Velan Studios may have shuttered its competitive “dodgebrawl” game, Knockout City, a year ago, but it still “loves that world and can’t imagine not going back to it at some point”.
In an update primarily focussed on the reveal of Midnight Murder Club – described as a blend of “hide-and-seek in the dark with shooter gameplay to make a truly thrilling playground” – and new VR pinball game Bounce Arcade, Velan founders Karthik and Guha Bala insisted they still “love Knockout City as much as you do and want to bring it back”.
“We know that some of you are waiting for Knockout City to return and are disappointed that we didn’t announce any news about that this week,” the brothers said.
“As an indie studio, we love our ability to lean into ideas that excite us, and rest assured we love [Knockout] City as much as you do and want to bring it back, *just not yet*.
“We spent over four years crafting Knockout City the first time around, and we don’t want to rush the process for the next game in that universe,” the statement continued. “We love that world and can’t imagine not going back to it at some point, when the time is right.”
Knockout City, the free-to-play “dodgebrawl” game, shutdown in June 2024.
“This was an extremely difficult decision for us, but a necessary and important one for our studio,” game director at developer Velan Studios, Jeremy Russo, said at the time.
It was initially published on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC last May under the EA Originals label, but Velan announced it would assume publishing duties and shift to a free-to-play model just a few months after it launched.
