During CES 2017 earlier this month the Vive Showcase featured a number of titles on demonstration, one of which was Knockout League from Grab Games. Today Vive Studios, which develops in-house as well as supporting other studios, has announced the launch of the boxing title for HTC Vive.
An early access videogame on Steam Knockout League is a single-player boxing game built specifically for virtual reality (VR). Players will stand toe-to-toe with a range of fighters, using their body to intuitively move, dodge and fight. For the the early access version, there will be four fighters to face, each with a different fighting style. There’s Tri-Tip – a Brazilian bruiser with tenderizing fists of fury; Crimson Fang – a warrior princess with an ancient mystical mask; Scurvy Jones – a scourge of the seven seas alongside his trusty parrot Petey; and Sir Octopunch – a prim and proper powerhouse with plenty of gloves to beware of.
Knockout League also includes 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.
“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.”
The full version of Knockout League is expected in Q2 of 2017, with Vive Studios and Grab Games continuing to add content between now and then.
“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.”
Knockout League can be downloaded via Steam with a limited time discount, dropping the price from £14.99 GBP to £13.49 until 31st January 2017. The Steam listing also includes support for Oculus Rift.
For further updates from Grab Games, keep reading VRFocus.