The Last ‘Rocket League’ Loot Box Releases Today
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Featured Image Credit: Epic Games
Back in August, Rocket League developer Psyonix announced that it was taking the loot boxes out of its vehicular football game. It didn't say what it would be replacing them with at first but it's now detailed its plans for a new system it calls 'Blueprints'.
Blueprints are a new item that have a chance of dropping at the end of a match. Similar to the crate system before, you then pay to unlock the item inside. Unlike crates, though, with a blueprint you know exactly what item you'll be paying for. You'll pay for this with credits, which are a new currency that replaces keys. Also like crates, blueprints will drop with attributes like Painted, Certified, and Special Editions.
Also being added to Rocket League is an item shop. This will have a rolling stock of items that can be bought with cash, too. So, if you're not finding the items you want in blueprints, you can buy items from the shop to customise your car.
However, along with the new systems and currency, Psyonix is getting rid of the trade-in system, presumably arguing that you know exactly what you're getting now so there's no need to trade an item in.
There is still one last crate releasing ahead of the new system - the Vindicator Crate. It features a new car and a new kind of explosion. That's going to be appearing in the game later today. Meanwhile, blueprints don't have an exact release date, but they'll be out before the end of the year.
Back in August Psyonix said "Here at Psyonix, and Epic Games as a whole, we are dedicated to creating the best possible experience for our players all over the world. In pursuit of that goal, later this year we will remove all paid, randomized Crates from Rocket League, replacing them with a system that shows the exact items you're buying in advance. This is similar to changes implemented earlier this year by the Fortnite Save the World team."
As the opinion on loot boxes shifts, it's interesting to see how developers are adapting. Microtransactions are clearly a large part of what funds post-launch development and so can't be thrown out entirely. Plus, there's something more compelling about a randomised drop than simply going into a shop and browsing a wave of cosmetics. So, in this case, rather than completely throw out what made loot boxes a big earner for Rocket League, Psyonix has developed a system that functionally works the same - except you now know what you're buying. It appears to be a massive step in the right direction.
Topics: epic games
