EA and Velan Studios have revealed that the Knockout City free-to-play transition will begin June 1, 2024 at the start of Season 6. Velan Studios had announced in mid-February this year that the game would be going free-to-play, while publishing duties would gradually move from EA to the developer so that it could “work even more closely” with its community.
Velan Studios assures fans Knockout City still won’t have lootboxes
Through the official FAQ on the transition, Velan Studios wants to calm fears that this transition will soon mean that the game will become laden with free-to-play microtransactions and play-to-win mechanics. The developer promises that Holobux, the in-game currency, can be earned through gameplay, though players can still accelerate the process by purchasing Holobux using real money.
The studio says that its “stance on not having lootboxes remains the same” and has “no plans to add anything resembling pay-to-win into the game.” It emphasizes that fair competition is one of the core tenets of the game and that unlockables will remain cosmetic-only.
As previously stated by Velan, existing players (except for those in Japan) will receive a Loyalty Royalty Bundle that comes with XP boosts, legendary cosmetics, and 2,000 Holobux. Only one bundle will be given per account, so if you have the game on multiple platforms, you’ll need to choose which one will gain the benefits of the bundle.
With Velan taking over as publisher, Knockout City will no longer be a part of EA Play. In terms of whether players will need a PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live account to access the game when it becomes free-to-play, the developer is still “working through some details,” but it hopes that no online subscription will be required to play it.
In other news, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will be “digging into” PS5 haptics, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will reportedly have exclusive content for PSVR 2.
[Source: EA]
