Game publisher Epic Games has announced that a new game mode entitled Rocket Racing will be added to Fortnite. The new addition has been developed by Psyonix, the developer behind Rocket League.
According to a post from Rocket Racing on X yesterday, the gamemode will be available in Fortnite from December 8th 2023.
There is currently not a lot known about the game mode as only a short trailer and short statement has been released. The trailer features cars and abilities from Rocket League, the racing-football game and esport title which was bought by Epic Games in 2019.
This announcement follows a series of moves from Epic Games to integrate two of its most popular titles, Fortnite and Rocket League. These include adding the iconic Battle Bus as a playable car in Rocket League and hosting an interactive esports watch party in Fortnite to promote the Rocket League World Championship.
Alongside Rocket Racing, Epic Games also announced that LEGO Fortnite and Fortnite Festival will be two additional game modes coming to the Battle Royale title.
Despite Epic Games trying to interweave the Fortnite and Rocket League fanbases, the company recently laid off 16% of its workforce earlier this year, which heavily affected the team behind Rocket League. A former Rocket League employee, not affected by these layoffs, claimed on X at the time that only three employees were left on the Rocket League Esports team.
Another decision from Epic Games that will be enacted this month is the end of player-to-player trading in Rocket League. This means that players will no longer be able to trade in-game items with one another as of December 5th.
According to the announcement in October, the move to remove P2P trading was due to Rocket League aligning with Epic Games’ overall approach to cosmetics and item shop policies. This news generated criticism from various stakeholders and players within the Rocket League gaming and esports community.
