Vive Studios, the virtual reality (VR) content development and publishing initiative from HTC VIVE™, today brings classic arcade-style boxing to VR with the early access launch of Knockout League. The title is developed by Grab Games, a studio founded by former Konami developers and comprising veterans with more than 10 years of game making experience. Knockout League is a fast-paced VR experience inspired by console fighting game favorites in both game play and visual style. The title is available today for HTC Vive on Steam for the special early access price of $17.99.
“We’re excited to be supporting great developers at Vive Studios, and partnering with Grab Games on Knockout League is another step forward in bringing high quality, super fun VR experiences to market,” said Joel Breton, Head of Vive Studios. “Knockout League is a fast-paced boxing game that will give you a real work out, combining the action of arcade-style fighting games with the thrill of physically fighting opponents in VR.”
Knockout League is a single-player boxing game built from the ground up for motion-control and VR, with intuitive gameplay that makes players use their body as they move, dodge and fight. Players feel the thrill of accurate punches and movement as they stand literally toe-to-toe with fighters. Taking inspiration from classics in the genre, Knockout League features a colorful cast of characters, pitting players against foes ranging from classic boxers to fantastic creatures. In the early access version, players have a chance to experience the first four fighters in the game, each with a different fighting style. During early access, the game will also include a tutorial training mode to teach key game strategies along with mini-games such as speed bag to get players warmed up and ready to fight.
“As huge fans of the boxing genre, we’ve always wanted to build a unique action-based boxing game, and Vive gives us the perfect platform to realize that vision,” said Anthony Borquez, CEO of Grab Games. “We’re eager to see how gamers embrace this kind of VR experience and give us feedback on early access as we create future content. Our team has more than ten years of experience in game development – we’re passionate about games and we want to bring the same kind of memorable experiences to virtual reality.”
Vive Studios and Grab Games will continue to add content between now and the launch of the full version of Knockout League, expected in Q2 of 2017. In addition, Grab Games is planning to add compatibility for the recently announced Vive Tracker. The Vive Tracker enables developers to incorporate everyday objects into VR, building the foundation for the introduction of new accessories that can further enhance the most immersive VR experience available.
Knockout League is available now for the Vive virtual reality system on Steam (http://store.steampowered.com/app/488920/) at the early access price of $17.99 USD. The title is also available in China on Viveport, HTC’s VR app store.
