Rocket League Tournaments Guide: Everything you Need to Know About the 2023 Season


Rocket League

Rocket League is one of the leading esports disciplines. The game, which was released in the summer of 2015, became popular among gamers almost immediately because it offered a unique experience, which differed a lot from other options in the industry.

It is enough to understand that the genre of the arcade racing game where the main idea is taken from big football has no analogs on the competitive scene. So the popularity of Rocket League became the reason for discussions and was energized by the intense development of the discipline made by the developers.

The core of the competitive series is Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS), which was launched in 2016. However, there have been professional teams and large esports organizations, which move the discipline forward. In a few months after its release, Rocket League tournaments were becoming popular and their number increased rapidly.

Now, when the discipline is considered to be iconic for a reason, big teams participate in tournaments and fight for big prizes every year. Of course, more and more players pay attention to the scene, which continues developing and gaining more signs of the iconic title, every year.

How did Rocket League Become Popular?

Perhaps, the reason for the popularity of the game and the esports discipline is simple. Rocket League has offered players the beloved football rules, multiplying the ability to score goals by driving different vehicles.

In such a way, the combination of racing and football allowed Rocket League to bring the game to its maximum to attract fans from all over the world. At the same time, the developers began developing the esports scene to turn the game into a complete esports discipline.

As a result, Psyonix’s efforts were demonstrated in the spring of 2016 when the first tournaments of the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) were hosted. Initially, the championships covered two regions, Europe and North America, but the esports series expanded a few seasons later and became complete, having allowed players from Asia, Oceania, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America to compete.

Thus, Rocket League was becoming popular slowly all over the globe. With the help of the efforts made by the developers, the discipline joined the ranks of the main esports titles in the industry.

The Main Formats of the Rocket League Tournaments

The developers changed their approach to the development of its titled series RLCS with time. The first seasons were played only in two regions and proposed to host one split, which led to the LAN final, but steps were made to expand the scene steadily.

Nowadays, the organizers change the format of the Rocket League tournaments depending on a split. RLCS match schedule is divided into three parts (the autumn split, the winter split, and the spring split), each of which has its unique features.

  • The autumn split: the Swiss system — eight teams in the Single-Elimination playoffs
  • The winter split: the group stage with a Round Robin system (four participants in each group) — twelve teams in the Single-Elimination playoffs
  • The spring split: the Double-Elimination bracket (upper and lower)

Besides, every Major tournament, which is carried out at the end of the split, is held in a format similar to the regional tournaments.

Rocket League

The final World Championship is an exception, the format of which consists of three stages:

  1. Wildcard (the Swiss bracket for sixteen teams)
  2. The group stage (the distribution of sixteen teams into two groups with eight participants in each)
  3. The playoffs (a Single-Elimination bracket)

Thus, Rocket League tournaments offer truly diversified formats, which attract fans and provide fans with a unique experience.

The Main Organizers and Series

Since Psyionix has a monopoly, the company works on the development of its discipline directly and organizes Rocket League tournaments alone. In such a way, if we are talking about the main competitive part of the game, there is only one tournament operator, Psyonix.

Nevertheless, third-party companies can also host their championships beyond the main season:

  • Rocket Baguette
  • Flashes of Brilliance
  • WePlay Esports
  • ESL

Besides, esports clubs, streamers, and celebrities also organize tournaments, which propose interesting formats and solid monetary prizes.

The main tournament series of the discipline is RLCS, beyond which there are amateur tournaments for semi-professional teams. Besides, the developer actively supports college teams, developing the Collegiate Rocket League series (CRL).

 

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