Popular eSports titles such as Counter Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, and Super Smash Bros., to name just a few, all have certain traits that factor in to their success as a competitive title. I believe that with the right support from eSport organisations such as MLG and ESL, Rocket League could be the next big thing on the global main stage.
Fast Paced
This is something Rocket League has down to a T; the action never stops. From kick off to the final whistle, the longest downtime is during a replay, after that you’re straight back into charging at the ball. For a title to be popular, it has to be exciting, like League of Legends or Super Smash Bros; both are very fast paced with little to no breaks and have amassed a following in the millions.
Easy to play, hard to master
Being easily accessible for casual players is absolutely vital for an eSports title to succeed. There are millions of people that play League of Legends, Counter Strike, Call of Duty etc. all the time that don’t have the ability to make it as a competitive player, but enjoy watching the pros and then using the techniques they learn themselves in-game. Some players are already earning a name for themselves as top Rocket League players (Kronovi, Gambit, and Fyshokid for example) and with Rocket League becoming increasingly popular on Twitch, there’s no doubt this growth could push Rocket League to the top.
Tactics and teamwork is required
If you’re playing with a buddy or two and want to make it to the top, charging in like a headless chicken usually isn’t the best idea, however tempting it may seem. Even though the game is in its infancy, various roles and gameplay styles have already emerged. One common tactic is to have one player that plays strictly as a goalkeeper; never leaving their box and keeping a healthy amount of boost at all times in case they need to make a save in the top corner. Some teams prefer to use the tactic of switch keeper however, with one player taking up the goalkeeper role when the current keeper rushes out to jump on a good opportunity. The ‘enforcer’ is another common role in 3v3 games, simply having one player with the job of destroying the other players rather than going after the ball. Being able to take an opponent out of the game for a few seconds when the ball is in a threatening position can be crucial to scoring.
Rocket League has already seen huge success with over 600 players signing up for the first ESL tournaments last weekend and the leagues on GameBattles are in full flow. If this continues, it’s simply a matter of time before we see the first Rocket League LAN event. Anyone want to get a team house with me?
