It's hard to overestimate how much of a sensation Mediatonic's Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout has been. The cartoonish battle royale was offered to PlayStation Plus users for free throughout August, and became a top five most-downloaded PlayStation Store game in both North America and Europe. Even celebrities have gotten in on the fun, and some are elevating the game to new heights.
The official Twitter account for the Los Angeles Chargers shared a video of Safety Rayshawn Jenkins and Placekicker Michael Badgley playing Fall Guys on the "Oculus" scoreboard that hangs from the newly-constructed SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California today. Fall Guys' social media account responded saying "that's an expensive looking gaming setup," and this is no exaggeration given the two-million pound video board is part of a $5 billion construction project, according to USA Today.
This stadium is home for both the Chargers and the LA Rams, another football team that was relocated from St. Louis, Missouri to the City of Angels in 2016, according to ESPN. The OC Register reports that the Rams played against the Dallas Cowboys in SoFi Stadium Sunday at only 20 percent capacity due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It makes sense for the Chargers to try and get more time in their new digs because of these restraints, and Fall Guys' recent mid-season update means it's as good a time as ever.
While this mid-season update adds elements like "Big Yeetus," a randomly-generating giant spinning hammer, there is a lot more on the way. Fall Guys announced a Medieval-themed Season 2 during Gamescom 2020, and has released both gameplay videos and screenshots to prepare fans for what to expect come October.
For a relatively small game like Fall Guys to be appearing on the jumbotron at a sports stadium is a testament to the success it has achieved, but that popularity is a double-edged sword. Many have accosted Fall Guys for its massive cheater problem, which developer Mediatonic has promised to try and address.
One potential solution to the cheating problem was relatively short lived. Fall Guys created a "Cheater Island" that punished players who the software could tell used hacks, but the idea was scrapped after said cheaters caught on. Luckily, these issues don't appear to have killed the game's momentum, so it should be fun to see which crazy place Fall Guys shows up at next.
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is available now for PC and PS4.
Sources: USA Today, ESPN, OC Register