ELEAGUE, the popular television product created by Turner and IMG will enter Rocket League for the first time, with “The ELEAGUE Cup: Rocket League”. The feature series will be featured on TBS, with live gameplay showcased on both Twitch and YouTube.
The competition will show some of the world’s best teams whilst building the narrative around teams, players and the game itself. The game itself is a fan favourite, combining football (or soccer for readers across the pond) and flying cars. Narrative around players in esports is still something often found lacking so it’s great to see ELEAGUE commit to painting the wider picture.
We're also very excited to welcome MGM Resorts as a sponsor for #RLCS Season Four! pic.twitter.com/ycyLDtJSxG
— Rocket League Esports (@RLEsports) November 6, 2017
The move is in partnership with Psyonix, the developer and publisher of Rocket League. The series will get underway on Friday, Dec 1st and will see the world’s eight best teams play in the live tournament. The format will see two groups of four teams compete in a round robin, with the two top teams moving on to a single-elimination playoff stage. There’s also no less than $150,000 on the line. The coverage will continue on Saturday, December 2nd and culminate on Sunday, December 3rd. The three-part feature series will air on consecutive Fridays, beginning on the 1st and ending on the 15th.
It’s the third piece of news in a week as the RLCS Twitter account revealed that HyperX will be the “Official Headset Sponsor” of the game’s biggest tournament, and MGM Resorts more generally as a sponsor. The MGM news may come as a surprise given the company’s plethora of gambling orientated venues including an array of casinos. Previously Psyonix has outlined a strict anti-gambling stance, reacting defensively to Unikrn offering odds on Rocket League matches.
We're excited to welcome @HyperX as the official headset sponsor of the #RLCS Season 4 World Championship!#RLCSWC pic.twitter.com/9YjCLQAPiq
— Rocket League Esports (@RLEsports) November 6, 2017
The esport continues to grow and one would assume continue to garner mainstream attention. From a spectator and traditional broadcaster perspective, the game title is easy to understand and has no stigma around violence or guns that many other esports titles tend to carry with them. Those in and around esports have described it as a title with widespread appeal to those in and out of esports, and it’s certainly more appealing as a spectacle than other more traditional sports simulation games such as FIFA.
Esports Insider says: Good stuff from Psyonix as RLCS continues to grow and grow. It’s great to see ELEAGUE picking it up in a move that most definitely makes sense for them given their history of bringing esports to television. First Counter-Strike, then FGC and now Rocket League. We would assume this will be a smash-hit with viewers. Who doesn’t love flying, turbocharged cars playing football? We certainly do.
