Rocket League‘s popularity as an esport is only on the rise, and Psyonix is looking to keep developing its ascension with the announcement of a fifth season of the Rocket League Championship Series.
Announced on Thursday morning, Psyonix has revealed that Season 5 will commence on March 17 in North America and March 18 in Europe. Psyonix will use the month leading up to the series as a period for allowing teams to apply to the competition, which heralds a whopping $500,000 (£359,879) prize pool.
It’s only been a couple of months since Gale Force Esports took the first place in the Rocket League Championship in Washington DC, and the organisation is wasting no time in bringing more competition to the budding esport. There are no expected changes from the format that was implemented in the fourth season.
Sign-ups open on January 23 and run through to February 14, ahead of a number of qualifiers for the different regions. North American teams can compete in qualifiers that take place on February 17, February 24, February 27, and March 3. The European qualifiers will take place on February 18, February 24, February 28, and March 4. Then, the North American Rival Series Play-in takes place on March 10, with the European Rival Series Play-in launching the following day. Finally, league play commences on March 17 for North America and March 18 for Europe.
Esports Insider says: It’s great to see Psyonix further investing in Rocket League as an esport, and it’s just as good to see that it won’t be changing something that isn’t broken. The increase in prize pool is a promising sign for the scene, too – we hope it’s as good a watch as Season 4!