As is now tradition, Rocket League is poised to unleash its annual Haunted Hallows event for this most spooky of seasons. However, the four-wheeled footie game's Halloween celebrations are getting a bit of a shake-up this year, thanks to a special Stranger Things tie-in.
Rocket League's latest Haunted Hallows event kicks off next Monday, 14th October, and will once again see players battling it out on the pitch to earn Candy Corn, which can be used in the seasonal store to unlock autumn-inspired items.
According to developer Psyonix, this year's tie-in with Stranger Things will manifest in an additional range of unlockable items, all inspired by the Netflix show, and a specially spooked-up version of Rocket League's Farmstead arena. This will see the stage receive an Upside Down makeover, including blood red skies and the imposing form of the Mind Flayer - both of which, along with a few of the promised seasonal cosmetics, can be seen in the trailer below.
This year's Haunted Hallows event in Rocket League will feature a bunch of Halloween-themed cosmetics for your battle-cars, adding trails of autumn leaves and spider paintjobs and the like. All of them are earnable with 'Candy Corn' currency, which you get for playing matches during the spookytimes.
But as well as the generic Halloween stuff, this year there's also a Stranger Things tie-in. The Farmstead Arena will become part of the Upside-Down, complete with a red sky and the Mind Flayer looming in the background. Some of the other new cosmetics include a Demogorgon banner and title, Scoops Ahoy avatar border, Hawaiian Hopper decal, Camp Know Where hat, and a rocket boost that's all red swoosh.
A couple of those will only make sense if you've seen the third season of the show, which you should because it's quite good. The Haunted Hallows event will go live on October 14 and continue until November 11.
It’s a lively day in box news. In the one corner, we have Rocket League developers Psyonix laying out their plans to get rid of ’em. Crates will be replaced with “Blueprints” for specific cosmetics, which you can leave laying about your inventory until you forget about them or choose to cough up. In the other corner, we have Valve, changing how CS:GO loot crates work in France to make gambling regulation less likely, while preserving the addictive qualities that get gambling regulators concerned in the first place.
I know who I want to win. Maybe I’ll put money on it.
If you enjoy playing the key market in Rocket League, your days as a used car dealer may be coming to a close. As previously announced, Psyonix and its new owner Epic Games will be ending the key and crate system that has been the primary loot distribution method for some time. Today, they've announced what will replace it come December.
Rather than occasionally receiving loot crates which can be opened by purchasing keys, we'll occasionally be rewarded with 'blueprints.' Blueprints can be crafted with credits, the new premium currency replacing keys, and you'll know exactly which item each blueprint will create.
Unopened crates in your inventory at the time of the change will be converted to blueprints. Those blueprints will be for randomly selected items from the crates, so it might be wise to hoard them for now—one of them could turn into a blueprint for an item you've been hoping for. Unused keys in your inventory will become credits.
Also coming in December is a new Item Shop, where credits can be spent directly on a rotating selection of cars and car accessories, including "new items, legacy Crate content you might have missed out on, and the long-awaited debuts of items like the Titanium White Dominus."
Items purchased in the Item Shop will not be tradeable. Psyonix will not say whether blueprints and credits will be tradeable at this time, which is what will determine whether the current marketplace can continue to exist. If I had to guess, I'd assume that blueprints will be tradeable, but credits will not. Again, there's no confirmation on that at this time.
Currently, it's possible to trade keys, which are worth about a dollar each. Big spenders can thus purchase a large quantity of keys and then trade them for crates or specific items they want, while the recipients can use their key hauls to open more crates or make a trade of their own. If the new credits can't be traded, some other item will have to be used as the 'currency,' and the marketplace won't be the same.
While some applauded Psyonix's decision to remove 'blind box' rewards from Rocket League, others felt burned. Under the current model, it is possible to obtain coveted items without spending money: Essentially, those willing to buy keys generate a marketplace for those willing to hoard random drops and make trades but unwilling to pay. Someone has to purchase the keys in circulation, but it doesn't have to be the person who ultimately uses them. If the new currency isn't tradeable, that all changes.
Personally, I'd rather buy credits and craft the specific item I want instead of buying keys, opening crates, and getting nothing I want—usually at 2 am, when I really shouldn't be spending money on anything. That said, I'm already one of the people who buys keys (against my better judgement), rather than one of the people who benefits from key purchasers.
Psyonix will announce more about the end of crates in the coming months. Prior to the switchover, it's releasing one last crate, the Vindicator Crate, this week on October 3 (the car at the top of this post is one of the items it'll contain). It's up to you whether to throw keys at it, or wait for it and all your other crates to turn into blueprints.
Rocket Passes will continue as per usual, the only difference being that the premium passes will cost credits instead of keys after the change. The Esports Shop, which uses its own special currency, will also go on unchanged.
You can find a few more details, such as what's happening with the current 'trade in' system (which is distinct from player trading), in the announcement post. Pricing on credits and blueprints is yet to be announced, and will partially determine whether the reaction from Rocket League players is overall positive or negative.