REMATCH News

[h2]Patch Information[/h2] 1.200.202
August 22th, 2025

[h2]Core Gameplay[/h2]
[h3]Updates[/h3]

• Fixed the Slingshot bug and its variations where the ball would leave the player's feet (without losing possession) and warp back to the player's position when inputting EE and any ball action.
  

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2138720/REMATCH/

Hey everyone! Welcome to our second Mini Dev Update.

One hot topic right now is the question of priorities during volleys, and consequently the meta of the game. We agree that the current state of the meta needs to be addressed, but it is not as simple as adjusting or tweaking a single value, since volleys themselves are one part of multiple complex systems. This is our first post on the topic, to discuss the basics of the system, and the impact on the high-level meta / dominant strategy. Another dedicated post will feature a deeper dive on the volley system, to give more in-depth information on how the system is balanced.

[h2]VOLLEYS AND PRIORITIES (SIMPLIFIED)[/h2]
To keep it (very) simple:

1. The volley system’s objective is to find "targets" that you can perform a volley action from
   
2. What we call "targets" are future positions of the ball that you can reach by respecting a certain maximum speed (which depends on your current speed and orientation)
   
3. When a target is available, and you give a volley input, the target is selected and you will travel to that position to volley the ball from there (the player snaps to that target)
   
4. These targets represent a future position of the ball along its current trajectory, so they all have a defined “time code”
   
5. If another player selects a target that is earlier in time than yours on the trajectory, they will “beat you to the ball”, and cancel your volley
   

The system was built to challenge the player on positioning and movement dynamic, while maintaining a reactive and fluid game feel, and it works for this purpose. However, when multiple players go for very similar targets (which feels like “going for the same ball”), this can get a bit messy and unclear. The system might have selected for you a target that is 40ms later than the target your opponent selected: you would perceive these as the same ball but lose the 50/50 without having enough information to process why.

Overall, you should expect to get more targets if you try to orient yourself towards the ball’s future trajectory and keep up your movement speed towards that trajectory. This is why the Extra Effort in practice gives extra “priority” to players: it gives you a lot of extra “potential speed” to get to targets and will give you volley targets that are earlier in time, beating other players to the ball.

When two players are going for the same target, a system called the “volley stack” resolves contested volleys. Currently it is mostly in place to better manage network conditions, and to prioritize volleys by goalkeepers whenever possible. The volley stack is one of the systems which we will build upon to better manage the resolution of duels in the future, to make them more clear, and add depth to the gameplay.

To be perfectly clear, as much as we are happy with the volley system as a gameplay mechanic, we are not satisfied with the current state of contested volleys and are 100% in agreement with the community that the system needs to better manage these situations, and give priority to the right player and action at the right time.

[h2]THE META[/h2]
The current meta at higher levels seems to be focused around forcing aerial 50/50 contested volleys near the enemy goal, often after kickoff, or a catch from the Goalkeeper. This makes a lot of sense for the attacking player since:

1. As an attacker, you have very little risk (losing the ball), but very high reward (getting a good shot on goal/scoring a goal)
   
2. The setup is simple (putting an attacker up front and crossing the ball in from the center of the pitch, directly in the penalty area)
   
3. In these situations, it’s rather easy for the attackers to shoot on target, especially when coordinating vocally, but it’s too difficult for the defenders to counter the volley or win the 50/50.
   

This strategy is repetitive, uninteresting to watch, and doesn’t incentivize creative plays.

The efficiency of this strategy is due to a number of issues:

1. Issues with the defenders only having the volley as a counter. When the ball is contested closer to the ground, players can counter shots with the Defense mode, Tackles, and Dash. In aerial duels, the Outfield Dive is inadequate in its current form.
   
2. In the same way, countering a volley with a Goalkeeper diving forward outside of the box is inconsistent and cannot be relied upon, even though it is an intuitive and realistic way of responding to the situation.
   
3. The volley system itself does not do enough to communicate how it functions. This means players cannot use their knowledge of the volley system to jockey into position and beat their opponent’s positioning and decision making
   
4. Even when players do understand the system, it does not do enough to create fair resolutions of 50/50 contests
   
5. This is compounded by the Extra Effort’s ability to look for more volley targets which allows it to “force priorities” over players that are not using it
   
6. There is another issue with a mechanic in the game that is not clearly shown to players: your shots are more powerful depending on the speed of the ball and the speed of your character. This means that not only does this Extra Effort shot have an easier time getting a volley off, it also shoots with extra speed, making it even more challenging for Goalkeepers to react
   

We already have a number of solutions planned out to answer all of these topics. Some of these can be activated in the short term, and we already have some ready to deliver soon. Some others will take more time to integrate completely, but we aim to have a consistent, and stable delivery of updates that will improve the metagame over time.

[h2] NEXT STEPS [/h2]
Over the next few updates, we will:

1. Improve Outfield Dive so it becomes a more efficient defensive tool and gives defenders more options
   
2. Improve Goalkeeper dive so it picks better targets when contesting a ball that is volleyed by an opponent
   
3. Refine the volley system so that players can better control the outcome of contested 50/50s, and give the power back to defenders
   
4. Tone down the direct impact of Extra Effort on volley target picking so that it becomes less of an “I win” button
   

As discussed, we already have tweaks being tested for patch 3 that will rebalance things slightly in favor of defenders and away from extra effort aerial volley shots:

1. Reducing the maximum speed to reach a volley target while in extra effort
   
2. Reducing the impact of character speed on shot power when in the air
   

Our strategy is to identify quick solutions that will improve player experience over time, but also focus on bigger solutions that will take more time to come. As soon as we have designed, implemented and tested improvements for all the problems listed above, we will try to deliver them ASAP, and keep the community updated!

Thank you once again for playing Rematch!

Quick reminder, Patch 2 is now live, feel free to check out the patch notes below!
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2138720/view/625556610639462619
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2138720/REMATCH/

The multiplayer soccer game Rematch came out strong in June, despite missing one major feature: Crossplay was not enabled because of "unforeseen technical complexities." Two months later, it's still not there, but developer Sloclap says it'll be here soon...
Read more.

[h2]Patch Information[/h2]
1.200.201
Patch 2 Beta: August 14th, 2025
Release Date: Wednesday 20th, 2025

Hi everyone!

This is the second major Patch for Rematch, solving a number of major netcode related issues, such as tackles not registering, GK dive rollbacks causing goals to be scored when they shouldn’t. Achievements unlocks should also be fixed - note that achievements will not be unlocked immediately, for instance if you’re level 35 but haven’t received Pro and Elite achievements, you will need to reach level 36 to unlock both achievements.

Patch 3 should hopefully arrive by the end of August, and will fix some remaining known issues, and importantly introduce Crossplay to the game (at last!). Some gameplay tweaks might also be introduced in Patch 3 (looking at you, Ippy Slide), but that’s still to be confirmed. More news very soon!

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Matches / Core Gameplay Improvements[/h2]
[h3]Major Changes / Updates[/h3]

• Tackle improvements
  
  • Improved network resolution and rollback on tackles
    
  • Fixed an issue where sometimes a player preparing a shot cannot be tackled
    
• Fixed achievements unlocking (should affect Post to Post, Pro, Expert): if you already meet the requirements for one of these achievements, you will need to perform one more related action to unlock the achievement.
  
• Goalkeeper improvements
  
  • Fixed an issue where the GK catch/deflect seemed to play correctly, but was subject to rollback immediately after
    
  • Fixed a similar but different issue where a goal could be validated and scored even if the goalkeeper had caught or deflected the ball, causing a rollback
    
  • Fixed an issue where the goalkeeper would sometimes play the catch animation when diving close to another player
    
  • Invulnerable goalkeepers can no longer be tackled when doing an action moving them outside of the keeper area
    
• Added procedural animations so that GKs will now visibly move their arms to catch balls
  
• Reworked Ball Touch, to prevent the ball from appearing too far away from the player in possession.
  • Ball Touch is the visual system that animates the ball when in possession. This allows ball possession to be more clear but doesn’t impact gameplay, since in possession, the ball doesn’t have a hurtbox.
    
• Fixed incorrect ball position during Ball control, where the ball warped back and forth in a weird way during certain Ball Controls.
  
• Reduced Shake cam intensity on ball steal success
  
• Fixed an issue where Defense Mode deflects could be denied/ignored by the server
  
• Fixed an issue where the Defense Mode deflect animation would cancel itself prematurely when moving
  
• Fixed static ball not being controllable
  
• Multiple animation improvements and fixes.
  
• Reduced speed of walking animation
  
• New options have been added
  
  • Options can now be reset per tab
    
  • Added magnus sensitivity setting
    
• Fixed several crashes
  
  • Fixed a crash that could occur after a replay
    
  • Fixed a crash that could occur if the player performs a ball action in Freeplay as they join an Online Match
    
• Fixed the lag at the end of a match
  
• Fixed an issue where the custom match server region was different from the one selected in the options
  
• Fixed an issue where the ball would become impossible to interact with after someone in its possession disconnects
  

[h3]Minor / Misc. Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed multiple issues in tutorials and workshops
  
• Fixed AI not being goalkeeper in Score tutorial
  
• Fixed the goal collision volume not taking ball radius into account correctly
  
• Fixed ball attaching itself to shoot on kickoff
  
• Fixed the Shots on Target stat in the Player Profile
  
• Fixed the ball’s behaviour in the Main Menu and in Freeplay
  
• Optimized pause menu loading time
  
• Fixed some shop items being shown in the customization menu when they shouldn't
  
• Fixed some cases where players could clip through the pitch’s walls during celebrations
  
• Fixed the Cart Wheel celebration in 3v3
  
• Players no longer teleport after the stadium entrance cutscene
  
• Fixed an issue where changing the audio language options would create unwanted button in the user interface
  
• Fixed an issue where, when launching the game for the first time, the default audio language would be set to a language other than English.
  
• Fixed an uncommon issue where players could walk in the air
  
• The Customization menu now works correctly when the Shop is in maintenance
  
• Player customization will now be saved properly when joining a match while making changes to it
  

[h2]Menus & Interface[/h2]
[h3]Additions and updates[/h3]

• Customization - Added editable color feedback on the body part thumbnails
  
• Customization - Now only displays owned items
  
• Workshop - Added score objectives reminder in the HUD
  
• UI - Added missing mipmaps on various UI textures
  
• Store - Updated the price component design
  

[h3]Major Fixes[/h3]

• End of match - Fixed the Skip feature
  
• Store - Fixed the item tiers backgrounds
  
• Store - Fixed the bundles thumbnails display
  
• Player Profile - Fixed the Exp Gauge display
  

[h3]Misc. Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed the Button Remapping display
  
• Fixed the button prompt display in notification pop-ups
  
• Added visual feedback to identify owned Bundles in the Store
  
• Fixed the Social Panel sometimes getting stuck during the credits
  
• Fixed Rich Presence sometimes not updating properly when a friend is alone in a custom match lobby
  
• Fixed the video preview to have it loop from the start when arriving in the Store Feature tab, Bundles tab and in the Battle Pass
  
• Fixed an issue where the game would lose focus loss in the Friends List panel
  
• Fixed the descriptions of collaboration items
  
• Various UI rendering quality improvements
  

[h2]Art / Rendering[/h2]
[h3]Additions and updates[/h3]

• Improved the Player Card lighting in the Customization menu
  
• Improved the Goal Celebration cutscene lighting during the match
  
• Various Stadium & VR optimizations
  
• Added a colour control setting for eyelashes
  
• Improved Global GPU/Rendering performances
  
• Improved GPU/Rendering performances for Low/Medium settings during the Prologue
  

[h3]Minor / Misc. Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed AR Reactions not playing properly from the Celebration to Replay transition, and from the Replay to the kickoff Countdown transition
  
• Fixed the wind animation for foliage during goal bursts
  
• Fixed displaced meshes on the main character’s hairstyle in the Prologue
  
• Fixed Radar Bounces clearing too early when the previous ball's owner shoots
  
• Added missing thumbnails for some tattoos
  
• Fixed missing animations for low resolution crowd
  
• Fixed visual artefact where character outlines would be visible through the character's hair
  

[h2]Audio[/h2]
[h3]Major Changes / Updates[/h3]

• Various user interface sound-related issues have been fixed
  

[h3]Minor / Misc. Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed the gameflow transition sequence when going back to the Main Menu
  
• Fixed a bug where the sound of the ball trail was playing loudly during the kickoff animation
  
• Fixed an issue preventing the countdown sound effect to start while playing in the Water Stadiums, Wind Stadiums and Mountains VR
  

[h2]Known Issues[/h2]
[h3]Matches / Core Gameplay[/h3]

• Sometimes, aerial volley animations are cancelled mid air but the actions are correctly triggered
  
• The invulnerability visual feedback for the goalkeeper can sometimes be missing
  
• Ball steal priority present for standing tackle over sliding tackle
  
• Desync can be caused upon repeatedly switching between Windowed and Fullscreen mode while shooting
  
• Games end abruptly after 60mn with no indications for players
  
• Sometimes, the pre-catch animation as Goalkeeper is triggered but does not connect with the ball
  
• The ball can sometimes appear to suddenly warp/snap to another position after tackle interactions
  
• Ball desync present upon reconnecting to a session following a deflect
  
• Misplaced AI pathing during the "Tackle" portion of the prologue
  
• Ippy Slide: Catching the ball during an Extra Effort transition can make the ball appear to warp/snap to another position
  
• Player ball catch/ball control is triggered even if the ball is moved out of the control range instantly
  
• Missing ball control functionality after recovering from a tackle without moving.
  
• Title crashes during the Movement Tutorial if the Player waits too long during the second Oriented Control Step.
  
• Corrupted replay camera in Spectator mode.
  
• Players can become spectators upon multiple players getting backfilled (joining an ongoing match) into a Quick Match.
  
• Shoot priority overrides the Defense Mode Ball Control upon receiving a pass.
  
• Inconsistency between invulnerability circle UI and timer when tackling an ally as GK.
  

[h3]Menus / Interface[/h3]

• The player character’s color palette can be overridden with the Equipment color while previewing Special skins.
  
• In specific situations, the ranking promotion displays incorrect information to the player.
  

Welcome to our new “Mini Dev Updates” series! We’ll be sharing these bite-sized updates roughly every other week to keep you in the loop on development progress, highlight where our efforts are focused, and stay as transparent as possible with you.

These posts will be short and to the point, and are not meant to list every single feature we are working on - there are far too many to count - but rather focus on what we have been working on with top priority over the past two weeks or so. We’ll still publish longer, more detailed dev updates whenever the situation calls for it.

We know there’s still plenty of work ahead to make Rematch the best it can be, and we want to ensure your feedback is heard and that you can clearly see the direction we’re heading.

So, without further ado, let’s dive into our latest priorities!
[hr][/hr] [h2]Patch 2[/h2]
This update comes with a hefty batch of bug fixes, think something along the lines of Patch 1’s changelog.
https://steamcommunity.com/games/2138720/announcements/detail/534356720697213000?snr=2___ Most notably, we’ll address several recurring issues, including:

• Goalkeepers not catching or properly deflecting the ball
  
• Achievements not being accurately tracked or validated
  
• Inconsistent tackle behavior in certain situations—for example, when Player A is about to control an incoming ball, Player B tackles to knock it away first, but due to rollback, the ball snaps back to Player A’s feet.
  

[h2]Beta Server[/h2]
While our QA team works tirelessly to track down bugs with every new release, a few will inevitably slip through the cracks. That’s why we’re excited to open up a Beta version of the game so players can try out upcoming changes and help us spot issues before they make it into the main version of Rematch.

No matter how experienced our QA team is, this is one of those cases where quantity beats quality: some bugs can only be discovered or reproduced with the help of thousands of players. By playing the Beta and sharing your feedback, you’ll be helping us make sure the main version of Rematch is as smooth, polished, and bug-free as possible.

This Beta version will be available only to Steam players for the time being, regardless of the edition of the game they own, and should appear in your Steam library sometime this week.

[h2]Matchmaking Changes[/h2]
We’ve updated our matchmaking parameters in an effort to create more competitive matches with smaller skill gaps between players. Matchmaking is, and always will be, a work in progress as we strive to find the perfect balance between fairness and queue times. We’ll continue to keep a close eye on these settings and make adjustments as needed to ensure the best possible experience for everyone.

[h2]Crossplay[/h2]
We’re happy to share that crossplay development is moving along smoothly! The core work is complete, and the feature has been validated by our first-party partners (Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation). This milestone represents the most time-consuming phase of the project, involving multiple rounds of collaboration and in-depth testing with each platform.

Our UI/UX and Online teams have been fully focused on bringing crossplay to life, which has meant fewer updates and improvements to existing features in recent weeks.

We’re now shifting our efforts toward final stabilization and bug fixing, with a special focus on polishing the Social features.

We truly appreciate your patience as we take a little extra time to make sure crossplay is just right so that soon, everyone can play Rematch together no matter their platform of choice!

[h2]August 9th Issue - Store/BP/Inventory[/h2]
We were aware of an issue that prevented players from accessing their inventory, Battle Pass, and the Store, on Saturday between 4 am and 9 am (CEST). This has since been resolved.
[hr][/hr] This is it for us this week! Oh and one more thing, we’ll have a new Feature Focus post ready for you, hopefully by the end of the week! We’ve seen a lot of questions regarding Volley Priority, and we’d like to shed some light on how it works, what are our plans for it (and how to better take advantage of it, probably).

See you next time!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2138720/REMATCH/