Sportsball is now in active development!

As of 3/27/25, FKD and The Shaggy39 Studio aim to continue developing Sportsball for a Steam release by late 2026! These builds on itch.io will continue to stay public as the pre-alpha version (or “college” version), while the new “official” version will be released separately in the future. New characters, stages, modes, and a new art style are currently in progress; follow us on social media for the latest updates!

Remember that FKD is only a team of voluntary contributors who work on our own time. We thank you for your patience!

What’s new?

Thanks to The Shaggy39 Studio, Sportsball now runs in a new “engine” that we’ll use for the full release! You can try it out now in the latest 1.2.0 build. We’re also releasing the 1.1.0 build for archival purposes, which was originally seen during the LIU Games Showcase 2024. You can view early in-engine footage here:

This new update includes new UI, movesets, scoring mechanics, and tweaks to controls and stages. Most notably, Cube was originally a secret character in the old 1.0 build, but now is unlocked from the start! Unfortunately, some features had to be removed, but will be reworked in the future.

Also, you can find a new How To Play guide with a stage banning ruleset for running tournaments on our main itch page.

Ver 1.2.0 changelog:

• New game physics
  • Ball collision & rebounding is significantly more consistent
  • Knockback, hitboxes, and movement have been reworked to match other Smash Bros. games
  • Uses the new Unity input system for controls
  • Camera no longer puts players or ball out of focus
• New mechanics:
  • Players can damage each other, reduce HP to 0 for a big opening
  • Launch opponents into goal to score, if their HP is 0
  • Grab opponents like ball when they’re at 0 HP
  • Carrying ball drains health, limited time to hold it
• Gamepad controls: grab is mapped differently (the "east" button)
• Can crouch / teabag
• New character movesets & resprites
• Competitively legal stages
• New UI
• Stuff taken out (compared to 1.0.1):
  • Tutorial (incompatible)
  • Arcade Mode & Omega Square boss (will be revamped later)
  • Stage hazards & distractions (will be revamped later)
  • Training Mode (incompatible)
  • Win Screens & victory lines (will be revamped later)

We want to hear from you!

If you’d like to answer a few questions for our 1.2.0 build, fill out the form below. We strive to improve Sportsball for our future release, so your feedback is much appreciated!

feedback form