Knockout City has a lot more going on in terms of its mechanics than Fall Guys, so the skill ceiling is already higher. However, Knockout City is still a relatively simple game. Sure, players can get fancy with their throws and technique, but that skill ceiling still seems to be lower than other competitive games. It still might be too early to tell how high the ceiling is, and once real competitive play starts, things will become much clearer. However, if Velan Studios wants to keep players returning to the game after its initial buzz, the studio will need to figure out how to change up the moment-to-moment gameplay in a way that's satisfying but true to the game's spirit.
Keeping the Player's Attention with Knockout City Season 2
As the summer of 2020 came to a close, many people were moving on from Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, but then Fall Guys season 2 was announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live. It promised new game modes, a medieval theme, and plenty of new levels added to the mix. However, when it finally arrived in October, players quickly learned that there wasn't enough added to justify getting deep into the game once again.
Experiencing the newly added levels was an infrequent occurrence, and despite it being the start of a new season, nothing really felt all that different. It seemed like Fall Guys season 2 was the make-or-break popularity moment for Fall Guys as a long-term live service game. While it still has a consistent player base, the lackluster start of season 2 didn't secure Fall Guys' previously enormous success.
As Knockout City gears up for its upcoming seasonal updates, the game needs to find new ways to bring players in that will make it worthwhile to stick around. The new content needs to be upfront and grab the player right when they start things up for a new season. If by the time Knockout City season 2 rolls around, and the game feels largely the same as it did on launch day, players might not be inclined to pick up the game again unless they're consistently playing it already.
A smooth transition into the first new season is crucial to a live service game's success, and Knockout City needs to nail it to survive in an industry full of games demanding players' attention. As long as Knockout City season 2 feels different and adds exciting new content, players will likely stick around and be excited to see what's to come in season 3 and beyond.
The Future of Knockout City
It's important to note that Knockout City is still very early in its life as a game. It's been out for less than a week, so it's entirely possible that its success might either be fleeting and short-lived, or surprisingly addicting with longevity. That said, the success it's already seen in just a few short days suggests that there might be big things in store for the game, but the way Velan Studios handles what's to come in post-launch content is what's going to truly determine Knockout City's future. It still shows a lot of promise and it could be just as big as Fall Guys was last year. It could be even bigger, but how Velan Studios plans on accomplishing that is still to be seen.
Knockout City is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Gamstat.com