LAN in the USA: exactly what Rocket League needs
Earlier this year, the Rocket League community received good news - the Winter Major will be held on LAN in Los Angeles with a crowd. Psyonix chose YouTube Theater as the venue. This announcement was warmly welcomed by the community for a reason: from a global perspective, an in-person spectated LAN Major in the United States is what the Rocket League community needs right now.
The US as the home of Rocket League
The United States is the home for Rocket League and a large part of its community. Five RLCS Finals have taken place there, two being in Los Angeles (Season 1 and Season 3). The last RLCS tournament with a crowd was over two years ago, in Madrid, Spain. A LAN event with a crowd in the United States is the best thing Psyonix could do for Rocket League fans.
Besides, it will be the first time a live crowd will witness 16 teams from six regions playing against each other. It has to be a great tournament for all Rocket League fans from all over the world. We’ve been looking forward to it, and we can finally get to enjoy it.
Competitive intrigue
Team BDS won the last Major, beating The General NRG in the grand finals 2-0 (4-1; 4-3). Overall, the tournament was unsuccessful for teams from North America, especially for Team Envy and G2 Esports. It forced these teams to make big changes. We saw really high-profile transitions in the last off-season: G2 and Envy exchanged players, gimmick left Torment and FaZe Clan signed Sypical. All this has just one goal: the teams want to try to improve and approach the next major with higher expectations.
And where is the most ideal place for NA teams to win the Major? In their home region. With home field advantage, North American teams don't have to deal with extensive travel or foreign surroundings. Additionally, North American crowds have traditionally strongly favored NA teams on LAN. These things combined can provide those teams with more confidence and ease pressure overall. Of course, we shouldn’t forget about other regions, like MENA, Oceania, SAM, and APAC. Sandrock Gaming beat G2 Esports in Sweden, reached the playoffs, and they forced The General NRG to fight. Also, both teams from Oceania, Renegades and Ground Zero Gaming, remained one step away from the playoffs, taking places higher than Team Envy and Vitality. Their success may also influence the development of the Rocket League scene in those regions.
The crowd makes a LAN stand out
One of the most important things that make a LAN environment special is the crowd. A crowd always gives each tournament a magic that is unique to every LAN. The crowd can always do their part, and even influence the course of events in the tournament. It is safe to say that LAN with a crowd is much more interesting, exciting and colorful than without it.
The International 10, the world championship in Dota 2, was held in Bucharest at Arena Națională with 55,000 seats, but without a crowd. When the organizers turned on the artificial noise of the crowd, it created a very strange sensation. You see on your screen that the stadium is empty, but at the same time you hear a crowd. Two weeks after The International, Stockholm hosted the PGL Major for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive with a crowd of 10,000. People were supporting the teams, showing the posters, and reacting to moments in the game. When you’re watching this, you feel like you’re there, with this crowd.
That’s always been the case for RLCS tournaments. The crowd is always screaming at the end of the match: “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!” and when the match ends, half the crowd might be upset while the other half is genuinely happy.
Marketing project
Every season, the prize pool becomes bigger. Almost six years ago, the prize pool of the first RLCS season was $75,000. The prize pool of the current season is $6,000,000. The numbers have gone up incredibly fast. Hosting a Major in Los Angeles, at the YouTube Theater, can help make the prize fund for next season even bigger.
The United States is one of the biggest markets in the world, so there are a lot of companies who can be potential sponsors of the RLCS. We’ve already seen partnerships with NASCAR, BMW, Formula 1, NFL, and more. The upcoming Major in Los Angeles can be a good marketing project, because it will be one of the biggest Rocket League LAN events in a long time and it will be held in a popular venue. This event can attract a new audience. It also helps that Rocket League is a game for everyone, as it is fun to play for both children and adults. Rocket League is a non-violent game, so global brands can cooperate with Psyonix without worrying about any negative connotations to the game, which is something other games like Counter-Strike struggle with.
However, with all the excitement in the air, the most important thing remains the safety of the players and the fans. Taking the right precautions and running the tournament smoothly will be Psyonix’s biggest challenge in organizing this event. If all the stars align, we will get to see one of the best tournaments in the history of Rocket League esports.
