EA's temporary free-to-play ballgame "Knockout City" has attracted more than 2 million players in its first few days of release, the publisher announced last night.

Sorry to be sarcastic, but I was sort of prepared for "Knockout City" to fall flat as soon as it arrived. The game's reveal trailer was widely derided, Tyler walked away feeling unimpressed from the early previews, EA had just seen the failure of "Rocket Arena" (a similarly quirky arena shooter), what hope was there for 3vs3 dodgeball?

Nevertheless, this dodgeball seems to have taken off.

Now, it probably helps that "Knockout City" is free to play for the first 10 days, making it easier to get a foot in the door of super-powerful dodgeball. The game also launched with full cross-play, and every possible effort was made to keep the playerbase intact.

But it also seems that Knockout City is simply a fun, accessible, and surprisingly complex competitive shooter. This magazine's Morgan has been playing it all week and sees it as potentially the freshest multiplayer game of the year.

"I was impressed with how harmonious Knockout City's mechanics are; even when grouped together in 1vs3, you have a chance to dodge or catch the balls being sent your way. The basic rules of dodgeball naturally create a comeback scenario where I catch/throw/catch/throw repeatedly until I am the last one standing. It is truly intoxicating."

It remains to be seen how long "Knockout City" can sustain this audience when it posts a $20 price tag at the end of the month. But with the game's first season starting today (bringing new maps, playlists, and ranked league play), Knockout City doesn't look like it will be running away any time soon.