Another one for the Epic Games Store

In a surprise announcement this afternoon, Rocket League creator Psyonix confirmed its plans to join Epic Games. The deal is expected to go through "near the end of May to early June 2019," and while the developer has answered several immediate questions, there are many more specifics left to share.

Psyonix insists that Rocket League's gameplay won't be any different and they'll remain the "same team" as always, albeit with "the power and experience of Epic Games behind us."

Big news! We are extremely excited to announce that we are joining the @EpicGames family! Read more in our blog here: https://t.co/mlbsrKJ0b2 pic.twitter.com/fZYMpsBtt6 — Rocket League (@RocketLeague) May 1, 2019

"In the short term, nothing will change at all! We're still committed to providing Rocket League with frequent updates that have new features, new content, and new ways to play the game for as long as you’ll have us. In the long-term, we expect to bring Rocket League to the Epic Games store and to leverage our new relationship to grow the game in ways we couldn't do on our own before."

As for esports, Psyonix said that "We think this is a great move for the Rocket League Esports ecosystem because it significantly increases our potential reach and resources, just like it does for the game itself. We really do believe that you'll find our future in esports to be very exciting."

What this acquisition means for Rocket League's presence on Steam further out – and how a seemingly inevitable shift might go over – remains to be seen. But the writing's on the wall. Epic is making big moves. Psyonix expects the game to appear on the Epic storefront in "late 2019." Up until at least that point in time, PC players will still be able to buy Rocket League on Steam like normal, and everyone who owns the Steam version of Rocket League will "continue to be supported."

Update: Speaking to The Verge, Epic has since added that "We are continuing to sell Rocket League on Steam, and have not announced plans to stop selling the game there. Rocket League remains available for new purchasers on Steam, and long-term plans will be announced in the future."

Between mods and trading and Rocket Passes, there's a lot of ground to cover.

Some food for thought from our resident Rocket Leaguer:

BOLD PREDICTION: Epic's acquisition of Psyonix leads to Rocket League eventually going free-to-play...but that version is only on the Epic Games Store. — Brett Makedonski (@Donski3) May 1, 2019

Also worth noting: Rocket League is consistently one of the most-played games on Steam. It stands alongside PC gaming titans like CS:GO, Dota 2, PUBG, Football Manager, and Rainbow Six Siege. I have to wonder if Warframe, another game on the top-ten list for most concurrent players, could be next.

Psyonix is Joining the Epic Family! [Rocket League]