Psyonix launching Rocket League eSports tourney
Twitch to broadcast all Championship Series matches and manage operations for competitive gaming league
A game doesn't need to be a Call of Duty-sized blockbuster to have its own official championship tournament. Psyonix today announced the inaugural Rocket League Championship Series for players of its soccer-meets-cars sports game.
The Championship Series season will be organized in collaboration with Twitch, which is serving as the exclusive broadcaster of the league as well as managing its operations.
"From the moment we hit the pitch last July, we knew that Rocket League was a legitimate eSport," Psyonix vice president Jeremy Dunham said in a statement. "Twitch and its streamers have been an instrumental part of our success since we launched last July, and that made them a perfect match for us. We couldn't be more thrilled to be working with a team that we respect as highly as we do Twitch, and we can't wait to show the world what we can do in eSports together!"
The season will run for three months, with teams of three competing for a prize pool of $75,000. Registration opens this month, and matches will be played on PS4 and PC (with additional platforms to be added later).
The jump to eSports is hardly surprising for Rocket League, which was a breakout hit at launch. By December, it had grossed nearly $50 million in revenues with more than 8 million players.