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'Rocket League' will replace randomized loot crates with 'blueprints'
Psyonix revealed in August it planned to kill off Rocket League's randomized loot crates. It's now laid out how it will replace them: with a new type of drop called blueprints.
'Rocket League' is ditching randomized loot crates
Game publishers will soon have to disclose the likelihood of players claiming rare items in loot boxes in their console games, following an agreement between many of them, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. Psyonix had already revealed the odds of Rocket League players getting an ultra-rare black market item. However, it's getting rid of those paid, randomized loot crates.
How Panic Button became masters of the Switch port
The Switch is a remarkable little machine. Part handheld and part home console, the device is home to some wonderful Nintendo-made exclusives such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey. It's also home to some rock-solid ports, including Rocket League and the Nazi-slaying Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. These versions are visibly inferior to their PS4, Xbox One and PC counterparts, with murky textures and adaptive resolutions that frequently hover below 720p. Still, they are undeniably impressive, offering the same ferocious gunplay and bombastic humor whether you're playing at home or the back of a bus. The wizards behind these seemingly-impossible ports? Panic Button, a developer in Austin, Texas with less than 50 employees. It's an unusual specialty -- some companies, such as Bluepoint Games, have earned a reputation on their ability to remake and remaster classic titles such as Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and Shadow of the Colossus. Few, though, are able to match Panic Button's skill at bringing so-called 'triple-A' games to effectively tablet-grade hardware.
'Rocket League' is mining the '80s for nostalgia-tinted DLC
Rocket League fans, it's time to slap on your aviators, grab a hoverboard and fire up your favorite '80s playlist for a Radical Summer. Psyonix is tapping into the decade's pop culture tentpoles for the game's biggest event to date, lasting all summer long.
Epic buys 'Rocket League' creator Psyonix (updated)
Epic's determination to score exclusives for its game store now includes buying well-known studios. The company has acquired Rocket League creator Psyonix for an unspecified amount, and will bring the vehicular soccer game to the Epic Games Store by late in 2019. Needless to say, that has people worried about Rocket League's fate -- will it disappear from Steam? Epic said it had "not announced plans" to stop selling the game on Steam, but it's only guaranteeing that existing customers will "continue to be supported."
The first 'Rocket League' Hot Wheels car arrives this month
Want a tangible sign of your devotion to Rocket League, but would rather not drop $180 on an RC car kit or even several dollars on a Pull-Back Racer? Don't worry, you can buy something with your pocket change. Hot Wheels is launching its first Rocket League die-cast car, the Octane, later in December for a very modest $1.09. You can't really set up miniature matches when only the blue will be available at first (orange doesn't show up until 2019), but this should let you race Rocket League-style on Hot Wheels tracks.
'Rocket League' cross-platform profiles delayed until 2019
Rocket League's cross-platform profile system, RocketID, has been pushed back until early next year. Psyonix said that it's working "incredibly hard to ensure that it's as intuitive, stable and polished as possible, before releasing it to the world." When it arrives, RocketID will enable cross-platform parties and friend connections.
'Rocket League' Clubs help you compete as a team
Rocket League is practically tailor-made for team play, but actually organizing a team within the game? Not so simple. Psyonix is about to make it considerably easier, thankfully. As part of an upcoming Progression Update, it's introducing a Clubs feature that lets up to 20 players unite and compete as a team. You can create custom team colors and tags, too. Some details will remain under wraps until closer to release, but this could be helpful for esports and anyone who wants to play with a close-knit group.
The rarest 'Rocket League' items only drop 1 percent of the time
Rocket League developer Psyonix wants you to know the chances of scoring a black market item for your ride, up front. Drop rates are as follows: rare (55 percent), very rare (28 percent), import (12 percent), black market (1 percent), painted attribute (25 percent), certified attribute (25 percent). "These drop rates have been the same since our Crates and Keys system launched in September 2016," the Psyonix blog post says.
'Rocket League's' next add-on is a 'Jurassic World' crossover
The Rocket League team is keeping up its recent habit of releasing add-ons themed around pop culture icons. It's launching a Jurassic World car pack on June 18th that -- surprise -- includes Jeep Wranglers like the sort you'd see roaming around Isla Nublar. On top of appropriate blue team (Jurassic World) and red team (Jurassic Park) vehicle skins, you'll also find a hard hat topper, appropriate banners and flags (including nods to InGen and Mr. DNA) and a roaring T. Rex goal animation.
'Rocket League' DLC adds DC superhero flair on March 5th
When car-soccer game Rocket League was updated last November, it included two DC Comics-inspired customization options like The Flash wheels and player banner. On March 5th, the game will get an entire roster of Justice League cars from Warner Bros., including two different Batmobiles -- one from the 1989 film and the other from Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises.
Play ‘Rocket League’ IRL with a Hot Wheels RC car kit
After arriving on the Nintendo Switch in November, there's few places Rocket League hasn't reached -- but soon it will hit the real world. No, not in actual rocket-boosted vehicles, which would be way cooler to watch than a show about its eSports competition. Instead, fans will soon be able to race around in Hot Wheels-brand RC car replicas of the in-game vehicles.
TBS series will spotlight 'Rocket League' tournament's top teams
We know that both TV channels and streaming services are getting in on eSports, but if there's one game that can break through to the mainstream it's (arguably) Rocket League. RC cars playing soccer in a gravity-defying stadium -- what's not to like? And, it seems TBS agrees, as it's signed on to showcase a three-part series on the biggest teams from the Rocket League ELEAGUE Cup. The show will also feature action from the tournament and look at what makes the multiplayer sensation so darn addictive.
'Rocket League' hits Nintendo Switch November 14th
Car soccer fans who've been itching to take their Rocket League fun on the go are about to be rewarded for their patience. The popular competitive video game is set to release on the Nintendo Switch on November 14th for $20.
First 'Rocket League' Halloween event kicks off October 16th
There may be an emerging backlash to loot boxes in video games, but that isn't stopping Psyonix from hyping them up. Rocket League is holding its first-ever Halloween event between October 16th and November 6th, and it's ushering in a new event system that encourages you to earn crates. The more you play online, the more you earn a special event-only currency (Candy Corn) to spend on event-specific keys (Decryptors) that unlock crates holding Halloween-themed perks. You'll occasionally get lucky with crate drops, but you'll otherwise have to buy as many crates and Decryptors as you can.
‘Rocket League’ is almost ready for your next LAN party
More than two years post-launch, Rocket League keeps things fresh with regular updates to its car-based soccer game. We've seen a Dropshot mode added this past March and a ton of freebies in an Anniversary update this past July. Last year, the game received a basketball update in April, a cyberpunk look in June, and some grappling hooks and giant boots that August. Now, developer Psyonix is announcing a massive Autumn update that will bring a host of new additions, including transparent goalposts, LAN play for PC and a Director mode that seems made especially for Rocket League eSports competitions. The new update should drop September 28th.
'Collegiate Rocket League' is invading campuses this fall
The world of competitive gaming has broken out of livestreams and plugged itself into network television. These days, eSports sit alongside traditional sports and popular TV shows on networks ranging from ESPN to TBS. To ensure this industry continues to flourish, developers (such as Riot Games, and Blizzard) are supporting grassroots college eSports groups. And, so too is Psyonix, the company behind the modern multiplayer classic Rocket League. In partnership with college gaming network TeSPA, the developer is putting its weight behind a new competitive college league.
'Rocket League' packs tons of freebies in its 'Anniversary' update
No, cross-console multiplayer isn't in today's Anniversary update for Rocket League. But thankfully there's enough (free!) stuff on offer here to take some of the sting off of Sony's sustained stubbornness. We're talking Rick and Morty customization options -- including a Mr. Poopy Butthole topper -- new music, fresh cars and the ability to change your ride's engine audio. Oh, there's a new stadium to tool around in as well. The update will start rolling out later today, at 6pm Eastern.
'Rocket League' is the latest X Games eSport on ESPN
Driving giant RC cars around a soccer field and using them to bounce an equally gargantuan ball into the net sounds like the ultimate extreme sport. Unfortunately, Faceit and the X Games will only allow competition in a virtual version of that this year. Of course I'm talking about Rocket League. If you're cool with that, the pair have partnered for the Rocket League Invitational, which will be held in Minneapolis during ESPN's annual extreme sports festival.
'Rocket League' will die without cross-console multiplayer
All online games eventually die. But the difference between the original version of World of Warcraft and, say, Call of Duty: Ghosts is that WoW was more of a service on an open system (PC). Players were able to gradually migrate to its annual expansions while remaining a part of the overall population. Comparatively, CoD is a franchise with annual sequels on several different pieces of hardware, each with cordoned-off players who jump from one game to the next. But sometimes you don't want to stop playing a game just because seemingly everyone has moved on after 14 months. Rocket League developer Psyonix's Jeremy Dunham has an idea for how to fix these fractured player bases: opening up cross-platform multiplayer.
