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| engine = [[Unreal Engine 3]]
| engine = [[Unreal Engine 3]]
| platforms = [[Microsoft Windows]], [[OS X]], [[Linux]], [[PlayStation 4]], [[Xbox One]]
| platforms = [[Microsoft Windows]], [[OS X]], [[Linux]], [[PlayStation 4]], [[Xbox One]]
| released = '''PlayStation 4''', '''Microsoft Windows'''{{Video game release|WW=July 7, 2015}}'''Xbox One'''{{Video game release|WW=February 2016}}'''OS X''', '''Linux'''{{Video game release|WW=TBA 2016}}
| released = '''PlayStation 4''', '''Microsoft Windows'''{{Video game release|WW=July 7, 2015}}'''Xbox One'''{{Video game release|WW=February 17, 2016}}'''OS X''', '''Linux'''{{Video game release|WW=TBA 2016}}
| genre = [[Sports game|Sports]]
| genre = [[Sports game|Sports]]
| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]], [[Multiplayer video game|multiplayer]]
| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]], [[Multiplayer video game|multiplayer]]

Revision as of 01:00, 10 February 2016

Rocket League
Developer(s)Psyonix
Publisher(s)Psyonix
Director(s)Thomas Silloway
Producer(s)Sarah Hebbler
Designer(s)Corey Davis
Programmer(s)Jared Cone
Composer(s)
  • Mike Ault
  • Hollywood Principle
EngineUnreal Engine 3
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
ReleasePlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows'Xbox One'OS X, Linux
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Rocket League is a physics-based vehicle soccer video game developed and published by Psyonix, released for PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows on July 7, 2015, with versions for OS X, Linux, and Xbox One also in development.[1] It is a sequel to 2008's Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars,[2] and features single-player and multiplayer modes which can be played both locally and online, including cross-platform play between the PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows versions.[3]

Gameplay

Rocket League's gameplay is largely the same as that of its predecessor Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars. Players control a rocket-powered car and use it to hit a ball that is much larger than the cars towards the other team's goal area to score points, in a way that resembles a soccer game, with elements reminiscent of a demolition derby.[4][5] Players' cars have the ability to jump to hit the ball while in mid-air. The players can also pick up a speed boost by passing their cars over marked spaces on the field, enabling them to quickly cross the field, use the added momentum to hit the ball, or ram into another player's car to destroy it; in the latter case, the destroyed car respawns moments later. A player may also utilize boost when in the air to propel themselves forward in flight, allowing players to hit the ball in the air.

Players are awarded points for certain actions in the game, such as scoring a goal, assisting in a goal, knocking the ball away from their goal, or winning the game. These points contribute towards a meta-game experience system, unlocking decorative rewards for players to personalize their cars and affecting how they are matched against other players. Matches can be played from between one-on-one up to four-on-four players.

A few months after release, Psyonix released an update that adds "mutators" game modes, modifying some aspects of gameplay, such as increased or decreased gravity, ball size, ball speed and bounciness.[6] For the 2015 holiday season, another update replaced mutator matches with an ice hockey-inspired mode, played on an ice rink and the ball replaced with a hockey puck with different physics.[7] Positive reception to the ice hockey mode led to it being extended for a few weeks after the holiday season, with plans to add it as a permanent mutator setting.[8]

Development and release

On February 19, 2014, Psyonix confirmed that the sequel to Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars would be called Rocket League, with IGN's Michael Martin noting that it was an "easier to remember title".[9] Psyonix spent two years to develop the game, and its development budget was approximately $2 million.[10] A large amount of this development cost was funded by work on other AAA titles, including Mass Effect 3 and Gears of War, as Psyonix founder Dave Hagewood stated "We paid the bills by working on some of the biggest games in the industry".[11]

The game was made available in a series of closed alpha sessions on PC starting in February 2014, and later in two closed beta sessions on the PlayStation 4 in April 2015,[12] then in May 2015.[13] On June 3, 2015, Psyonix announced the official launch date for both PS4 and PC to be July 7, 2015,[14] and also revealed that Sweet Tooth's car from the Twisted Metal series would be available as an exclusive unlockable for the PS4 version.[15] Rocket League launched as part of the Instant Game Collection on the PS4 in the Americas, Europe and Oceania. Soon after release, Rocket League became an officially sponsored eSport, joining the Electronic Sports League (ESL).[16] In September 2015, Major League Gaming (MLG) announced the first season of the Pro Rocket League, which was held in September through early October.[17]

The original soundtrack for Rocket League was released both physically and digitally on July 1, 2015.[18] It contains original compositions by Psyonix sound designer Mike Ault[a], as well as two contributions by electronic music artist Hollywood Principle.[19] New songs were added to the game with post-release updates, including "Chaos Reigns Theme" by Kevin Riepl and a remix of Hollywood Principle's "Breathing Underwater" by Ether.

The game's first DLC pack, titled Supersonic Fury, was released on August 13, 2015.[20] It contains exclusive cosmetics, including two new cars, rocket boosts, wheels, five paint options, and six decals. On August 27, 2015, it was announced that Rocket League would be ported to OS X and Linux later that year, in order to run natively with SteamOS hardware. In the same announcement, it was stated that the game would also bundled as a free bonus, along with Portal 2, for those who had pre-ordered Steam Link, a Steam Controller, or a Steam Machine.[21][1]

The game's second DLC pack, titled Revenge of the Battle-Cars, was released on October 13, 2015.[22] The DLC adds two more cars from Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars, along with exclusive cosmetics for both. In another event, players had a chance to collect six Halloween-themed items from October 18 to November 2.[23] A separate DLC, adding the DeLorean time machine from the Back to the Future film franchise, was released on October 21, 2015, to mark the exact day the characters from Back to the Future Part II travel to.[24]

On November 9, 2015, a free update added the ability to "Mutate" a match, allowing for a number of different custom presets and match settings, including a low gravity mode and a cubed ball, among other improvements and additions.[6] On December 14, 2015, an ice hockey-based mutation was released, replacing the normal ball with a hockey puck, and changing the floor to ice.[6][25] The update on the same date also included a new limited time event, where players would be able to unlock seven Christmas-themed items until January 4, 2016.[7]

The game's third DLC pack, titled Chaos Run, was released on December 1, 2015. The DLC added two more cars, along with more cosmetics. A new map, called "Wasteland", was released for free alongside the DLC. The map is notable for being the first non-standard map to be released, having a different size and shape than the others, the first of which Psyonix plans to release over time.[26] In addition to the map, a new main theme by Kevin Riepl was added, who also composed the music for Psyonix's Nosgoth, along with free cosmetics and accessories from the Portal series by Valve Corporation.[27][28]

At The Game Awards 2015 on December 3, it was announced that the game would be released on Xbox One in February 2016, with platform exclusive Gears of War and Halo-themed vehicles.[29] The Xbox One version, however, will not support cross-platform play with the PlayStation 4 and PC versions due to Microsoft policies.[30][31]

Reception

Reception towards the beta versions of the game was very positive, with critics praising both the fact that it is "addictive and fun", as well as the visuals, which "are brilliantly detailed" and "crisp".[5][39] After the E3 2015 event, Rocket League received multiple nominations and won several awards, including PlayStation Universe's "Best Sports Game of E3"[40] and Gaming Trend's "Best Multiplayer Game of E3".[41]

Rocket League has received generally positive reviews, with a large majority of reviewers praising the multiplayer component, calling it fun, simple and highly addictive, as well as one of the top competitive games in recent years.[37][38][42] Some have pointed out that the simple core concepts belie the game's true depth, which stems from a developed understanding of the "floaty" physics and control mechanics.[36][34]

At The Game Awards 2015, Rocket League won the award for Best Independent Game and Best Sports/Racing Game, and was nominated for Best Multiplayer.[43]

Sales

On July 11, 2015, Psyonix announced that there were 120,000 to 124,000 concurrent players across both PlayStation 4 and Windows.[44][45] By July 14, the game had been downloaded over 2 million times.[46] On July 18, it was announced that 3 million people had played it.[47] On July 23, the number of downloads reached 4 million.[48] By the end of July, the game had been downloaded over 5 million times,[49] and had 179,000 concurrent players.[50][51] Psyonix stated that Rocket League's quick paced success far exceeded their expectations.[52]

On August 27, 2015, Psyonix announced that over one million copies of the game had been sold on Steam.[53] By the end of 2015, the game had been downloaded over eight million times, and grossed over $50 million.[54][55] Before Christmas Eve, it was announced that there were close to nine million players on the game.[56]

Awards

List of awards and nominations
Year Ceremony Category Result Ref.
2015 PlayStation Universe Best Sports Game of E3 Won [40]
Gaming Trend Best Multiplayer Game of E3 Won [41]
The Game Awards 2015 Best Independent Game Won [43]
Best Sports/Racing Game Won
Best Multiplayer Nominated

References

Notes

  1. ^ Featuring vocals by Avianna Acid, Morgan Perry, Crysta and Nikki Wilkins as well as additional compositions by Christian De La Torre and Abandoned Carnival.

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b Makuch, Eddie (August 27, 2015). "Free Rocket League and Portal 2 If You Preorder Any Steam Hardware". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  2. ^ Mahardy, Mike (December 2, 2014). "Rocket League Coming to PS4 Next Year". IGN. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  3. ^ Malone, Jay (June 16, 2015). "Playing soccer in a car has never been this fun — Rocket League Hands-On Impressions". Gaming Trend. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  4. ^ O'Connor, Alice (December 3, 2014). "Car-To-Ball: Rocket League". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Positive Internet. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Mejia, Ozzie (May 18, 2015). "Rocket League preview: gas-powered goals". Shacknews. CraveOnline. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  6. ^ a b c Dunham, Jeremy (October 28, 2015). "Mix, Match, and Mutate in Rocket League This November". PlayStation Blog. Sony Computer Entertainment America. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  7. ^ a b Pereira, Chris (December 14, 2015). "Rocket League's Hockey Mode, Winter Event Now Available". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  8. ^ Craft, Scott (January 7, 2016). "'Rocket League' News: Snow Day Mutator Gets Extension As Community Surpasses 10 Million Players". iDigitalTimes. IBT Media. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  9. ^ Martin, Michael (October 23, 2014). "Psyonix Announces Rocket League Coming Spring 2015". IGN. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  10. ^ H. Needleman, Sarah (December 17, 2015). "How 'Rocket League' Became 2015′s Surprise Videogame Hit". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  11. ^ Chalk, Andy (December 17, 2015). "Rocket League has raked in a cool $50 million dollars". PC Gamer. Future US. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  12. ^ Dunham, Jeremy (April 24, 2015). "Rocket League closed beta starts today – sign up now". PlayStation Blog Europe. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  13. ^ Bennette, Matthew (May 13, 2015). "Rocket League second beta test begins today on PS4". EGMNOW. EGM Media. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  14. ^ Dunham, Jeremy (June 3, 2015). "Rocket League launches on 7th July, Sweet Tooth joins roster". PlayStation Blog Europe. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  15. ^ Mahardy, Mike (June 3, 2015). "Twisted Metal's Sweet Tooth Joins Rocket League". IGN. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  16. ^ Labbe, Mark (July 10, 2015). "Rocket League Now an Official eSport, Kickoff Cups Begin Sunday". PlayStation LifeStyle. CraveOnline. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  17. ^ pitmonkey (September 3, 2015). "MLG Announces Season 1 of the MLG Pro Rocket League". Major League Gaming. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  18. ^ "Rocket League (Official Game Soundtrack)". iTunes. Apple Inc. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  19. ^ Cyliena (April 9, 2015). "Rocket League: Interview With Thomas Silloway". ZAM.com. ZAM Network. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  20. ^ Skipper, Ben (August 13, 2015). "Rocket League's Supersonic Fury DLC now available on PS4 and PC". International Business Times. IBTimes. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  21. ^ Dingman, Hayden (August 27, 2015). "Valve bundles free copy of Rocket League with Steam Machine preorders". PCWorld. IDG Consumer & SMB. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  22. ^ Fonbuena, Jason (October 9, 2015). "'Rocket League: Revenge Of The Battle-Cars' DLC Release Oct 13; Halloween Unlockables To Follow". Franchise Herald. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  23. ^ Craft, Scott (May 10, 2015). "Rocket League Halloween DLC Announced; Coming After Revenge Of The Battle-Cars, Says Psyonix". iDigitalTimes. IBT Media. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  24. ^ Skipper, Ben (October 21, 2015). "Rocket League's Back To The Future Day DLC launches on PC and PS4". International Business Times. IBTimes. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  25. ^ Senior, Tom (November 26, 2015). "Rocket League hockey-themed Snow Day mode dated". PC Gamer. Future US. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  26. ^ Makuch, Eddie (November 18, 2015). "Rocket League Goes Mad Max With Post-Apocalyptic DLC". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  27. ^ Dunham, Jeremy (November 18, 2015). "Rocket League: Chaos Run DLC coming this December". PlayStation Blog Europe. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  28. ^ Seeto, Damian (November 27, 2015). "Rocket League To Be Updated Next Week With Free Portal Accessories". Attack of the Fanboy. Modern Media Group. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  29. ^ Zorine, Te (December 3, 2015). "Rocket League coming to Xbox One". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  30. ^ Pereira, Chris (December 4, 2015). "Rocket League on Xbox One Lacks Cross-Platform Play With PC, PS4". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  31. ^ Pereira, Chris (December 4, 2015). "Rocket League on Xbox One Lacks Cross-Platform Play With PC, PS4". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  32. ^ "Rocket League for PlayStation 4 reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  33. ^ "Rocket League for PC reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  34. ^ a b Tyrrel, Brandin (July 14, 2015). "Rocket League reivew: Sports Cars". IGN. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  35. ^ Elliot, Matt (July 13, 2015). "ROCKET LEAGUE". PC Gamer. Future US. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  36. ^ a b Kuchera, Ben (July 27, 2015). "Rocket League review: Fever Pitch". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  37. ^ a b Burns, Steven (July 9, 2015). "Rocket League Review". VideoGamer.com. Candy Banana. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  38. ^ a b Mr. Pinkerton (July 7, 2015). "Rocket League review – the beautiful car game". Metro. DMG Media. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  39. ^ Summa, Robert (April 30, 2015). "Rocket League on PS4: You should be playing this". Destructoid. ModernMethod. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  40. ^ a b Sayers, Simon (June 19, 2015). "E3 2015 Awards: Best Sports Game". PSU.com. Canada Inc. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  41. ^ a b Shepard, Kenneth (June 22, 2015). "Gaming Trend's Best of E3 2015 Awards". Gaming Trend. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  42. ^ Bolt, Neil (July 10, 2015). "Rocket League Review: one of the best multiplayer experiences of this generation". PSU.com. Canada Inc. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  43. ^ a b Sarkar, Samit (November 13, 2015). "Here are the nominees for The Game Awards 2015". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  44. ^ Psyonix (July 11, 2015). "Rocket League on Twitter: "WOW! We have shattered our all-time concurrent players high -- 120,000!!! Also, we're adding more servers because,... damn, 120K!"". Twitter. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  45. ^ Psyonix (July 11, 2015). "Rocket League on Twitter: "New all-time concurrent! 124,000 players. We LOVE YOU GUYS!"". Twitter. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  46. ^ Seeto, Damian (July 14, 2015). "Rocket League Now Has Over 2 Million Downloads; Update Patch Coming Soon". Attack of the Fanboy. Modern Media Group. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  47. ^ Khan, Zarmena (July 18, 2015). "Over 3 Million People Have Played Rocket League so Far". PlayStation LifeStyle. CraveOnline. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  48. ^ Dunning, Jason (July 23, 2015). "Rocket League Crosses 4 Million Downloads on PS4 & PC, Upcoming Paid DLC Car Revealed". PlayStation LifeStyle. CraveOnline. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  49. ^ Crecente, Brian (July 29, 2015). "Rocket League hits 5M downloads, more than double that of predecessor". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  50. ^ Pereira, Chris (July 20, 2015). "Don't Worry, Rocket League Isn't Adding Power-Ups or Weapons". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  51. ^ Klepek, Patrick (July 17, 2015). "Rocket League Is So Good, Nobody Minds That The Servers Suck". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  52. ^ Wawro, Alex (July 21, 2015). "Why some old designs are worth revisiting: A Rocket League story". Gamasutra. UBM Tech. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  53. ^ Makuch, Eddie (August 27, 2015). "Rocket League sells 1 million copies on Steam". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  54. ^ Makuch, Eddie (December 1, 2015). "Rocket League Hits 8 Million Players, New DLC Released". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  55. ^ Phillips, Tom (December 18, 2015). "Rocket League has made $50m". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  56. ^ Dunham, Jeremy (December 23, 2015). "Happy holidays from Psyonix Studios". PlayStation Blog. Sony Computer Entertainment America. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
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