Corey Davis, game director of “Rocket League,” added some insight to a Reddit thread Thursday, in which fans of the popular game were discussing the fall from 36,000 players on average in 2017 to 27,000 this year, according to data from Steamcharts.
While the original post that started the thread was about suggested changes the game should make to bring back players, Davis commented and offered perspective, encouraging fans to take a look at the bigger picture. Psyonix, the developer and publisher of “Rocket League,” aims to build the game as a 10-plus year franchise that players will continue to play for years to come, and Davis assures that “short-term trends on one platform or another don’t change that.”
Davis also noted that many long-term strong titles such as “Team Fortress 2” and “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” have had phases of reduced popularity, which he says is the “reality” of long-lived multiplayer games.
“Beyond that, just about every popular multiplayer game is dealing with some correction in player numbers due to the runaway success of Battle Royale games, and we’re no exception,” Davis commented. “What matters is that we keep building on our foundation and giving all ‘Rocket League’ players reasons to keep playing.”
In “Rocket League,” players compete in soccer matches using rocket-powered vehicles. The title, available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch, has been a huge success for Psyonix since it was released in 2015. Newzoo reports that it was the sixth most-watched title on streaming service Twitch last month.
While Psyonix isn’t concerned about the battle royale genre or any other gaming trends, it is still bringing some changes to “Rocket League.” It plans to revamp its XP system and will introduce the Rocket Pass this summer, which will allow every match played to count toward unlockables — even if the player’s skill is maxed out. Psyonix will also give out exclusive rewards in its Automated Ranked Tournaments and will be adding the option for cross-platform parties so that players can join friends’ teams regardless of what system they play on.
Davis said that Psyonix is “considering additional changes” such as converting the sports modes, including Hoops, Rumble, Dropshot, and Snow Day, into competitive modes in the future.
Despite changes and lags in player count, Davis assures the fanbase, “’Rocket League’ isn’t going anywhere.”
