‘Rocket League’ Community Figures Share Their Hopes For The Game’s Growth In 2020 – Forbes

2020 is a massively important year for Rocket League. Not only will July mark the game’s fifth birthday, it’s also the first year where we’ll start to see how Epic Games will influence Rocket League after their acquisition of Psyonix late last year. The acquisition was met with disappointment from many players, but others (myself included) are hoping Epic Games’ endlessly deep pockets will usher in a new era for the game, especially after a Psyonix VP suggested that the small size of the studio (before Epic’s acquisition) is holding back their creative vision for the game.

In addition to the inevitable changes to the game itself, the esports scene is set to explode this year with the upcoming Intel World Open, where nation-based Rocket League squads will face off as a prelude to the 2020 Olympics in Toyko. The event’s global stage and potentially massive audience makes for an incredible opportunity to take Rocket League esports to the next level. Season 8 of the Rocket League Championship Series concluded with some of the most delectable and exciting gameplay we’ve ever seen, and fans are anticipating the return of professional Rocket League more than ever before.

With the first month of Rocket League’s breakout year almost over, I decided to reach out to Rocket League community members to see what they hope to see in the next year, and what they’re most looking forward to.

SunlessKhan

SunlessKhan is one of the most successful Rocket League YouTubers and Twitch streamers, offering both entertaining and thoroughly-researched content. He’s amassed over half a million YouTube subscribers and was named a finalist at the 2019 Esports Awards in the Content Creator category.

“As someone who’s been heavily invested in the game for 4 years now, I just really want to see it get to the next level of growth. I want more and more people to appreciate how amazing Rocket League is, and I think it’s happening slowly. Towards the last half of 2019 it was incredible seeing the rise of several Rocket League Youtubers, and I think that’s an indication of a growing committed playerbase (more hardcore players = more viewers on YouTube).

But in 2020, I want to see it really pop off and blow their old active playerbase records out of the water.”

ViolentPanda

ViolentPanda is a two-time Rocket League world champion. Hailing from the Netherlands, the veteran player represents Dignitas alongside teammates AztraL and Yukeo.

I hope that RLCS and Rocket League will keep on growing like it is. Viewership has increased season after season. But I feel like the game has far more potential than just “doing well.” Rocket League is, without a doubt, one of the easiest games to watch and understand. I don’t have any insight to what Epic Games is going to do to grow Rocket League, but I hope they do insert themselves into the game’s ecosystem more than they are now to help further boost Rocket League‘s popularity and its esports circuit.

I am very much looking forward to the Olympics tournament in 2020. This event could be very good for the future of Rocket League as an esport.

While there’s some debate from the community about the idea of franchising, I’m in the position that it would be a great move for Rocket League. It would bring more money into the esport and other big esports organizations would feel their bets on Rocket League would be safer than the current alternative where your team can be relegated and your investment would go to waste.

Alex “Stumpy” Knight

Alex “Stumpy” Knight is a Rocket League content creator and outspoken proponent of Rocket League esports. He is one half of the SubParButInHD YouTube channel and podcast, and hosts The Daily Download on GinxTV.

Rocket League esports deserves more viewership than it currently has. The biggest streamers on Twitch and esports personalities have said multiple times that it has the potential to be the biggest esport in the world, but it’s being held back at the moment by Psyonix. To change that, I think Psyonix basically need to let go. I’d love to see them trust other tournament organizers and remove the prize pool cap (currently $5k per prize, $50k total per year per organizer) so we can have as many tournaments as possible.

That would mean the publicity of the game wouldn’t solely rest on Psyonix’s shoulders and instead other companies would do the work for them, and a side effect would be increased viewership for the World Championships. In 2020 we have 2 confirmed events: the Rocket League Championship Series and the Olympics. I see no reason why that can’t be 10 events minimum if there was more trust placed in the best tournament organizers in the world.

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Personally, I would love to see Rocket League shake up their in-game event formula. While Psyonix certainly have a lot on their plate with promoting the esport and creating new in-game content, I hope to see in-game events become exciting again with more alternative game modes and new ways to unlock cosmetic items besides earning event currencies.

The rest of this year has the potential to be massive for Rocket League, and hopefully these comments and multiple community perspectives have demonstrated the many facets to creating and sustaining a video game as successful as Rocket League.