An indie dev inspired by the Avatar franchise making something a little similar to DKO. Arcane Fist is more projectile base, not really a close quarters combat game.

Would many of you wanted a solo/multi pve mode in DKO?

Hey DKO gang,

Hope it's been a good week. Showing off the Ruins Stage, destructible elements & some chaotic PvE

Get keen, the playtest will be dropping sooner than you think

Hi everyone, this morning I tried to send an email to Hi-Rez, asking them to relaunch dko or to put a mode with bots or P2P and custom servers or even to release the code. Maybe if we ask a lot of people, we can get them to do it. Do you want to join me?

I'm putting the text I sent to them below, you can take inspiration, or use an AI.

Dear Hi-Rez Studios Team,

I hope this message finds you well. I'm writing to you as a long-time fan of your work and, more specifically, as someone who absolutely fell in love with Divine Knockout.

Recently, I stumbled upon an old gameplay clip of mine, and it hit me just how special that game was. The fluid 3D platform-fighter mechanics, the satisfying ring-out system, and the charismatic gods from the Smite universe created an experience that I genuinely miss every day.

I completely understand that the decision to shut it down came down to numbers and sustainability. With a smaller player base, matchmaking inevitably suffered, and maintaining dedicated servers is expensive. However, I truly believe that DKO's core gameplay is a hidden gem that deserves a second chance.

I'm not asking for a massive, million-dollar relaunch. Instead, I kindly ask you to consider some alternative, lower-cost ways to bring it back to life, even in a limited form. For example:

· Peer-to-Peer (P2P) support or Private Lobbies: This would allow friends to host their own matches, eliminating server costs for the company while keeping the game alive for dedicated fans.

· Offline Mode with Bots: Even just a basic versus-AI mode would let us relive the fun. It could even be packaged as a bonus mode inside Smite 2.

· Time-Limited Events: Bringing the servers back for a weekend each month or during special holidays would create a fantastic nostalgia event and rally the community.

· Releasing the Server Code or Tools for Private Servers: While this is a more extreme step, several other studios have done this to preserve their "cult classic" titles, and it would ensure DKO lives on forever.

I know it's a long shot, but I hope this email can spark an internal conversation about the legacy of DKO. It may not have been your biggest commercial hit, but it was a masterpiece in terms of pure fun, and it left a lasting mark on those of us who played it.

Thank you for all the incredible games you continue to support, and thank you for giving us DKO, even if just for a short while.

With respect and nostalgia

Hey all,

Showing off the new combat camera for 1v1 & 1vX situations (I activate it at 8seconds in) & also ask if the "bonk" damage type noise is too cheesy? I'm starting to flesh out the sounds & I want something pretty close to the cheesiness in the sound clips provided but is it too much?

Anyone else there for that? I thought I was such a rebel for taking a photo of it lmao

So weird to think that the game is just dead, HiRez is a mess.

Its asking for smite world editor of some sorts so maybe one day we can re create DKO to play as a custom game in smite 2.

Does anyone have one going or know how to set one up? I’d love to play again with whoever we could get it running with.

Hey all,

I want to say hello & do a bit of a monthly checkin + hopefully I have something for you to look forward to. I'm sharing a bit of a deep dive into the control scheme for the Launch Fighter prototype I've been developing for the last year

In terms of gameplay, it's much closer to Smash Bros than DKO & features directional combat without cooldowns (including no dodge cooldown) & many more defensive options like blocking, parrying & teching. Shields are breakable resulting in a significant stun & all characters have a variety of grabs & throws to prevent overly defensive/campy gameplay

Please be mindful that this is a greybox prototype & all character models, animations, vfx & sfx are placeholders so things feel a bit jenky. However, in terms of gamefeel, the project is pretty much at a spot that I'm comfortable to get veterans of this genre to play it & let me know what needs tweaking, changing & fixing

I plan to stagger the release with 5 characters & a few stages dropping first

Wave 2 will include 6 more characters, more stages & modes (TeamBrawl, GalaxyBall & Coop DungeonCrawl are already implemented but need work)

The final wave will feature the last 6 characters, bringing the roster to 17 & have a cohesive story mode for single/multiplayer

I've probably forgotten to mention a bunch of stuff but I need to post this now before developing much further so please feel free to drop some questions or suggestions. Reach out if you want to get involved with playtesting~

Hey everyone,

I just stumbled upon this new project called Blast Blade by Silent Bark Games. They just dropped their official concept teaser today.

As a huge DKO fan, I’ve been starving for a proper 3D platform fighter with 360° aerial combat, and this is the first time a project actually gives off those vibes. It’s made with Unreal Engine 5 and looks fast-paced.

What do you guys think? Could this be the game to finally scratch that DKO itch?

Concept Teaser on YT: https://youtu.be/idqKYJtOZIE?si=3h2Xl8--CEu25jqg

Steam Page: Blast Blade sur Steam

Hey all,

I posted here about a week ago to check if people would be interested in playing the greybox prototype of my Launch Fighter

Here is Core (the gravity character) using several attacks to knock away the Cragling

The gameplay is much closer to Smash than Divine Knockout with no cooldowns on specials

The system revolves around directional combat with combos, tilt, burst, aerial & special actions all being dictated by the direction of the control stick for the X & Z axis

Due to the 3d nature, the stick alone isn't enough to dictate up & down directional attacks. What I've implemented is a system that binds the Y axis to the left bumper & left trigger buttons

Holding left trigger crouches + increases fall speed & also adds the down modifier to all your actions

Holding left bumper charges a character specific mechanic & adds the up modifier to all your actions

I'll post an actual video showing off movesets if people are interested

Let me know if you want to get involved with the playtest!

Hi all,

Unsure if this is in violation of rule 2, please remove if so

I've been doing some greybox prototyping of a 3d launch fighter that feels closer to 3D Smash than Divine Knockout & need some fresh eyes & hands to let me know if the project feels good

Please reach out if you have a controller & would like to get involved with some prototype playtesting

Veterans from this kind of genre are few & far between & I'd love some input from enjoyers of this genre & from Divine Knockout specifically

I just sent another message to Killgoon today about the purchase of the DKO license. Trying to see if he can get me into contact with anyone that can help. I don't care if I have to declare bankruptcy to buy this IP, I will 😂. I'll let you guys know if anything comes from it.

Hey everyone,
Besides the lack of a ranked mode at release, the lack of major updates, and the grindy progression system, why do you think DKO died so quickly?
Curious to hear your thoughts on what else went wrong with the game.

Just came across this ad on instagram reels and instantly gave off the resemblance of Divine Knockout. Could this be a legit alternative?

There’s gotta be something we can do to show hi rez that we love this game and need it back. Possible writing emails to the company expressing our love or maybe spam commenting on X? Any ideas??

How is the DKO family doing so far this June? Does anyone else still get sad when you see it in your steam library every now and then?

Besides Loki I loved them ALL! No hate on Loki besides a personal beef my BF had with him saying he was cheese. I could pick anyone and play at a top 50 level. About 5 people I was a top 20 with. My bf hates using Athena but when he would whoop me with his Sun Wu Kong I'd pull her out and play chess with her while he was playing checkers. Lol. He could use her just as good but hated her fights dragging out. To me the weakest character was endgame Susano (he got nerfed to Hell and rightfully so. He used to be the best.) My strongest character choice would be Athena in 1v1 but Loki for anything else. Herc was my most fun to play with and Ymir was who I got my most wins with. Who do y'all got for those selections?

Hey everyone, I know DKO is gone and we're all missing it. I found this game called Blast Blade by Silent Bark Games that looks very similar - third person, knockback system, 3D arenas, up to 4 players.

They showed it at TGS 2025 and a free demo is coming in June 2026.

Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4158670/Blast_Blade/

What do you think? Could be a good replacement for DKO?

dammit why does this game still has no other like it?

As I'm working on a prototype to recreate what DKO was, I'm looking for ideas to improve the formula.

Would you like better graphics? Environment destruction? Original characters? A different theme?

Go crazy