Earlier today, Psyonix finally revealed what the replacement for Rocket League‘s item Crates would be via the game’s website. Psyonix explained that Blueprints will be replacing Crates later this year. Back in August, the initial announcement was made that Crates were on their way out as response to the ongoing loot box discussion. At that point, no specific time was given as to when the Crates would be removed and replaced, only that it would happen sometime in 2019. According to the announcement, Blueprints will be added to the game sometime in December of this year, just in time for the year-end deadline.
Blueprints will function very similarly to how item Crates work now. At the end of each match, players have the chance to receive an item Blueprint. Unlike the secretive Crates, the Blueprint will show players exactly what they will get should they choose to purchase the item or car with Credits, the new in-game currency that will replace Keys. The special attributes of the item, such as Painted, Certified, and Special Edition, will also be revealed when the Blueprint is awarded.
In addition to the switch to Blueprints, the game will be adding in a new Item Shop. Much like the eSports Shop, a rotating stock of items, including past legacy Crate contents and the new Titanium White Dominus, will be available for purchase with Credits. Psyonix does note that items purchased from the new shop cannot be traded, so choose wisely. The Trade-In system is also set to change slightly come December. “Items obtained from Blueprints, the Item Shop, or legacy content acquired from Crates cannot be traded in after these changes go live,” though free post-game item drops will still be available for trade-in.
Once the update hits, any Keys in the player inventory will automatically be converted to Credits upon the first login. Should a player have any unopened Crates in their inventory, they “will be converted into a Blueprint of the same series.” As we relish in the remaining time we have with item Crates, Psyonix has one more Crate release planned before Blueprints take the wheel. Starting October 3, Vindicator Crates will be added to the game until the update in December. Inside, players can find the brand-new Sentinel Battle-Car and Neuro-Agitator Goal Explosion amongst other, unrevealed items.