In Knockout City, intense battles are a way of life and players will need to master the art of throwing, catching, passing and dodging in a joyful, yet highly competitive experience that will smack them in the face with surprises.

Whether it's 3v3, 4v4 or free-for-all quick matches in Street Play, competitively ranked games in League Play or a hosted experience in a Private Match, the fight to take down rival Crews takes many forms. In Knockout City, players start every match on a level playing field and need to rely on skill to dominate the competition. A solid Crew is also the difference between dishing out punishment and taking it. The game is easy to pick up and play, but practice is key to mastering positioning, timing and teamwork for dodgeBRAWL dominance.

And of course once players master the moves, they’ll want to be seen with their own unique look. Knockout City's robust customization options – from appearance, gear, attitude, body type and hairstyle to a custom glider, KO effects and taunts – will have players brawling in style. It’s not just about the player but also their Crew, and with up to 32 friends across platforms, players can customize their Crew name, logo, banner and even pick a custom Crew vehicle to ride into battle.

At launch, Knockout City will deliver a full multiplayer package with five multiplayer maps, one interactive environment where players and their Crew can practice, six ball types, full character customization, cross-play, cross-progression, Street Play with five starting playlists, League Play, Private Match, and the complete Street Rank Progression with hundreds of cosmetic items. Beyond this huge value at launch, Knockout City will also bring a ton of new content through seasons at no additional charge, where each season can include new maps, modes, balls, limited time events and more.

Velan Studios is launching an in-game Block Party on May 21, a free festival-style event offering 10 straight days of nonstop party-till-you-drop content running from May 21 @ 5am PT / 8am ET to May 30 @ 5am PT / 8am ET. EA and Velan welcome all dodgebrawlers, no matter the platform, to crew up and fight for dominance in Knockout City at no cost for 10-days starting at launch! 

This ain’t no ordinary shindig, either. This event is going to be ten straight days of nonstop party-till-you-drop as we turn the excitement up to 11 with a free trial that lasts the entire length of the party. Here’s what you need to know so you can start gearing up to throw down!

Remind your friends to set their alarm clocks for noon UTC on May 21 so the entire Crew is ready the moment Knockout City goes live. Block Party launches alongside the game and will run until May 30 at 12 p.m. (noon) UTC. For the entire length of Block Party, the full game will be free to everyone—no matter which platform you play on—so you can fight for dodgeball dominance as you Crew Up with friends, complete Crew Contracts, and unlock custom gear!

This isn’t some level-capped, red-tape teaser with gated access, either. You’ll have the full game at your disposal—which is good, because you’ll want to try out all the new Contracts, Playlists, and content we’re releasing at launch without worrying about hitting an invisible barrier.

Want to set a reminder for noon UTC in your local time zone?

• BST: 1 p.m.
• CEST: 2 p.m.
• JST: 9 p.m.
• AEST: 10 p.m.
• PDT: 5 a.m.
• CDT: 7 a.m.
• EDT: 8 a.m.
• If your time zone isn’t listed, click here to find your local time.

What does all this mean? Well, for starters, from day one, you’ll be able to Crew Up with friends and unlock bonus content like Epic Crew Cosmetics, up to 500 more Holobux, and Season 1 XP boosts to accelerate your progression when Season 1 starts. Plus, to keep things interesting, we’re releasing four Playlists at launch: Team KO, Diamond Dash, Party Team KO, and Face-Off. You’ll be so immersed in exploring every map, unlocking all that sweet, sweet content, and perfecting your catch on every Special Ball that you won’t even notice you’ve hit Season 1.

If When you decide to purchase during Block Party, you’ll receive bonus content that will stack with the rewards you’ve already unlocked—but don’t wait! This special offer and all the customizations that come with it will disappear when Block Party ends.

Here’s what you’ll get when you purchase the Block Party Bundle:

• Epic Outfit: Cyber Spike
• Epic Hairstyle: Locked Horns
• Epic Glasses: LED the Way
• Epic Glider: Mach 1
• Epic Intro Pose: Calling In Reinforcements
• Epic KO Effect: By the Horns
• THREE Player Icons: Bomb Ball, Pixel-Dillo, and Noodles Gone Bad
• 500 Holobux!

The best part? These rewards stack with the Deluxe Edition too, so go ahead, treat yourself! It's worth pointing out that if you pick up the Deluxe Edition during Block Party and complete all the Training Sessions and Block Party Contracts, you'll have a cool 2500 Holobux in your account to spend on whatever your heart desires, plus all the Deluxe and Block Party cosmetics coming along for the ride.

“Love it. But back it up—what’s that about Season 1?”

Glad you asked! Just four days after launch, on May 25, Season 1 will be revealed in all of its glory. Our debut Season’s theme is “Welcome to Knockout City,” and it sets the stage for you and your Crew to explore a brand-new location, furiously check off Season 1 Crew Contracts, work together on Weekly Crew Contracts, brawl in new Playlists, and climb the ranks of League Play—all free, all Block Party long!

Let’s break it down: not only will you have exclusive Block Party Contracts to work your way through, but during Season 1, you’ll see weekly Crew Contracts ranging in complexity and unlock rewards, a ton of XP, and XP boosts that will help you and your Crew raise your Street Rank and earn some higher-rarity cosmetics.

You’ll also see eight—yes, eight—new Playlists to play throughout Season 1, including Ball Up Brawl starting Week 1. These Playlists will rotate every week and challenge you in unique ways that will only help you improve your skills. Plus, you'll be able to complete them in the brand-new map, which you can get a sneak peek of in the short video at the top of this blog.

Every unforgettable party has a ton of great content happening 24/7: VIP guests, exclusive events, and memories you’ll want to capture and share on Twitter to prove you were there—and Block Party is no exception. In addition to all the activities listed ahead, there’ll be a bunch of your favorite streamers, celebrities, and athletes getting in on the action, too! More information on this is coming soon, so stay tuned! 

Of course, no party is complete without something exciting around every corner. That’s why we’ve created daily events to keep the hype going. Check out a snapshot of the major activities we’ve planned out for you! More detail will be available closer to launch, but for now, set aside time in your day planner for:

• May 20th — The Night Before Knockout City Twitch stream, featuring gameplay content and live chats with the developers
• May 21st — Launch Day! (12 p.m. noon UTC)
• May 22nd — Community Crew Up kicks off with your favorite streamers inviting their communities to help them reach in-game goals to unlock prizes for their audience
• May 23rd — Start rocking custom Crew Logos, Crew Banners, and Player Icons from content creators like JonSandman, Ohmwrecker, H2ODelirious, AyChristine, Gorillaphent, and NorthernLion
• May 24th — Join the Velan Hideout: join our Discord to play rounds of Knockout City with the dev team, chat, and hang out
• May 25th — Season 1 Kickoff: Welcome to Knockout City drops with the new map, new Playlist, League Play, Season Contracts, Weekly Crew Contracts, and more!
• May 26th — Watch as community members take on the current world’s best dodgebrawl players in Round 1 of Dodge the Devs. Can they beat the best? Or will they go home crying to their mammas?
• May 27th — Once wasn’t enough—we’re coming back for Dodge the Devs: Round 2!
• May 28th — Community Tournament Day 1: We’re hosting two tournaments—one for North America, one for Europe. For both, 64 teams will enter, but only one will emerge victorious. Will it be your team?
• May 29th — On the last full day of Block Party, don’t miss Day 2 of the Community Tournament, where we’ll take the top 8 teams in both regions and whittle them down to a single winner. With a $10k prize pool for North America and a $5k prize pool for Europe, this tournament is sure to have nonstop, high-stakes dodgebrawl action.
• May 30th — Block Party ends at 12 p.m. UTC
• June 1st— Week 2 of Crew Contracts, plus the brand-new playlist KO Chaos. Each week of Season 1 brings a new Playlist, new Crew Contracts, and new items in the Brawl Shop!

When the game launches, players will also have access to a free trial for a limited time across PC via Origin and Steam, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, during which time the full game will be playable.

Players who choose to purchase the full game during the free trial will be able to transfer all their progress, plus receive additional cosmetic rewards, as they continue to brawl in Knockout City. For those who purchase after the free trial, they’ll still be able to transfer all their progress over.

Knockout City will also support cross-play and cross-progression across all systems.

Knockout City is coming to PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC (Origin and Steam), as well as PS5 and Xbox Series X|S through backwards compatibility with graphical and performance enhancements on May 21, 2021 for $19.99.