Rocket League Replaced Loot Boxes With An Item Shop
Rocket League had a major update last night that changed the game as we know it entirely. Update 1.70 converted Keys and Decryptors into Credits and Bonus Gifts, turned crates into Unrevealed Blueprints, and added a whole new item shop. The loot box system is gone, perhaps a response to the increasing ire against their sometimes predatory nature.
This should be good news, right? Not exactly. It looks like this big change might be too drastic for some players. Despite the fact that loot boxes have been equated with gambling, players feel that this new system is actually more money-grubbing that the previous system was. Here's the math: it used to be that one item would be unlocked via one Key. This was a randomized system, as loot boxes typically are, so you could either get an amazing, rare, legendary item for just one Key... or a not-so-amazing item for just one Key. Now, via the Item Shop, players know exactly what they're getting, but the price has been bumped up significantly. Getting good items now costs anywhere from $5 to $20. This is the price of knowing what you're getting, apparently.
The Rocket League subreddit is in an uproar, posting derisive memes about the evidently "outrageous prices." Players are blaming Epic Games, which acquired developer Psyonix was earlier this year and promptly announced that loot boxes weren't going to be in the picture for much longer.
Many countries have called into question or outright banned the practice of loot boxes, saying that developers have snuck gambling into games aimed at impressionable kids. Gamers aren't big fans either, and yet the Rocket League subreddit is calling for a boycott of the game, with one popular post saying, "Despite gameplay not being affected by this change, I find a lot of my enjoyment about this game comes from creating a unique car and trying out new items to make a car that I enjoy playing with. With the knowledge that I will probably never receive a new item to customize my car, I feel as though I can't enjoy the gameplay itself anymore."
We'll continue to report on the Rocket League item shop scandal as it unfolds.