Tencent bringing free-to-play Rocket League to China Partnership with Psyonix will see smash hit localised for Chinese market with hints at eSports events

James Batchelor UK Editor Thursday 20th April 2017 Share this article Share

Companies in this article Psyonix Tencent

Psyonix has secured a partnership with Asian internet giant Tencent to bring a new version of Rocket League to China.

The collaboration was announced during Tencent's UP 2017 press conference this week and will see the two firms working on a fresh version of the game made specifically for the Chinese market.

Perhaps the biggest change is that it will be free-to-play, with various items available for purchase - presumably the aesthetic customisations for the vehicles that players of the Western version unlock as they play. Such a model certainly won't harm Rocket League as it was the game's inclusion as a free title for PlayStation Plus members that helped drive its initial success.

The official release mentions additional changes that will be announced as development progresses, with Tencent's website also hinting at eSports plans. A translated version of the site mentions a "global professional league, the future of China's professional events to join".

There's no word on when the Chinese version of Rocket League is expected to be released, but it will add to the game's established community of more than 30m players.

Earlier this month it was revealed that the boxed version has sold 1m copies, proving that the digital release has not hampered its retail potential.