It’s all change for Rocket League this December. After four years of monetisation built around randomised loot boxes and DLC, developer Psyonix will soon be jettisoning both.
Rocket League’s loot box replacements have already been well-documented, of course. When Psyonix rolls out its new monetisation overhaul some time in December, blind randomised Crates (ie. loot boxes) with pay-to-unlock key mechanics will be replaced by Blueprints. These are rewarded through regular play and, crucially, show players the exact item that will be crafted should they wish to spend premium currency to do so.
Blueprints, however, are only one half of Psyonix’s new monetisation plan; December’s update will also introduce a premium store where players can, also using the new premium Credits currency, purchase specific items directly.
There’s nothing particularly revelatory about the new store, admittedly, although Psyonix’s pre-launch transparency is certainly helpful. It’s structured much like Fortnite’s in-game store (perhaps not unsurprisingly given that that Epic purchased Pysonix earlier this year), and will feature items that rotate out on both a daily and 48-hourly basis.
According to the Psyonix’s latest blogpost, players can expect to see the full array of Rocket League items in the store, including Painted Cars, Player Banners, Exotic Wheels, and Goal Explosions. It also says it will clearly label relevant skins as either Painted, Certified, and/or Special Edition, so that purchasers know exactly what their money will get them.
While Psyonix is yet to outline the cost of individual items in its store, it has revealed prices for Rocket League’s premium currency bundles. 500 Credits will cost $4.99 (around 4), 1100 Credits costs $9.99 USD (around 8), 3000 Credits will cost $24.99 USD (around 20) and 6500 Credits will cost $49.99 USD (around 40).
Credits will also be required to upgrade Rocket League’s seasonal Rocket Pass to its premium tier, and Psyonix reminds players that all unused Crate Keys in their inventories will be automatically converted to 100 Credits when its monetisation changes roll in next month.
One notable casualty of Rocket League’s new monetisation system will be the game’s sizeable collection of DLC. Following the update’s arrival, all DLC will be pulled from sale, meaning it’ll no longer be possible to purchase the items they contain.
Existing owners will still have access to their items post-update, however, and Psyonix says there’s a chance that current DLC items will eventually make their way into the new premium store. Esports Shop Items will continue to be available for Esports Tokens.
Rocket League’s monetisation changes will arrive as part of the Blueprint Update, which comes to all platforms on 4th December and introduces Rocket Pass 5, the start of Competitive Season 13, and a selection of freebies for all players. According to Psyonix, all cars and items from the Supersonic Fury, Revenge of the Battle-Cars, and Chaos Run DLC Packs will be added to player inventories as soon as the update is available.
