Rocket League is Dying
The Beginning
I want to start by saying that I've been a fan of Rocket League for over seven years. I've made so many great friends through this game some of whom I still actively talk to today.
For years, the game was genuinely good. Sure, there were issues like terrible servers and other problems that Psyonix either refused or was unable to fix, but it remained fun and enjoyable up until around 2023.
The Issues
Rocket League Items in Fortnite
In September 2020, Epic Games (Psyonix) started adding custom Rocket League themed items into Fortnite. Custom items are fine that's not really what I have an issue with.
The issue I have is when Epic Games (Psyonix) adds most, if not all, Rocket League exclusive items into Fortnite and then shows a popup when you unlock something in Rocket League that says:
"This item will also be available in Fortnite."
This is Rocket League I don’t care about what’s available in Fortnite. To me, this feels like a ploy to push players toward Fortnite, which in turn only hurts Rocket League even more.
Trading being removed
On October 10th, 2023, Rocket League announced they would be removing trading on December 5th, 2023.
Source: On December 5th, 2023 at 4PM PT, @RocketLeague will be removing Player-to-Player Trading.
Epic Games (Psyonix) claimed that the removal of trading was meant to align with their approach to game cosmetics and item shop policies.
We’re making this change to align with Epic’s overall approach to game cosmetics and item shop policies, where items aren’t tradable, transferrable, or sellable. This opens up future plans for some Rocket League vehicles to come to other Epic games over time, supporting cross-game ownership.
Source: Removing Player-to-Player Trading in December
How does trading affect vehicles coming to Fortnite? It just doesn’t make any sense to me.
I believe this is a major issue because the real reason they removed trading might be that they didn’t want to deal with the large number of scam reports they were getting from players. Just before this announcement, they had added a new feature where trades had to be reviewed in a separate confirmation window clearly an effort to combat scams.
Destroying an entire aspect of the community because they couldn’t find a better solution to handle scams doesn’t sit right with me, or with many other long time players of the game. This caused me and alot of other people to quit the game after this had happened.
DDoS Attacks from Players Are Getting Worse
Starting in early to mid‑2024 and continuing to the present, Rocket League has been plagued by tools sold online that allow players to DDoS opponents mid match. Epic Games (Psyonix) has released updates intended to address the issue, but they haven’t resolved it. Instead, they rolled out new admin controls for private matches a feature nobody asked for while continuing to ignore what should be their top priority.
Source: Admin controls are coming to private matches
Moving to Unreal Engine 5
Although it has never been officially announced, moving Rocket League to Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) has been a topic of discussion within the community and among developers for several years. Back in 2021, a Psyonix representative acknowledged that upgrading the game’s technology including a potential transition to UE5 is an ongoing, long term project. However, no concrete timeline or official updates have been provided since then.
The move to UE5 could potentially bring significant improvements in graphics, performance, and new features, but for now, Rocket League continues to run on its existing engine. It’s disappointing that after all this time, Psyonix has remained largely silent on the subject. The lack of communication has left many players frustrated and concerned about the future of the game.
Conclusion
All in all, it’s very clear to me that Epic Games (Psyonix) no longer has the same passion for Rocket League that they once did. Instead, it feels like they’re treating the game more as a cash grab, constantly adding new cars to the item shop. It genuinely hurts to see the game heading in this direction.
I really hope they come around, become more transparent, and start actively listening to the community. There are obvious problems and ongoing issues that need attention. Until that happens, the game will likely continue its decline.