psyonix
Latest
NBC is the next big TV network to jump into eSports
Seemingly every big TV network wants in on eSports. NBC Sports has revealed that it's launching an international two-on-two Rocket League tournament this summer. It'll start online July 22nd with regional qualifiers using Faceit's eSports platform, but players will eventually face each other in person through studio competitions and the grand finals on August 26th and 27th. Naturally, there will be plenty of video coverage: NBC is promising over 40 hours across both online sources and TV, including live coverage of the finals on NBCSN (in the US) and Syfy (in the UK and other countries).
Compete with Xbox friends when 'Rocket League' arrives on Switch
Rocket League is coming to the Nintendo Switch. That alone is big news, but bigger yet? When it's released this holiday, you'll be able to play against folks on Steam and Xbox One. That's right: When developer Psyonix said that they had cross-platform multiplayer figured out, the studio wasn't bluffing. If it sounds familiar, that's because Microsoft announced that Minecraft would offer cross-play between Nintendo's portable/home console hybrid earlier this week. The port will have Mario and Luigi hats and a few battle cars exclusive to the platform as well. What's more, it'll offer local multiplayer and support up to eight people playing together online.
Destroy your opponents in 'Rocket League' Dropshot mode
Chaotic jet-car soccer game Rocket League just got a little crazier with its new Dropshot mode, which changes how you play the game. This free update rolls out to Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC today, bringing a new competitive tournament as well as some goofy Easter-themed items for your in-game automobile.
'Rocket League' + Steam Workshop = more crazy stadiums
As cool as playing a game of soccer (football to the rest of the world) with cars in a rapturous undersea arena is, sometimes you want to go somewhere even the development team couldn't dream up. Good news then, because Steam Workshop support is en route for Rocket League.
'Rocket League' update brings grappling hooks and giant boots
Psyonix still isn't done finding ways to inject new life into Rocket League more than a year after it first hit the scene. It's introducing a Rumble mode that adds some welcome chaos to the vehicular sport through random power-ups. You can use a giant boot to kick players out of the way, a magnet to lure the ball to your car, or a grappling hook to draw yourself to the ball. There's even a tornado that will sweep up everything into a raging funnel cloud. Rumble will be free when it arrives in an update this fall, so it'll be easy to try if you find that your exhibition matches are becoming a little too predictable.
The soccer madness of 'Rocket League' goes cyberpunk June 20th
Earlier this week, the team at Psyonix teased that we'd have even more details about Rocket League's huge upcoming June patch and now those are here. On June 20th, fans will be able to knock oversized soccer balls into equally oversized nets against the new, neon-drenched and cyberpunky "Neo Tokyo" arena. It's a free download for everyone, but if you want to add the map's pair of anime-inspired cars to your collection you'll have to pony up $1.99 for each in July. Conversely, you could pick up the game's physical edition starting June 24th (that's soon!) which includes early access to those and two others.
Trade off unwanted 'Rocket League' gear for hats and profit
Cross-platform play is getting some fresh company with the new additions coming to the soccer-meets-vehicular-mayhem of Rocket League. As part of the game's next update, the developers at Psyonix say they're adding "rare" and "very rare" items (hats, paintjobs, etc..) that will augment a particular skill of yours. More than that, if you build up a collection of gear that you'd rather not use any more, have countless duplicates of or have found more powerful/uncommon versions of, soon you'll be able to trade items in for more prestigious implements.
'Rocket League' keeps adding players and making tons of money
Not many people would have predicted the success of Psyonix's Rocket League when it first appeared as a free title on PlayStation Plus. But here we are, 11 months later, watching the game continue to go from strength to strength. In an interview with Forbes, the game studio revealed that the vehicular smash-em-up football game has now sold 5 million copies. Add to that a further 5 million DLC purchases across PC, Xbox One and Playstation and the company has earned more than $110 million -- not bad for a game that cost just $2 million to build.
'Rocket League' gets cross-network play for Xbox One and PC
Rocket League players will soon have an even wider breadth of teammates to choose from, as Psyonix has announced that Xbox One and PC cross-network play is going live for all today.
'Rocket League' basketball update lands on April 26th
Rocket League's quest to include every major sport continues. Psyonix has revealed that its game's promised basketball mode, Rocket League Hoops, will arrive as part of a free update on April 26th. For the most part, it's exactly what you'd expect: instead of shooting horizontally to score (as with the existing football/soccer and hockey modes), you have to toss the ball down into a giant hoop. That definitely changes the game mechanics, though, as those fanciful aerial and wall shots are now much more important. The only catch is that it's a two-on-two mode, so it won't be quite as wild as you might like.
The 'Rocket League' boxed edition hits US shelves in July
The physical edition of the ball-bashing, car-crashing game Rocket League rolls into US stores on July 5th, though the lucky folks in Europe, the Middle East and Africa get it on June 24th. The game comes with four new vehicles plus the three existing DLC packs, Supersonic Fury, Revenge of the Battle-Cars and Chaos Run. We first heard about the Rocket League boxed version back in February.
'Rocket League' maker has 'figured out' PS4/Xbox One cross-play
When Microsoft announced that it was working with developers to expand Xbox Live to play nicely with other platforms, it was Rocket League developer Psyonix leading the charge. Gamers immediately asked whether that meant Xbox One owners could soon smash into PlayStation 4 buddies, but Sony has yet to confirm whether that's something it wants to enable. Sony Worldwide Studios' Shuhei Yoshida told Eurogamer at GDC 2016 that "policy and business issues" were likely the biggest obstacles, rather than technical demands -- a message that Psyonix vice president Jeremy Dunham has now mirrored. Turns out, the studio has already connected its Xbox One and PlayStation 4 games and is now waiting for all of the relevant parties to decide on how things should play out.
'Rocket League' is getting a basketball mode
It's already pretty tough to argue against Rocket League being the best multiplayer game of 2015, but things are about to get a lot more fun. With March Madness almost upon us, Psyonix, the team behind the smash-em-up soccer car game, has teased a new game mode they're working on -- and it looks incredible. Get ready, because Rocket League will soon let you swap goals for hoops with the launch of a new basketball mode.
'Rocket League' has an official championship
Rocket League is practically tailor-made for tournaments (it's football/soccer with cars, after all), and Psyonix is determined to make the most of that fact. It's teaming up with Twitch to launch the Rocket League Championship Series, an official 3-vs-3 competition with real-world stakes. The two are running 3-month seasons that will offer a $75,000 prize pool to the top players -- peanuts next to some tourneys, but enough that it could be worth brushing up on your mid-air shots. Only PS4 and Windows PC players can qualify (at least at first) once the series begins this month, although every playoff match will be streamed over Twitch if you can't join in with your Xbox One.
'Rocket League' reaches your Xbox One on February 17th
PC and PS4 owners have been playing Rocket League's unique take on sports gaming since last July, leaving Xbox One owners on the virtual sidelines. Don't worry, though -- you won't have to twiddle your thumbs for much longer if you prefer Microsoft's console. Psyonix has revealed that the Xbox One version of Rocket League will arrive on February 17th for a fairly reasonable $20. You'll get three past downloadable content packs for free in exchange for the wait, and there will be two Xbox-exclusive vehicles, including the Gears of War-based Armadillo and a variant on Halo's Warthog.
Nosgoth founders program incentives get cheaper July 22
The founders program for Nosgoth is undergoing a few changes, Square Enix announced today. The program, which arrived when the game entered its closed beta phase in late February, includes founders packs that give players bonus in-game items and boosts. Those packs will see adjustments come July 22 in terms of their price and contents. The Veteran-level pack, previously a $20 pack that included 4,000 "rune stones," will now include 1,500 in-game gold and a 30-day "Major All Booster" that ups players' XP and gold production by 50 percent, all for $5 (while still including a Veteran badge and early access to the game). Three of the other founders packs have received similar adjustments, with the Warlord pack dropping from $35 to $13, the Warband pack from $50 to $20 and the most expensive one, the Immortal pack, moving from $150 to $50. The Nosgoth site provides a clear look at the changes between the former founders packs and the new, cheaper ones.
Nosgoth brings a legacy of pain to Steam Early Access
Square Enix's next entry in the Legacy of Kain universe, Nosgoth, is now available in alpha form on Steam Early Access. The competitive online multiplayer game pits humans against vampires for the entry price of $20, though Square Enix is offering "founders' packs" that range from $35 to $150, each 10 percent off until April 2. Each pack grants players in-game bonuses such as war chests, weapons and character boosts. The game entered closed beta in late February, and developer Psyonix noted that Early Access buyers are gaining entry to the closed test phase. It recommended players on the fence to "wait for Open Beta and play Nosgoth for free" when it reaches Steam's free-to-play section. Once in open beta, the Early Access founders' packs won't be available for purchase, but the content will be valid for previous buyers. This isn't the first time a publisher opted for a low-risk Early Access release on Steam. Kasedo Games brought Hegemony Rome: The Rise of Caesar to Early Access in February and Ubisoft launched alpha versions of Might and Magic X: Legacy in August 2013 and The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot in November. [Image: Square Enix]
First Impressions: Nosgoth is all right, but that might not be enough
Let me begin with a somewhat tortured analogy: Nosgoth is sort of like discovering an obscure bit of British nobility of dubious importance. Those intimately familiar with the relevant lineage will be somewhat perplexed by this stranger, who is not really at all what they expected. Everyone else will just see someone showing up in a crowded field without a whole lot to say. In a way, that would almost be easier, since then you could just write it off altogether. It's just not terribly unique. Nosgoth is the sequel to the long-running Legacy of Kain series, which eventually moved over into the Soul Reaver series and kind of petered out in 2004 or so. A lot of people really enjoyed it, and there have been rumors about another sequel coming out pretty much forever. Instead of being an in-depth RPG, however, Nosgoth is a class-based asymmetrical shooter. So it's not really as much a sequel as it is a thorough pillaging of an existing IP layered onto another sort of game altogether.
Watch an hour of Nosgoth, the multiplayer game set in the Legacy of Kain universe
Psyonix Studios dished out three videos for Nosgoth, the team-based human vs. vampire multiplayer PC game set in the same world as the Legacy of Kain series. Published by Square Enix, the free-to-play action game was first announced in September 2013, at which point the publisher kicked off its closed beta. The videos take viewers through the Nosgoth's team deathmatch and siege modes, and add up to an hour of action. Okay, it's actually 56 minutes and 50 seconds of video for the game, but that doesn't include the time it takes to pop your popcorn and cozy up in a blanket on the couch. You'll find the first of the three videos embedded above, while the other two can be viewed after the break.
Fangs and fire abound in Nosgoth 'War Is Upon Us' trailer
War. War never changes. Except in Nosgoth, where the war is between melee-oriented superpowered vampires and humans with technology and ranged weapons at the ready. Because in that case, yeah, war is kind of different than it is now. The trailer above shows the game as it exists in its current, closed alpha state, but progress is being made and developer Psyonix plans to move to closed beta "soon," according to a statement from the company and publisher Square Enix. If you can't wait to sink your teeth into this PvP-oriented return to the Legacy of Kain series' world, you can register to partake in the beta at the official Nosgoth site.
