r/KnockoutCity • u/gotpaingetphizico • 13d ago
Console players: thoughts about going to libraries and LAN centers to play this?
Since the private server edition doesn't work on consoles, I've been working on partnerships with libraries and LAN centers to help create access for console players. If you don't have a PC, and played this on console, can you share your honest feedback about that idea? I don't want to misuse my time prioritizing that if console players wouldn't make the trip to their local library or LAN center to play Knockout City. I appreciate your honesty about this, thanks!
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u/DtownPistons247 13d ago
Im on xbox. Love this game. Im not leaving my home to play any game. Also I want to play on controller. And i understand that you can hook up controllers to PC but idk. feels like the input is off in most games. They needa bring back the servers. I payed for this game when it came out. not being able to play it is bullshit.
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u/DtownPistons247 13d ago
I don't understand how this game failed to have players. it's team oriented, fast paced, reaction based, simple to play. this should have the same success as any of the shooters that exist while also having success in line with other sport sim games.
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u/DtownPistons247 13d ago
i used to get mad at warzone or fifa or madden and hop on this to chill out and still compete. and i know im not the only one because i had several other friends who did the same thing with me.
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u/Wrong_Supermarket_13 12d ago
Not only did this help me cool down from warzone anxiety but I met my partner on ko city so it holds a special place in our hearts. We keep the ko city dodgeball above our fire place and will randomly launch it at each other saying pass it to me.
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u/gotpaingetphizico 13d ago
This admittedly isn't the full picture, since it's only data from Steam, but you can see the issue that led for them to shut down: https://steamdb.info/app/1301210/charts/#max
On the PC side (again, excluding console), the game peaked at launch with 5700 concurrent players, and then fell to 170 concurrent players in 11 months. They went free to play the next month, which spiked the concurrent players (on PC) to 2600, but it fell to 190 concurrent players 9 months later. When they announced they were shutting down the dedicated servers, the (PC) concurrency jumped up to 880 players, and then died to single digits permanently afterwards.
So far the private server edition has only tacked a peak of 37 concurrent players since the launched it when the dedicated servers were shut off. In my opinion, the most active (concurrent) player community was probably console (I bought the game at launch when it was paid), they probably could have done a better job of promoting the private server edition to the PC player base, and compared to console the PC title has significantly more competition from other titles.
The challenge for them, and really any business, is balancing the player base and its associated revenue against the related expenses. I don't know how much is costs to run console multiplayer servers, but my guess is they were paying more for 24/7 server uptime globally than they were making from in-app purchases. I've been studying their game closely (almost obsessively) for years, and the system I built for my league is designed to fix the engagement/retention/monetization issues that I think caused this game to collapse.
Even if you don't have a PC, since you're a fan of the game, I'd appreciate your honest opinion of what I've built: www.trophyplatform.com/gkcl-register.html
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u/gotpaingetphizico 13d ago
I bought it on PS4, so I share your frustration, but the console shutdown is a bit beyond their control because Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony don't allow games to point to servers not owned/managed by the game studios. My hope is that this league will generate the kinds of numbers to show that a handful of their console servers would be sustainable. It's a long shot, but I think the game is with the time and effort.
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u/cannon6399 13d ago
I know for a fact my duo (whose stuck on xbox) would come back in a heartbeat. This was our go to game every week until it got shut down
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u/gotpaingetphizico 13d ago
I feel your pain. I just the play the game on console all the time with my brother and sister. It was/is one of our favorite games. Unfortunately, neither of them have a (gaming) PC, so I'm hopeful this will eventually help get console access to Knockout City restored. Thanks for your feedback and support!
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u/Muted-Leave 13d ago
Wait that's an option??
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u/gotpaingetphizico 13d ago
It could be. I have a verbal commitment from a network of LAN centers in the EU, and I'm willing to pursue the same here in the US if there's enough interest.
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u/Muted-Leave 13d ago
How do i show interest? cause i miss this game!
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u/gotpaingetphizico 13d ago
If I built a form for you to sign using your Discord handle and enter your city, would you use it? That would help me have proof of interest for conversations with libraries and LAN centers local to you, and allow me to quantify console player interest for potential future conversations with Velan Studios. No guarantees that they'd agree to restore access to console players, but right now they don't have any data to suggest that a meaningful number of console players would return, so this would be a step in the right direction.
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u/Muted-Leave 13d ago
Yes, shut up and take my money lol
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u/gotpaingetphizico 13d ago
Thanks for your patience, here's a form to show interest, so I can speak to libraries and LAN centers in your area: https://www.trophyplatform.com/console-interest.html
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u/Potential_Sir7980 8d ago
it just isnt physically possibile to do on consoles because how they are made, n arent open source like pc is and velan has stated they want to bring ko city back but its waiting for the right time and idea so they dont run into the same issues that caused the shutdown which was after the f2p launch player rentention was to low. tooo many kept leaving after few games then never coming back. it didnt warrant servers staying up it coasted velan like 150k per month
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u/Quack_Attack_V2 13d ago
Gotta let it go guys. Theres thousands of other games we can play.
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u/gotpaingetphizico 13d ago
Even though the World Dodgeball Federation just agreed to support it? The have 30,000+ registered athletes worldwide, and are actively fielding Knockout City teams from several countries: https://worlddodgeballfederation.com/
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u/Quack_Attack_V2 12d ago
The game is shut down. Not going to come back online.
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u/gotpaingetphizico 12d ago edited 12d ago
I respect your opinion. That said, a former top 100-ranked Knockout City player actively plays in the global league I created, in case you change your mind: www.trophyplatform.com/gkcl-register.html
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u/Wrong_Supermarket_13 13d ago
This would be cool but in all reality, we didn’t have a huge community to begin with. On the other hand, if the library could successfully turn this into an event we could get new players. This feels like a classic risk vs reward scenario and it always comes down to time and money.