Knockout City's season 3 "Hacked" introduces a new map and battle pass

Knockout City's third season, Hacked, will drop on 5th October, 2021, complete with hacking, motorbikes, a battle pass, and a brand new map, too.

"Season 3 is just a short way away, and we've got a lot to cover with everything that's goin' on around here," developer Velan teased in an update on the official EA website.

"Speaking of, it's a little... different out there. Seems like the DJ isn't the only one who's been paying attention to what's going on in Knockout City - looks like we got an extra visitor here with us. Keeps poppin' in and lookin' around, calls themself Z3R0. Not sure how they got here, but pretty sure it's got something to do with this Season's theme. They've taken over the airwaves and it sounds like they're here to stay."

As for who Z3R0 is? That remains to be seen, but the studio teases that "the ambience in Season 3 sets the perfect mood for a mystery" and explains that the first thing you'll notice when you visit your Hideout from launch day is "a glitchy, techy vibe".

New map Lockdown Throwdown is a prison yard on island penitentiary Folsom Prison, complete with spotlight drones and security turrets, the former of which will notify your enemies of your position, and the latter will lock you in the dreaded Cage Ball.

There's also a new battle pass coming, too. Running alongside Street Rank rather than replace it, Brawl Pass lets you level up and unlock new cosmetics, offering "100 levels with unique rewards to score along the way". Like many other games these days, it offers both a free and a premium version; the former unlocks goodies every five levels, whilst the latter rewards every level progressed.

"Levels unlock as you finish matches, earn XP, and complete Brawl Pass Contracts. Each week, you'll see 6 new weekly Brawl Pass Contracts that you can track progress on as you play, and leveling up will grant exclusive new Cosmetics, Crew Vehicles, Energy Drinks, Style Chips, Holobux and more!" adds the blog post.

"While it's great to see a studio enthusiastically cater for a family-friendly audience so often over-looked by some developers, and it's undeniably refreshing to play something unashamedly confident and colourful, beyond some truly worthless cosmetics, Knockout City offers very little to keep players coming back for more," I said when I reviewed the game earlier this year. "Here's hoping developer Velan Studios moves swiftly to clearly define a development roadmap before even Knockout City's most ardent supporters tire of its repetitive gameplay loop and start looking for something else."

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