The servers for Knockout City will be shut down after Season 9 is released, and the game won’t be available after June 6, according to developer Velan Studios. This was a “very difficult decision” to make, according to the studio, but it also seemed to be “a necessary and significant one.” On February 28, Knockout City’s Season 9 will begin, but this is the last major update before the game is shut down permanently.
However, there is some good news, especially for those of you who don’t want the game to end permanently. A private server version of the game will be put up on PC, according to a blog post by Velan Studios on the Knockout City website.
This means that the game will remain in some sort of playable state even after it is shut down. Right before the shutdown, Velen Studios will also hold a two-week event dubbed “Thanks for the KOs,” which will include tournaments, giveaways, and a ton of other stuff.
In addition to the announcement, Velan Studios released a startlingly open video explaining the reasons for the cancellation. Game director Jeremy Russo claims that despite adopting free-to-play, the Velen Studios team still had trouble maintaining a player base because they were unable to keep up with the demands of the game’s audience.
Russo adds that the tiny size of the club prevents it from having the resources necessary to make an effort to recruit players again.
Knockout City may be going out of business, but Velen Studios doesn’t seem to be. In the video, Russo talks rather enthusiastically about the future and how the last several years have allowed developers to develop and learn.
Although Russo doesn’t completely discount the idea of Knockout City winning more championships in the future, he also believes that the team will apply what it has learned to “other fascinating projects.” More information regarding Velen’s upcoming game isn’t provided by Russo, but it sounds like we won’t have to wait long to find out.
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