EA partners with Mario Kart Live studio for Knockout City

Electronic Arts has partnered with Mario Kart Live developer Velan Studios for team-based multiplayer game Knockout City.

The game is described as “an action-packed team-based multiplayer game that brings skill, depth and style to the game of dodgeball.”

EA said: “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.”

Players in North America and Europe will have the opportunity to play the game on PC during the first beta taking place this weekend, February 20-21 on Origin and Steam.

The full game will be available on May 21 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC, as well as PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S through backwards compatibility with graphical and performance enhancements. The game will also support cross-play and cross-progression across all systems.

When the game launches, EA said players will have access to a free trial for a limited time. Players who choose to purchase the full game for $19.99 will be able to transfer all their progress.

New York-based Velan Studios was formed by the founders of Skylanders developer Vicarious Visions.

CEO Karthik Bala said in a statement: “At Velan we obsess over finding new play experiences. Knockout City starts with the deceptively simple concept of throwing and catching a ball and layers in an incredible amount of skill, depth and style, for a refreshingly fun competitive multiplayer experience that you have to play to believe.

“It ain’t just dodgeball, it’s dodgeBRAWL. Since we first found that magic in the game, we haven’t been able to stop playing and we can’t wait to share that experience with some of you during this weekend’s first closed beta.”