'Rocket League' is really growing this year
The competitive Rocket League scene is growing, and its developers are gearing up to support it in 2017 with more money, more tournaments and more support for the esports community.
Rocket League developer Psyonix is putting more than $2.5 million into Rocket League esports in 2017, the company said today, listing off all the ways the money will go into expanding and improving upon the competitive side of the game:
- More than $1 million in total prize pools (including [Rocket League Championship Series])
- Bigger, more meaningful appearances at multiple major competitive gaming festivals
- Onsite events at major gaming conventions, including PAX, SXSW and more
- Extensive funding for community-run tournaments
- Expanded weekly tournament support in multiple regions, including Europe, North America, Oceania, South America, and more
- A true collegiate Rocket League Esports program
- A new series of tournaments for the Xbox community
- An all-new weekly talk show on Twitch that covers all things 'RLCS'
- A robust new esports hub on the Rocket League website
- Ongoing charity tournaments
- Numerous in-game esports features and enhancements
Among the general increased support for various aspects of Rocket League esports is the announcement of an official college league for Rocket League, something that many popular esports have participated in, including League of Legends, Counter-Strike and Heroes of the Storm.
The news comes one day after Psyonix announced the third season of its Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) -- the game's official world championship tournament -- with a $300,000 prize pool and an expansion into the Oceanic region.
Some players and fans were unhappy to hear that the RLCS Season 3 prize pool was $300,000 (up from $250,000 in Season 2) after Psyonix said in September that sales of keys that open loot crates would help fund esports events and prize pools. Pros including Marius "Greazymeister" Ranheim and Remco "Remkoe" den Boer expected a higher portion of sales to go toward RLCS prize pools.
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Today's announcement cleared the fog around why the RLCS Season 3 pool wasn't higher. With increased support for community and third-party tournaments, more weekly tournaments, a push for inclusion at esports festivals and other gaming events and higher prize pools all around, pro-level players will have more opportunities to make more money outside of RLCS.
Since launching in 2015, Rocket League has been growing steadily, boasting more than 25 million players this January.
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The more players there are that continue to get into Rocket League and as more eyeballs are directed toward professional competitions, the more support it needs to grow and thrive.
