



[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource GamesPress.]

SAN DIEGO – March 31, 2016 – Psyonix, developer and publisher of the sports-action hit, Rocket League , announced today a series of amateur, collegiate, and semi-professional skill partnerships that strengthen its already-popular professional eSports initiatives. In addition to the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) announced earlier this month, Psyonix will also expand its competitive support beyond the professional level with the Electronic Sports League (ESL), Rocket League Central (RLC), and the American Video Game League (AVGL) starting this April. "We're incredibly pleased to officially fund ESL, Rocket League Central, and the AVGL," said Luke Thompson, Competition & Events Manager at Psyonix. "With more than $30,000 in prize pools and scholarships, Rocket League players will now have a place to compete and develop their talent, regardless of their experience or skills." ESL's Rocket League Go4 Cups are geared toward the amateur level, with weekly and monthly prize pools that will be increased in the upcoming season. "Seeing the growth and support that Rocket League has is truly exciting," said Sean Charles, Senior Director of Publisher Content, ESL. "With new players joining every day, we are eager to continue giving them a weekly place to play." Follow all Rocket League Go4 Cups at play.ESLgaming.com/RocketLeague . The American Video Game League, North America's leading collegiate eSports organizer, has partnered with Psyonix to create and manage the Rocket League Collegiate Spring Showdown for a USD $1,000 scholarship prize pool. "The competitive Rocket League scene stems from the community," said Victor Suski, CEO of the AVGL. "We are excited to work with Psyonix on feeding this community through collegiate support. The Collegiate Spring Showdown offers incentive for students to connect with other passionate players to compete." All playoff tournaments will be broadcast exclusively on Twitch.tv/AVGL . Psyonix also announced a partnership with the Rocket League community powerhouse, Rocket League Central. The RLC has been instrumental in breaking ground for the Rocket League eSports scene through community-driven events since the game's launch in July of last year. "Since discovering Rocket League in May 2015, my goal has been to help foster a viable competitive eSports community," says Blake 'CloudFuel' Tull, CEO, Rocket League Central. "We're excited to establish this partnership with a company that has continuously amazed us with their dedication to their community, and to announce the return of the fan favorite weekly event, Rocket Royale!" RLC's Rocket Royales will continue to provide competitive community events at the pro level and will help bridge the gap with semi-professionals as well. Its weekly formats will provide flexibility for non pro-league approaches to events with the ability to cater to players regardless of age or region. Starting next month, Psyonix and its partners will offer a full spectrum of eSports events for all walks of Rocket League fans around the world. # # # ABOUT ROCKET LEAGUE Winner or nominee of more than 100 game of the year awards, Rocket League is one of the most critically-acclaimed sports games of a generation. Boasting a community of more than 13 million players, Rocket League is a high-powered hybrid of arcade-style soccer and vehicular mayhem that offers easy-to-understand controls and fluid, physics-driven competition. Available digitally on Xbox One, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, and Windows PC via Steam, Rocket League includes more than 100 billion possible customization combinations, a fully-featured offline season mode, multiple game types, casual and competitive online matches, and special "Mutators" that let you change the game rules entirely. To learn more about Rocket League , please visit www.RocketLeagueGame.com , " Like" it on Facebook, and follow it on Twitter @RocketLeague for all the latest developer updates and news. ABOUT PSYONIX Based in San Diego, CA, Psyonix is a critically-acclaimed independent video game developer and leading experts in Unreal Engine technology. For more than a decade, the studio has been a driving force behind some of the most successful games in the industry, including Gears of War, Mass Effect 3, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Bulletstorm, Unreal Tournament III, Unreal Tournament 2004, Nosgoth, and the award-winning Sports-Action hit, Rocket Leagu e. ABOUT ESL ESL is the world's largest esports company, leading the industry across various games with numerous online and offline competitions. It operates high profile, branded international and national leagues and tournaments such as the Intel® Extreme Masters, ESL One, ESL Pro Series, StarCraft® II World Championship Series, as well as grassroots amateur cups, leagues and matchmaking systems. ESL covers a broad field of services in gaming technology, event management, advertising and TV production, fully catering to the needs of the esports ecosystem. With offices in Germany, Russia, France, Poland, Spain, China, North America and partners in many other countries, it has a truly global footprint ( www.eslgaming.com ). ABOUT AMERICAN VIDEO GAME LEAGUE The AVGL is a competitive eSports league that was created in early 2015 to fill the gap between professional and aspiring esport players. The collegiate league offers competition for many of the top eSports titles in league, tournament, and ladder format and broadcasts matches throughout the week. A college teammate search system helps connect over 1,500 players across hundreds of schools throughout North America. For more information about the American Video Game League , visit avglcollege.org/, “Like” the AVGL Facebook page, and follow it on Twitter. ABOUT ROCKET LEAGUE CENTRAL Rocket League Central (RLC) is a premier, community-driven organization intent on promoting professional Rocket League and its pro players through tournaments and events. Rocket Royale, an RLC flagship event, was the first recurring international invitational tournament featuring a regular prize pool. Their recent RLC Pro League saw 14 of the world’s finest teams compete over eight weeks for a crowd-funded $5,000 USD prize pool, with the playoffs attracting a record-setting 10,000 concurrent viewers on Twitch. Rocket League Central also organizes a variety of community events, including All Star Games, Pro Draft Tournaments, and X-Games styled Skill Challenges. In partnership with Rocket League Garage (the team behind www.rocket-league.com ), Rocket League Central has become a major hub of Rocket League esports, releasing game and esports news, match analysis, event announcements, player interviews, and educational content. To learn more about Rocket League Central visit rocket-league.com, tune into their Twitch channel, and follow them on Twitter @RocketLGCentral for the latest updates and news.