Esports festival and tournament organiser DreamHack has announced Rocket Clash, an all-female Rocket League tournament with a prize pool of $20,000 (~£16,000).
Open qualifiers for North America and Europe will be held between May 8th-9th, with the qualifiers feeding into an online group stage in mid-May. The top four teams will compete in front of live crowds at DreamHack Dallas in early June.
The Rocket Clash tournament will be held simultaneously alongside the Collegiate World Cup at DreamHack Dallas, featuring a far larger prize pool of $75,000 (~£60,000.)
As usual, the tournaments will be accompanied by DreamHack’s renowned ‘bring your own computer’ event, alongside multiple other tournaments and non-competitive attractions. DreamHack is owned by esports tournament conglomerate ESL FACEIT Group.
Women’s esports has been a key theme in Rocket League esports this year. Developer Psyonix celebrated Women’s History Month in March with free items designed by female developers. It also supported two tournaments; the $40,000 ~£33,000) Ally Women’s Open through its partnership with Ally Financial, and the $10,000 (~£8,000) WIRL Cup.
The flurry of activity in women’s Rocket League comes shortly after a tumultuous period in which the biggest women’s rocket league circuit, Women’s Car Ball, shut down before being subsequently relaunched after an acquisition by Gamers First.
The women’s Rocket League announcement this year accompanied the news of this year’s RLCS Spring Major and World Championship locations and dates. The World Championship will be held later this summer in Dusseldorf, Germany, with a $2.1m (~£1.7m) prize pool.
The RLCS saw a major expansion in 2021, which broadened Rocket League’s esports ecosystem to several new regions across the globe. In 2022, the format was changed and expanded to further grow the circuit. RLCS events have seen partnerships with high-profile brands, including 7Eleven, Ford and others.
