Patch 7.0

One of the most exciting Seasons of Knockout City has arrived! A new map, Private Match customization, increased Brawler Slots, a brand new Brawl Pass, Deep Space Dispatches, and a whole cast of characters take center stage with countless other additions and improvements. And oh yeah, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are in town and have traded in their weapons for dodgeballs! Read on below for details on all these features, as well as updates to League Play, matchmaking, Ultimate Throws, and more!

New Features and Improvements

Season 7: Mutant Mutiny!

Join the Mutant Mutiny with Neon, Goober, Susan, Ratfink, and the latest crossover visitors: the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

• New 100-Level Brawl Pass with new Weekly Brawl Pass Contracts and premium rewards at every level including Outfits, Gliders, Poses, Holobux, and other mutant-themed and TMNT cosmetics.
• New Deep Space Dispatches introduces a brand new cast of characters and their story, chronicling their fight for equality and a rightful place among Knockout City’s brawlers.
• New League Play Season featuring Team KO and the addition of Classic Face-Off, with a new set of cosmetic rewards for only the most skilled and competitive brawlers in the city.
• New Weekly Crew Contracts with mutant-themed Crew Cosmetics all Season long for you and your Crew to earn together.
• And of course, Chonky is still totally hopelessly lost in KO City, so keep on the lookout for all his new hiding spots in each map!

New Map: Sludge Works

The new map has been added to all playlists in Street Play, League Play, and Private Match.

• This map takes place by the sewers of an industrial zone, which serves as Magpie Industries’ unregulated dumping ground. The controllers shut down, and now the goo is flowing over capacity! Electrical and waste management facilities are running as best they can despite the slimy situation, and a Boba Cola factory steadily whips up batches of “The Bubbly Brew You Love To Chew.”
• Periodically, a giant pipe in the center of the map begins dumping sludge into the area that slowly rises, changing the area throughout the match as old paths are cut off and new platforming opportunities present themselves.
• Once the sludge levels get too high, you’ll hear a warning siren and the sludge will rapidly drain.
• For some dedicated practice in Sludge Works, jump into the Sludge Works Showdown Playlist featured in Street Play during the first two weeks of the Season, or all Season long in Private Match.

New Training: Training 10 - Sludge Works

• A new training session has been added that allows you to explore the new map, learn about its mechanics in more detail, hear the DJ’s thoughts on the area, and even catch up on some of the ins and outs of Season 6’s Boomerang Ball.
• From the Main Menu, go to Play and then Training to find the new training session.

Private Match Customization

In Private Match, you can now override the Special Ball types, Map selection, and presence of Bots in most playlists.

• From the Private Match menu, highlight the Playlist you want to play and select Advanced Options to bring up the customization menu.
• Most Playlists will allow you to choose a specific Special Ball Type or Map to use the next time you run that Private Match. If a Playlist doesn’t allow for this (like Classic Team KO for example), the option will be locked. Only some Playlists currently support Bots, like Team KO and all of its variants, with support for more Playlists coming in future Seasons.
• Closing the menu saves your settings, then you are free to launch the Private Match Playlist. These settings will be saved until you change them again or reboot the game.
• The Private Match matchmaking UI in the bottom right corner has been updated to display the current Private Match settings to everyone in your Group.
• You also have the ability to open the Advanced Options menu from the Rematch/Results screen after the end of each match if you want to change the settings for the next match without returning to the Hideout. You cannot access this from the Choose Teams screen, however.

Dev Note: The reason you can’t change this from the Choose Teams screen is because by the time you reach this screen, the map and ball have already been selected and loaded so that the match can start at soon as everyone readies up.‍

Increased Brawler Slots

You can now double your number of custom characters by purchasing up to three more Brawler Slots.

• To add a new Brawler, go to Customization from the Main Menu, and at the bottom of the screen you will see the option to Add Brawler.
• Select Add Brawler to then purchase another Brawler Slot for 500 Holobux.
• Repeat this process to continue buying Brawler Slots. The Add Brawler option will disappear after you’ve purchased all three slots.
• The Swap Brawler UI element has been updated to a carousel to allow for the additional Brawler Slots.

Ultimate Throw: Fast Fall

When you are Ultimate Thrown, you now have the ability to trigger a FAST FALL!

• Once you hit the apex of the Ultimate Throw, a button prompt will appear at the top of the screen.
• Pressing this button immediately increases the speed of your descent, which also triggers a sound effect that anyone in the area can hear if they’re paying attention.
• This makes using Ultimate Throws at higher skill levels a more viable offensive option.
• To ensure Ultimate Throws feel more fair to defend against, we have also improved the readability of the graphic on the ground below an incoming Ultimate Throw. The glow on the ground has a harder edge to it to better represent how close to the ground the Ultimate Throw is and what the blast radius will be just before it hits the ground, and the residual impact crater now has a more accurate and defined edge to it to help reinforce whether someone was clearly in the blast radius or not after the explosion.

Classic Face-Off in League Play

Face-Off is BACK in League Play! As before, it is a second Playlist option in addition to Team KO.

• Face-Off has been renamed Classic Face-Off to more accurately reflect the fact that there are no Special Balls in the Playlist.
• In Street Play and Private Match, a NEW Face-Off Playlist has been created that contains 2 Special Balls in each Match, just like Team KO. This new version of Face-Off joins Classic Face-Off and Party Face-Off as options in Private Match and occasional Daily Playlists in Street Play.
• Face-Off has improved Danger Zone behavior to help speed up matches and reduce the prolonged “hide and seek” period at the start of each Round/Respawn. The Danger Zone now starts closing significantly faster than before, then slows down significantly more once it gets small. This more quickly brings the two brawlers together into the new area of the map, and then allows for a skill-based face-off to take place with plenty of time before the Danger Zone closes completely.

REMINDER: Your League Play and Leaderboard rewards at the end of the Season are based on the HIGHEST rank you achieve in either Playlist. So for example, if you reach Platinum in Team KO and Diamond in Classic Face-Off, then you’ll receive the Diamond Rewards at the end of the Season.

Other League Play Improvements

• Team KO has had the Classic loadout (Basic Balls only) added to the list of possible Ball Types that can be randomly chosen at the start of the match.
• With the addition of the Classic loadout and the removal of the Any Balls loadout from an earlier Season, we have now added League Play Team KO to the list of Private Matches so you can practice or run tournaments using the same exact version of Team KO that’s used in League Play.
• The Win Spread used to break Skill Rating ties on the Diamond Rank Leaderboards now includes all League Play matches played that Season, instead of just matches played while at Diamond Rank. This will help provide better placements for players just entering Diamond Rank at SR 0. (As a reminder, Win Spread is only used to break ties on the Leaderboard and is now calculated as total wins in League Play that Season minus total losses in League Play that Season.)

Matchmaking Improvements

Improvements to the matchmaking system are ongoing on the backend throughout each Season. However, here are some more noticeable improvements coming with Season 7:

• When searching for a League Play match takes a significant amount of time, matchmaking will now expand to include a wider range of possible Tier matchups.
• When searching for a League Play or Street Play match takes a significant amount of time, the system will check to see if you have Cross-Play OFF or Manual Region Selection ON and present you with an option to quickly switch back to Automatic Region Selection and Cross-Play ON to speed up matchmaking.
• When searching for a League Play or Street Play match takes a significant amount of time, the Inactivity Timer will increase significantly to prevent you from accidentally being booted for inactivity.
• Another fix has been made to an edge case that sometimes prevented a replacement player from being found if a player dropped from the match before it started.
• Additional checks have been added to help prevent you from joining a match in progress that’s only a few seconds from ending.
• When a player drops out of a match, a notification will now appear onscreen notifying you when the system is searching for a replacement player, and again when a replacement player has been found.

Street Play Bots

As previously promised, Bots are now coming to Street Play. Most players will not notice this at first, as they are only being tested in certain regions and in certain playlists, but over the course of the next few Seasons, they will be improved and added to more regions and playlists.

• If a player drops from a match, a Bot may immediately take their place while the matchmaking system searches for a replacement player. Once a replacement is found, they will replace the Bot as soon as they spawn into the map.
• When searching for a Street Play match takes a significant amount of time, the remaining open slots may be filled with Bots so the match can start. The matchmaking system will continue searching for players during the Intro Cinematic and during the match, and once replacements are found, they will replace the Bot as soon as they spawn into the map.
• These Bots may appear in Team KO and other similar Playlists. (The same Playlists in which Bots are supported in the Private Match Advanced Options feature.)
• These Bots may ONLY appear in Street Play (or Private Match if you add them), but NEVER in League Play.
• These Bots are always labeled with a Bot icon on the Player Card in the UI (in place of the platform icon).

As a reminder, ever since Season 3, the first 5-10 matches for new players will always contain Bots (unless playing in a Group with non-new players). Their first match is always all Bots, then based on how well they perform the next 5-10 matches will contain fewer and fewer Bots to allow them to play against other new players.

Hideout Ball Customization

The Hideout Ball can now be customized in the Customization Menu, found in the Main Menu (the same place you go to customize your Brawler).

• Go to the Hideout Ball category to choose which Hideout Ball you want to spawn in the middle of the soccer field rooftop.
• New Hideout Balls can be purchased in the Brawl Shop. The Season 7 Hideout Ball is a Beach Ball, sporting a larger size and different physics than the Soccer Ball. The Beach Ball is also available to buy all Season-long as part of a package deal in the new S7 Fundle Bundle in the Bundle Tab of the Brawl Shop.
• Hideout Balls also now have Styles that can be hacked using Style Chips. Both the new Beach Ball and the original Soccer Ball both have three additional Styles to be unlocked through the Customization menu.

NOTE: Like the Trophy Case, Crew Cosmetics and Jukebox Tracks, the Hideout Ball that spawns in the Hideout is based on who the Group Leader was when the Hideout was entered.

New Energy Drink: Strawberry Snapback

A new Energy Drink has been added to the game:

• Strawberry Snapback: Hits within 3 seconds of Catching a ball earn +25 Bonus XP for 1 hour.

Like all Energy Drinks, Strawberry Snapback comes in 1-Packs, 2-Packs, 4-Packs, and 6-Packs, and can be acquired in the following ways:

• Purchasable from the Brawl Shop.
• Purchasable from some Event Shops.
• Rewarded at certain Levels of the Season 7 Brawl Pass.
• Rewarded at certain Ranks in Season 7 League Play.
• Randomly rewarded from Energy Drink levels in Street Rank.
• Randomly rewarded from Daily Login Bonuses.

New Crew Vehicle: Pickup Truck

• The Pickup Truck has been added as a new Crew Vehicle type.

Collect all the unique new variations of the Pickup Truck in different places throughout the game:

• Crew Contracts
• Brawl Pass
• Brawl Shop

Alien Smash Site: Map Improvements

There are several additional changes for Alien Smash Site to help provide faster navigation both with and without the UFO Saucers and to help reduce the effectiveness of camping in the Cow Barn (a.k.a. the Milk Room).

• The speed of the UFO Saucers in Alien Smash Site have been increased back to their original faster speeds. However, you will still slow down significantly when charging a ball.
• A Bounce Pad has been added to the lower platform attached to the hover truck to give more pathing options (and escape routes for some of those tricky Danger Zone closures).
• The Ball Spawner in the Cow Barn has been moved even further back onto the wooden path behind the barn.
• Some pipes have been added inside the Cow Barn to eliminate one of the hiding spots.

Taunt Improvements

Several Taunts have been updated to remove some overly toxic aspects to them that aren’t aligned with the inclusiveness we strive for and the lighthearted attitude we intended with the system.

• All Taunts that used the “cuckoo sign” character animation now use a different animation. This animation has been removed from the game.
• All Taunts that used the “doi” VO now use a different VO. This VO has been removed from the game.
• The Taunt with the cuckoo clock graphic and sound effect has been renamed Wake Up!

New Music: Underground Beatdown

• Three hot new tracks from The Soundlings have been added, styled after a new in-game band: Underground Beatdown!

About Underground Beatdown: You want underground music? You got it! This band is so underground they haven’t seen the sun in years! This band is so underground you need a mining drill to see them! I tell ya, this band is so underground they use dinosaur bones for drums! Underground Beatdown was born in the dark of the sewer, but their music will light your way to a better future!

• Track 1: Into the Neon Light
• Track 2: My Right 2 Fight
• Track 3: What Doesn’t KO You Makes You Stranger

All three songs from the new Knockout City band Underground Beatdown are added to the game:

• Added to the Title Screen, matchmaking, and elsewhere for the duration of the Season.
• Permanently added to the random assortment of songs that play during matches for all players.
• Available to purchase individually for your Hideout Jukebox in the Brawl Shop, or for a limited time as a bundle in the S7 Fundle Bundle.

Additional Playlists in Private Matches

Some previously limited-time Playlists have been added to both Private Match as well as the Daily Playlist rotation in Street Play. They include:

• Superpowers!
• Superpowers: Power Grab
• Conflict Escalation: Phase 1
• Conflict Escalation: Phase 2
• Conflict Escalation: Phase 3
• Conflict Escalation: Phase 4

Other New Features and Improvements

• The Respawn System has had some subtle improvements in most Playlists to prevent you from spawning too close to the opposing team, and significant improvements in Elimination Playlists to fix the frequent issue where the two teams would respawn in the opposite locations they were supposed to.
• Basketbrawl Hoops now take full targeting priority when they are onscreen and within lock-on range. Previously they just had really HIGH priority, which created inconsistent and confusing lock-on behavior. Now having more consistent lock-on behavior should make picking your target more reliable.
• The Soccer Ball in the Hideout has improved physics.
• The readability of “Point Callouts” that appear in some Playlists (like Diamond Dash or Water Balloon Fight) have been significantly improved.
• The Deluxe Bundle has been moved to the Bundles Tab of the Brawl Shop. (It was previously located in the Holobux Tab. There are no other changes to the Deluxe Bundle, which is available for $9.99 USD and includes exclusive cosmetics and an extra 1000 Holobux.)
• The Customize Brawler option in the Main Menu has been renamed Customization to better reflect that it contains non-character based customization like Hideout Balls and Player Icons.
• Some new players will encounter a new quick-training sequence the first time they play the game. After testing this further, this may be switched on for all new players. While most people reading this are unlikely to encounter this sequence (since most of you are not new players), any new friends you recruit into the game may need to play through this short sequence before you can group up. But hopefully, they’ll be better prepared to Throw, Catch, and Pass when they get into their matches!

Additional Fixes

• Fixed several cases where players were able to glitch into map geometry.
• Fixed issues allowing players using different combinations of moves to indefinitely camp in unreachable locations.
• Fixed several issues causing occasional hitching during gameplay on PC.
• Fixed issue causing Moon Ball SFX to continue playing after dropping it quickly twice in a row.
• Fixed spectating bugs caused by joining and dropping and rejoining as a spectator multiple times in a row.
• Fixed issue occasionally causing players to be Character Thrown inside their Ultimate Hologram.
• Fixed issue causing player information HUD to be hidden while spectating.
• Fixed issue occasionally causing the Match Rewards Sequence to not trigger.
• Fixed issue causing Loss Forgiveness messaging to be hidden for Diamond Rank matches.
• Fixed issue causing some Crew Contracts to not display proper progress until returning to the Hideout.
• Fixed issue causing previews for Poses to only play audio every other loop.
• Fixed issues sometimes causing the Steam Overlay to fail to open.
• Fixed issue sometimes causing the mouse to stop working after opening the Steam Overlay.
• Fixed issues sometimes causing players to be unable to join Groups through Steam Invites.
• Fixed issue sometimes causing the Brawl Pass XP Contract to progress backwards.
• Fixed issue causing matchmaking to continue even if a Group member gets kicked for Inactivity.
• Fixed the spiky outline around enemies with the Mecha Brawler equipped.
• Fixed more areas where players would incorrectly take damage while in ballform under non-damaging geometry (like the poor old mailbox in Alien Smash Site!).
• Fixed several Crew Contracts that were incorrectly progressing or not progressing based on whether or not you were Grouped with a Crewmate.
• Fixed issues causing the Ballform Invulnerability flashing effect to persist even after KO’d.
• Fixed several issues where Loss Forgiveness, Bonus Points, or Win/Loss/Tie texts were incorrectly displaying during the League Play Results Sequence.
• Fixed a lighting issue on the Boomerang Ball to help make it easier to spot when in shadows.
• Revised Common Face M due to some minor rigging issues with the original
• Various other fixes and improvements.

Known Issues

The Season 6 League Play Leaderboard Rewards (i.e. Top 1000 and above Player Icons and bonus Holobux for Leaderboard placement) will be delayed until sometime shortly after launch of Season 7. 

• We made the decision to delay the rewards to give us time to fix an issue with the Win Spread calculation that was discovered by some eagle-eyed members of the community just a few days before the Season ended. 
• Once this is fixed and the Leaderboard positions are corrected, the Leaderboard Rewards will be re-enabled and any qualifying players will receive their rewards the next time they log into the game. 
• Note that this only affects the Leaderboard Rewards for players that ranked 1000 or higher. All other League Play rewards will be granted normally the first time you log in during Season 7.

Additional known issues:

• Currently, high-skilled players are joining matches in progress at an abnormally high rate. We believe we have identified the issue and will be deploying a speculative fix early in Season 7.
• We caught an unexpected issue today, and The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Bundle is delayed for Nintendo Switch players in some regions. For those regions, it will be available by no later than September 12th. We’re sorry for the wait, but we’ll have you brawling as Leo, Raph, Mikey, and Donny as soon as we can. Thanks for your patience!
• Currently, high-skilled players are joining matches in progress at an abnormally high rate. We believe we have identified the issue and will be deploying a speculative fix early in Season 7.

As always, we appreciate those of you who take the time to notify Support when you encounter something strange in the game. These reports help us track down and reproduce the issues you’re seeing, and lead to a better gameplay for everyone. You can get help at help.knockoutcity.com and stay up to date on progression of current issues on our public Trello board.