The Rocket League Championship Series Paris Major is underway in Paris, featuring 16 teams competing for a $350,000 prize pool and drawing 25,000 fans in person today [1]. The event marks the game’s biggest-ever live tournament since its original launch in 2015, when Rocket League ran on Unreal Engine 3 [1, 2].
Epic Games, which acquired Rocket League developer Psyonix in 2020 and turned the game free-to-play, used the Paris Major semifinals to unveil a teaser of a new upgrade to Unreal Engine 6. The teaser showcased improved visuals including shinier cars and more detailed grass [2]. According to Epic, this is the first public demonstration of Unreal Engine 6, which will launch with Rocket League's next update [2].
Cliff Shoemaker, Epic's Competitive Programming Director, said the event’s real-time broadcast heavily integrates Unreal Engine technology. "The vast majority of everything you will see in broadcast, even in-arena triggering of lights, the light panels on the floor, [the in-game and arena cameras], is all being used by Unreal Engine," he noted [1].
Epic also deployed its own server team at the Paris Major to ensure zero lag and fair play by synchronizing ping between teams [1]. Mauricio Longoni, Senior Director of Game Publishing for Rocket League, described the game as "its own sport," distinct from soccer or volleyball simulations. He added, "That fan base keeps growing and more people play and they start training and getting better" [1].
The Paris Major continues with semifinals and finals scheduled for today, promising more showcase moments for Rocket League and its ambitious engine upgrade [1, 2].
