Get ready to throw down with your toys. Bit Bot is publishing Knock Off: The Battle for Imagination, a fast-paced 2D fighting game that turns the action figures of ’80s and ’90s childhoods into a colorful, hard-hitting arcade brawler.
Developed by Mecanimal with developer and publishing support from Bit Bot, Knock Off brings classic toy-box nostalgia together with modern fighting-game mechanics. Players can expect air combos, launchers, EX moves, supers, strategic matchups, and plenty of plastic-fueled personality when the game arrives on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S in 2027.
At the heart of the game is Johnny, whose beloved collection was never exactly name-brand—but that never made his toys any less legendary. Everything changes when Maximus, Johnny’s first official brand-name action figure, storms into the arena. Now the bootlegs have something to prove.
The result is a fighting game built around a wonderfully simple childhood fantasy: What if our toys actually came to life?
“Everything about Knock Off’s era of tactile nostalgia and deep yet simple VS combat speaks to me as a gamer and the kid I once was,” said Frank O’Connor, former Halo Franchise Creative Director and current Creative Director at Bit Bot.
And there’s plenty here for fighting-game fans beyond the nostalgia. A fully voiced arcade mode offers a single-player gauntlet, while online battles feature rollback netcode, customizable matchmaking, global rankings, and tournament play. Local multiplayer is also on the menu, alongside unlockable ’80s and ’90s-inspired secrets and a retro beat-’em-up minigame.
