Rocket League News

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]It’s Time to Unwind[/h2]

Lost long ago in the shifting sands of Deadeye Canyon sat a secret treasure, undisturbed by th
e passing of time… until recently. Shocked explorers stumbled upon this unspoiled sanctuary, marveling at this time capsule of exotic wildlife and botanical wonders. Woken by an ancient spell, it appears the desert's heart has begun to beat once more.

Season 10 invites you to shift into neutral while you rest, relax, and collect a bounty of Items! Enjoy a peaceful Rocket Pass, explore a new Oasis Arena Variant, and take the legendary Volkswagen Golf II GTI for a spin.

Season 10 starts Wednesday, March 8!



[h2]Grow Your Garage With Rocket Pass[/h2]
A plentiful harvest has sprouted in the desert, and the top crop this season is the Volkswagen Golf GTI! A beloved classic with timeless popularity, the Golf GTI is brought to life in Rocket League with an Octane Hitbox. The base car is available immediately with Rocket Pass Premium, but players who work their way through the Tiers will also earn the tuned-up Volkswagen Golf GTI RLE! Both cars come with a realistic set of Wheels to complete the look.



Once you’ve settled into your new ride, you’ll need some Items to go along with it!
Cast your roaring engines aside and soothe your weary teammates with the Tranquil and Serenity Engine Audios. However, if you’d rather feed the beast, you can always slide into the primal SpotDot Decal.

For players who keep everything in perfect balance, the realistic Whip Antenna is centered on the back of the car instead of the standard side mount. Channel energy into the Lotus Bloom Goal Explosion while you search for serenity, or leave a trail of fireflies behind you with the Glister Trail. Look, I caught one!

With a wide variety of earthy Paint Finishes, colorful Wheels, and Decals inspired by the wonders of nature, the Season 10 Rocket Pass will give you and your friends good vibes all season long.



[h2]A Diamond in the Rough[/h2]
Deadeye Canyon isn’t looking quite so dead these days. With the sudden proliferation of flora and fauna, our once dusty desert has transformed into Deadeye Canyon (Oasis)!

You’ll likely hear a new tune whistling through the gorge while you explore. That’s oasis by zensei ゼンセ, originally written for the Season 10 Gameplay Trailer up top! Listen to the full in-game track with Rocket League Radio, or pick it up as a Player Anthem a couple hours after the Season starts.



[h2]Rewards Are Their Own Reward[/h2]
These new Tournament Rewards will soothe your spirit after a tough match. Equip the Scalescore Decal and slither your way to success, or stop for an organic snack with the Ramen Bowl Topper. This season might be all about relaxation, but don't space out too far! Grab hold of the floating Spaceman Antenna to keep your mind tethered whenever you start to drift.

Feelin’ lucky? Roll a critical hit with this Season’s Black Market Rewards, including the eight-sided Polyhedral Goal Explosion.

As this new Season comes to life, your Tournament Credits from Season 9 will reset. Players who participated in Competitive Tournaments during Season 9 will receive an All-Star Cup reward. Unspent Tournament Credits will be converted to the highest level reward a player is eligible to earn based on their Tournament Rank and Tournament Credit amount. This conversion will happen automatically the first time you log into Season 10.



[h2]Get Back In The Game[/h2]
A while back, we changed how playlist population was shown to “Good,” “Great,” or “Amazing.” Many of you felt this wasn't good, great, or amazing, so we’re happy to introduce our new Average Wait Time Counter! From now on, players will be able to see the estimated queue time it will take to find their next match. This timer will be visible in the "Searching for Match" screen after choosing your playlist.

Not seeing your timer? In certain situations, estimated queue times may not be available such as when new Limited Time Modes are released.

[h2]Under The Hood[/h2]
Everyone's favorite behind-the-scenes video series is back with another installment! If you’ve ever wondered what goes into recording the Engine Audio you hear in Rocket League, our talented Psyonix audio team is here to show you how it all goes down. The episode drops March 9 on the official Rocket League YouTube Channel!

[h2]Sprouts In The City[/h2]
The regenerative powers of the oasis seem to be spreading beyond the edge of Deadeye Canyon. Garages around the world have reported an influx of cars where there were once barren lots. Hmm. Maybe a few weeks in the Psyonix meditation cavern will enlighten us.

Ready to find your happy place? Season 10 begins Wednesday, March 8!

Join us as Rocket League celebrates Women’s History Month with three FREE Items. But wait, they're not just any Items. Each one was designed by one of the many magical women working at Psyonix! We’re also happy to support two special Rocket League Tournaments: the WIRL $10K Cup March 11–12, and the Ally Women’s Open March 25–26!

Sun Chaser Decal and Purple Moonpaw Wheels

[h2]Free Women's History Month Items[/h2]
The freebies kick off on March 8 as we release the Pop Punk Octane Decal, illustrated by our very own Concept Art Intern Cameron Unson! This bat, bone, and bubble-filled design pops perfectly off a soft turquoise background. Pictured up top, the girl-power vibes are strong with this one.

Next up is a solar-powered Sun Chaser Dominus Decal created by Graphic Designer Kelly Lobascio! With high-contrast colors and bold body lining, this decal tells the story of a mythical wolf pursuing the sun across the sky. In the end, the wolf chases away the day, plunging the world into an inky night. Pick this one up for free in the Item Shop starting March 15.

Grab an animated set of Purple Moonpaw Wheels for our final drop, courtesy of Senior 3D Artist Lindsey Gunsallus! We previously released the original Wheels for 2021’s Women’s History Month in a different color, but this time they’ve been rebuilt from magic pine needles and moonlight. Equip them starting March 22, and you’ll be leading the pack in no time.

[h3]Free Items Timeline[/h3]

• March 8 - Pop Punk Octane Decal
  March 15 - Sun Chaser Dominus Decal
  March 22 - Purple Moonpaw Wheels

[h2]Music for the Month[/h2]
Looking for a couple of tunes to go along with your new Items? Check out three new tracks from some of Monstercat's female artists! "Golden" by ORACLE x Nina Carr, "Fire In Your Eyes" by LissA x Lane Boy, and "Get Through" by Koven. Listen to the tracks with Rocket League Radio or Monstercat’s Spotify Playlist!



[h2]Ally Women’s Open[/h2]
Created in partnership with Ally and Raidiant, the Ally Women’s Open is an online tournament meant to support the women’s Rocket League community and showcase some of the best players in the game.

The tournament begins on March 25 with Open Qualifiers in the NA and EU regions. Then on March 26, a top eight single-elimination Playoff Bracket will be streamed live. In the end, only one team from each region will be crowned the victor!

Sign-ups for the tournament will take place from March 1 to 18. The final day of the Ally Women’s Open tournament will be broadcast on the official Rocket League Twitch Channel beginning at 8 a.m. PDT.

[h3]Event Schedule[/h3]

• Sign-Ups | March 1 - March 18 at 11:59 p.m. PDT (March 19 at 6:59 a.m. UTC)
  
• Open Qualifiers | March 25
  
• Playoffs | March 26 at 8 a.m. PDT (3 p.m. UTC)
  

[h3]Prize Breakdown per Region[/h3]

• 1st Place: $6,000 per team
  
• 2nd Place: $3,600 per team
  
• 3rd Place: $2,400 per team
  
• 4th Place: $2,000 per team
  
• 5th Place: $1,500 per team
  
• 6th Place: $1,500 per team
  
• 7th Place: $1,500 per team
  
• 8th Place: $1,500 per team
  

[h2]Women in Rocket League $10K Cup[/h2]
One tournament isn’t nearly enough, so we’re happy to announce Rocket League streamer Widow will be hosting the WIRL $10K Cup on her Twitch Channel! This double-elimination tournament will pit 12 teams against each other in games of Rumble, Snowday, Dropshot, and Rumble Dropshot. Each team will be led by a seasoned pro player, with two creators filling out each roster. Keep an eye on Widow’s Twitter page to see which of your favorite players will be there!

[h3]Event Schedule[/h3]

• Day 1 Event | March 11: 10 a.m. PST (6 p.m. UTC)
  
• Day 2 and Finals | March 12: 10 a.m. PDT (5 p.m. UTC)
  

Tune into the Women's History Month celebrations all month long, and don't forget to claim your free items beginning March 8 through April 4!

[h2]Move Over Orange and Blue. There’s a New Team in Town.[/h2]

With their long history of success in international football, AC Milan has brought countless trophies home to Italy. Their iconic red and black colors unite the over 550 million Rossoneri fans around the world and are a synonym of style and elegance, making AC Milan one of the most recognizable and respected brands in the global sports industry.

Now, those iconic colors have been reimagined in a set of pixel art–inspired jerseys. In collaboration with PUMA and KOCHÉ, AC Milan’s newest Kit will come to life in the Rocket League Arena on March 8!



[h2]We the Future![/h2]
Not happy to simply rest on the laurels of their 100+ year history, AC Milan keeps their sight focused steadfastly toward the future. This new Fourth kit represents that mindset perfectly with a marriage between pioneering sports fashion and loyalty to the football club’s heritage. The design itself was created in collaboration with AC Milan’s official sponsor PUMA and Paris-based fashion label KOCHÉ.

In Rocket League, the famous red and black finds its way onto the AC Milan (PUMA x KOCHÉ) Octane and Dominus Decals. Finishing the look is a set of AC Milan (PUMA x KOCHÉ) Wheels, which prominently feature the heraldry of AC Milan. The Metallic emblem pays homage once again to the IRL kit, matching its resplendent accent colors and the glint of gold. Each item will also be available for individual purchase for the hitbox purists out there!

[h3]AC Milan x PUMA x KOCHÉ (550 Credits)[/h3]

• AC Milan (PUMA x KOCHÉ) Octane Decal
  AC Milan (PUMA x KOCHÉ) Dominus Decal
  AC Milan (PUMA x KOCHÉ) Wheels

Get the AC Milan x PUMA x KOCHÉ bundle in the Item Shop from March 8 to March 21!

Rocket League’s celebration of Black History Month continues! Earlier this month, we released two FREE Item bundles featuring the work of accomplished Black artists—the Sunniya by Geneva Bowers Bundle and the Parallel by Taj Francis Bundle. Now, we introduce our final featured artist of the month Anthony Azekwoh! Anthony is a multidisciplinary Nigerian artist whose work is featured on the samurai-inspired Yasuke Decal, Avatar Border, and Player Banner.

Missed the first two drops? Not to worry. All three Bundles will be available in the Item Shop via the in-game Black History Month Tab until February 28.

[h2]Yasuke by Anthony Azekwoh Bundle (Free)[/h2]

• Yasuke Decal
  Yasuke Avatar Border
  Yasuke Player Banner

[h2]Meet the Artist[/h2]
Anthony Azekwoh is an artist whose work cannot be restrained by genre. As a growing fixture in Nigeria’s art world, he explores facets of digital painting, 3D sculpture, poetry, and short stories. Throughout it all is Anthony’s approach toward human narrative, giving each work an abstract yet profound sense of emotion. Many of his works appear to break the fourth wall with their stare, accepting and acknowledging their viewer’s presence. During our collaboration, we got together and asked Anthony a few questions about his artwork, video games, and the experiences that fuel him.

Q. In a couple of sentences, could you walk us through your journey and how you grew a career in the art industry?
A. Sure, I started painting digitally seven years ago here in Lagos, Nigeria. At the time, all I had was a mouse and a beaten-up laptop, but I was really passionate about it, and I made it work. Painting after painting, year after year, I got better at my work and people started to pay attention.

Q. Who has served as an inspiration in your life? And how did they inspire you?
A. Artists like Duro Arts, Sam Spratt, and Duks Arts are some of the artists I've loved and admired. They inspired me by their work in the digital world, creating whole worlds for people to participate in.

Q. Is there anything you wish that more people knew about your art?
A. Right now, I wish more people saw the process and how much work and love I put in, so I'm trying to be more open with my process.

The Blue Boy, The Tomorrow Woman, and The Traveller by Anthony Azekwoh

Q. Your Rocket League Decal features Yasuke, a historical black samurai from the Sengoku Period in Japan. Could you tell us more about why his story connects with you?
A. Yasuke was a very interesting one. It was at a point where I was reading and learning and trying to discover more about Africans and where we came from, and so Yasuke was an incredible find! Here he was, an African samurai, the first in recorded history. It was amazing to see and also paint in my whole visual language.

Q. You’ve recently been working much more in digital sculpture. Do you feel that you’re able to express yourself differently in different mediums?
A. Yes, of course. I try to use the medium to describe things that are great for that particular story. So, some things work better in different mediums and I try to respect that.

Q. Throughout the years, you’ve worked in many different directions. What are you currently exploring with your art?
A. Right now, I'm exploring sculptures and storytelling, trying to really pull at the threads of my own interest.

Artist Anthony Azekwoh

Q. Different people gravitate towards different types of games. Is there a genre of game that you find really speaks to you?
A. Oh, I love open world games, they've always had my heart.

Q. What do you think about video games as an interactive art form?
A. I think they're a great way of interacting. I've recently gotten into Apex Legends, and it's brought me a bit closer to my friends and being part of a community.

Q. What impact do you want your art to have on the world?
A. I want people to have a deeper understanding of people who live and breathe outside their sphere of contact. My work is deeply African, pulling from being born and raised here. I want people to feel that culture, that power, that love. And be awed.

We hope you enjoy Anthony’s artwork in Rocket League. Make sure to check out his Instagram and Shop, as well as his in-game Bundle!

Rocket League is honoring Black History Month by dropping FREE Artist Bundles in the Item Shop! This week, we see the vibrantly smooth artwork of Taj Francis, a Jamaican-born artist who we’ve collaborated with to create the matching Parallel Decal, Avatar Border, and Player Banner. Get the FREE Parallel by Taj Francis Bundle in the Item Shop via the in-game Black History Month Tab from now until February 28. Don’t forget we've also got one final Bundle drop coming soon!

[h2]Parallel by Taj Francis Bundle (Free)[/h2]

• Parallel Decal
  Parallel Avatar Border
  Parallel Player Banner

[h2]Meet the Artist[/h2]
One of the first things to note about Taj Francis is his expansive breadth of work. From design to animation, clothing, and public works, Taj uses a variety of mediums to explore anachronistic ideas of African ancestry.

Many of his artworks tell part of a larger story, and a subtle but strong sense of world-building permeates his work. Nature and technology also feature heavily in his explorations, serving to inspire deeper introspection when the two are combined. We found time during our collaboration to ask Taj a few questions about his art, video games, and his life as an artist.

Q. Could you walk us through your journey and how you cultivated a place in the art industry?
A. The first "job" I ever had in the art industry was when I interned at my uncle's design studio for a short stint before going to art school. He's the one that encouraged me on this path honestly, so while in school, and after graduating, I cut my teeth on doing posters for reggae bands, making a clothing brand, and miscellaneous projects here and there. It really helped me to work out my own artistic style and focus on the type of work I wanted to create. With that, I got into doing exhibitions, mural art, and other projects for different companies.

Azimuth, Offering, and Sun Engine. Part of the "Gilded Suns" series by Taj Francis

Q. Your art transcends the canvas, and you’ve created many larger pieces like murals. What kind of energy do you bring to your art for each different medium?
A. I've learned many things working in different mediums, and I'm still constantly learning. The things I learned doing acrylics, and digital paintings, I've applied to my mural work and vice versa. Working on large-scale murals comes with a level of planning that isn't typical for other types of work, but there is also a social aspect to it. People are seeing you create in real-time, which isn't normally the case when working in a studio, around other artists, or by yourself. It almost becomes like a performance piece in itself, so I think about the "audience" a little more than I would when painting on my own. It does feel like more pressure, but I learn from it and remember to adapt.

Q. A lot of your work touches on black ancestry and history. Is this an overall message you feel your art explores or is each piece of art its own individual statement?
A. Everything is a part of an overall message. I think there is so much to still say when it comes to works of black heritage and stories. There are so many stories to be told from even African and Black history, that popular media hasn't even scratched the surface of. So much lore, so much wonder that people wouldn't believe. I want to do my part in that, in giving the world more visuals, and stories that reflect a history that we haven't seen told. Unfortunately, a large part of our history is damaged due to colonialism, but I feel that even in a fictional sense, if we could tap into our histories and combine them with our imaginations, we could create something inspirational. We could see a world that has never been seen.

Q. Is there a part of your artistic process that you enjoy the most?
A. This might sound counter to the question, but the moment I love the most is when I decide that it's done. Sometimes an artwork is never really finished until you decide it is, and it's just the best moment for me. This is because you let go of the doubt, and you trust everything that you did up to that point. It's no longer in your hands. There is a joy at this moment that is incomparable to anything else during the whole process for me, and it's only possible because of everything that proceeds it. It's a feeling that can only be gained through actual time, work, and effort and I cherish that feeling so much.

Artist Taj Francis

Q. Different people gravitate towards different types of games. Is there a genre of game that you find really speaks to you?
A. Wow, it's very hard to pick. I grew up playing a lot of multiplayer games—it was one of the ways I've bonded with my brothers, so it has a strong place in my heart. But I also love single-player games. There is a solitude that I love from them. Honestly, I think more than a specific genre, I love games that combine the two in some ways. I've gotten a lot into soulslike games (I may or may not have spent the pandemic playing a lot of Fromsoft’s catalog) like "Bloodborne" and "Elden Ring", that are single-player but have an element of multiplayer with messages left from other players or even the ability to call for help. Especially "Death Stranding" that has asynchronous multiplayer, where other players leave helpful messages and tools, it fulfills that feeling of solitude, while also remembering you're not alone. Even so, nothing beats a good laugh playing multiplayer games, Rocket League gave me some of the best laughs even while losing miserably.

Q. What do you think about video games as an interactive art form?
A. I think games like "Journey" and "Inside" are some of the best pieces of art, in general and not just as a video game. There is a feeling you get from video games that you can't get from anything else, it's an irreplaceable medium. A large part of being a human, and being a person is enjoying life, touching it, and interacting with it. Video games give you a method of directly interacting with your own enjoyment, versus more passive engagement. If we think about books, sports, solving puzzles, these are things in line with our need to interact with and participate in our own enjoyment, games fall in line with these things. We enjoy art right, so why not also be an active participant in that enjoyment?

We hope you enjoy Taj’s artwork in Rocket League! Make sure to check out his Instagram and Shop. Stay tuned for more—we have another free Item Bundle coming soon!