Back in July 2015, the indie game Rocket League entered the scene and generated a lot of fans within a short time. Especially the mixture of fast, exciting gameplay and an exciting, competitive sports structure was able to attract a large number of players. This was also a unique selling point of the title from developer Psyonix. Team play like in soccer, adrenaline like in a racing game, garnished with a futuristic look.

These aspects of the game then made it seem natural when the first eSports tournaments were organized within a very short time. Already about a week after the release of the title, in mid-July 2015, the first Rocket League tournament began with the “kick-off Cup”, in which players competed for a prize pool. Organized by the German organization Electronic Sports League (ESL),

RLCS – The great tournament series in Rocket League eSports.

By now, there are countless large and small Rocket League tournaments around the world where teams and players can compete. However, if there is one major focal point of the Rocket League eSports scene, it is the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS for short). The RLCS has been played twice a year since spring 2016. The tournament is organized by developer Psyonix

The RLCS is an international tournament series in which the best teams in the world compete in regional championships before the ultimate Rocket League champion is decided in the World Championship. The regional championships take place in Europe, South and North America, and Oceania. This mode is thus similar to the LCS in the MOBA title League of Legends.

Continuous growth of the Rocket League eSports scene

In the first – Season of the RLCS, the prize pool was already a whopping 75,000 US dollars. In the meantime, thanks to the enormous growth of the eSports scene, there are already an incredible 4.5 million US dollars in the pot. One reason for this is the takeover of Psyonix and Rocket League by Epic Games;

The publisher and developer has already been able to gain experience in establishing a new eSports discipline through its work with Fortnite, which inspires millions of fans around the world. This experience and resources have now been invested in the Rocket League eSports scene for just over two years

In line with the continuous growth of the Rocket League eSports scene, more and more teams are taking part in tournaments and especially the RLCS. While well-known names in the eSports industry, such as G2 Esports or RNG Esports, have been involved since – Season 1 or – Season 2, eSports divisions of well-known soccer clubs such as FC Barcelona or Paris Saint-Germain are now also represented with a team in Rocket League eSports. Accordingly, the tournaments are getting bigger and longer: RLCS – Season 9 had, with over 166 hours of livestream broadcasts, already set a new record. The even bigger, freshly launched, 10th – Season will certainly trump this record once again

RLCS X – The tenth Championship Series is in full swing.

The current – Season of the Championship Series, RCLS X, is in full swing. There have been some changes to the mode, partly due to the Sars-CoV-19 pandemic. The tournament series will now cover a full year and is divided into three “splits” – fall, winter and spring.

Furthermore, a new tournament was established in the winter split: The Grid. Here teams in North America and Europe compete against each other and have another chance to qualify for majors or regional championships. Interested parties and newcomers will therefore be offered significantly more options and formats this year than ever before. Tendency: increasing.

When the – Season is in progress: Every Thursday through Sunday, the match days of the European regionals can be seen on the official Rocket League channels on YouTube and Twitch.