| Rocket League | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Psyonix[a] |
| Publisher(s) | Psyonix |
| Director(s) | Thomas Silloway |
| Producer(s) | Sarah Hebbler |
| Designer(s) | Corey Davis |
| Programmer(s) | Jared Cone |
| Artist(s) | Bobby McCoin |
| Composer(s) | Mike Ault[b] |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 3 |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | July 7, 2015
|
| Genre(s) | Sports |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Rocket League is a 2015 vehicular soccer video game developed and published by Psyonix for various home consoles and computers. It has been offered as free-to-play since 2020 when Epic Games acquired Psyonix. A sequel to 2008's Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars, Rocket League features up to eight players assigned to each of the two teams, using "rocket-powered" vehicles to hit a ball into their opponent's goal and score points over the course of a match. The game includes single-player and multiplayer modes that can be played both locally and online, including cross-platform play between all versions.
Psyonix began formal development of Rocket League around 2013, refining the gameplay from Battle-Cars to address criticism and fan input. Psyonix also recognized their lack of marketing from Battle-Cars and engaged in both social media and promotions to market the game. Rocket League was first released on the PlayStation Store and Steam for PlayStation 4 and Windows respectively in July 2015, with ports for Xbox One and Nintendo Switch being released later on. Physical retail versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were distributed starting in 2016 by 505 Games and later by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Versions for macOS and Linux were also released in 2016, but support for their online services was dropped in 2020. Rocket League is developed under the games as a service model; later updates for the game enabled the ability to modify core rules and added new game modes, including ones based on ice hockey and basketball.
Rocket League was praised for its gameplay improvements over Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket Powered Battle-Cars, as well as its graphics and overall presentation, although some criticism was directed towards the game's physics engine. It has since been considered one of the greatest video games ever made. The game earned many industry awards and saw over 10 million sales and 40 million players by the beginning of 2018. Rocket League has also been adopted as an esport, with professional players participating through ESL and Major League Gaming along with Psyonix's own Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS).
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