A controversial decision regarding item trading in Rocket League has its fanbase up in arms.
Rocket League publisher Epic Games and developer Psyonix announced their decision to remove player-to-player item trading in the 2015 vehicle soccer game on December 5th, 2023 at 4 P.M. PST. In the official statement from Psyonix, this decision was made to align with “Epic’s overall approach to game cosmetics and item shop policies, where items aren’t tradable, transferrable, or sellable.” By removing the trading system, this will also allow Rocket League vehicles to make appearances in other Epic games with cross-game ownership.
Concerning duplicate or unwanted items, the statement’s FAQ assures players there will be a way of recycling them through the Trade-In system for eligible Core Items, Tournament Items and Blueprints. Players will be able to trade these items to receive a random new item of a higher rarity. The FAQ also states that player-to-player item trading will not be available through third-party websites, so players should be wary of scams, as well as clarifying that trades done in the past will not be reversed once the feature shuts down.
To say Rocket League players are disappointed is an understatement. Enraged players have made their voice heard in Rocket League online communities, some claim they will be quitting playing, others call for a boycott on the game. A Change.org petition quickly sprung to life. Within a day, it’s gotten over 8,000 signatures calling for Epic and Psyonix’s attention. The petition’s creator, Nick Wallgren, has his reason for making the petition in its description: “When I first started to play Rocket League, trading was one of my favorite things to do and what got me to play the game more. Taking it away from the player base is an absolute disgrace and the Rocket League team needs to rethink this decision immediately.”
These negative reactions are yet another blow to Epic, who have seen themselves in the headlines for less than savory reasons. In late September, the company laid off about 830 employees, about 16% of their entire workforce. Quickly following the layoffs, Epic’s Director of Publicity Strategy, Sergiy Galyonkin, announced his leave from the company. Most recently, Epic will increase the price for Unreal Engine usage for non-game devs, citing financial issues for the decision.
Neither Epic nor Psyonix has made further comments.