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Oct.30,2023
Epic cancels item trading in "Rocket League," are they really going bankrupt? Recently, the official confirmation from Epic Games states that they will "continue to give away free games" in the future. Kyle Billing, the Product and Content Strategy Director at Epic Games, began by reviewing the development of the game store over the past few years at this year's Unreal Fest. He also unveiled some future plans, including the "free game giveaway." Kyle Billing stated: Because the "free game giveaway" program can attract a large number of new users, this program will continue in 2023 and beyond. Players will be able to get games for free on the Epic platform for quite some time. Epic's "free game giveaway" program is one of the few services that truly allows players to get free games unconditionally. Since the program launched in 2018, it has not only received a tremendous response but has also brought in over 90 million new users to Epic. However, those who regularly follow gaming news may have noticed that Epic hasn't given away any major "AAA" games for quite some time. Even the game "Death Stranding," which was given away in June as part of the mid-year promotion, had already been "in the vault," and it pales in comparison to the 15-day game giveaway spree during the Christmas season last year. It can be said that Epic has not given away any substantial "AAA" games throughout 2023, indicating that even the well-heeled Epic can have its days of resource exhaustion. In fact, Epic's current financial situation is not optimistic. Their revenue has seen a significant decline since last year, and this trend is unlikely to change easily over the next few years. Some time ago, there were rumors that Epic would be laying off nearly 900 employees, which initially appeared to be unfounded rumors but were later officially confirmed. Epic's revenue primarily comes from the "Unreal" engine and the phenomenal "Fortnite." Unfortunately, "Fortnite's" revenue has been steadily declining since 2019. Its ongoing legal battle with Apple over platform fees is well-known. While "Fortnite's" revenue has been on the decline, it is a game developed in-house, and various collaborations and events continue to show that Epic is dedicated to maintaining it. However, Epic's other games, as compared to "Fortnite," have not been as fortunate. After extracting the remaining value, they have been left to fend for themselves. Just last week, developer Psyonix announced that they would remove the trading feature between players in "Rocket League" on December 5th at 4 PM. Psyonix cited "compliance with the Epic Store's policies" as the reason for removing the feature, which means that "Rocket League," without the trading feature, will no longer be able to sell items on the secondary market. In fact, "Rocket League" has a substantial economic ecosystem and trading market, and the prices of in-game items and skins can be exorbitant. Limited items like the "Gold Rush," which allows a player's car to emit golden exhaust, can easily fetch prices of four to five thousand dollars. This has led to consistently high prices for such items in the secondary market. Unlike "CS:GO," "Rocket League" also has a feature where players can "lease" items, and players can charge a rental fee by sharing their rare items. In addition, the crate opening system in "Rocket League" is similar to "CS:GO," where players purchase premium items to randomly obtain items of different rarity levels. However, compared to the turbulent and fluctuating trading market in "CS:GO," the trading market in "Rocket League" has been relatively calm, and there haven't been any reports of trading accidents related to it. However, the tranquil market environment of "Rocket League" did not last long. In 2019, a few months after Psyonix was acquired by Epic, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the United States announced a new regulation at the Entertainment Software Association's game workshop, stating that game companies must disclose the drop rates of loot boxes. This regulation forced "Rocket League" to remove the in-game paid crate system and adopt the in-game purchase model from the "Fortnite" store. This meant that players could craft relevant items using "blueprints" purchased from the store. Even after removing the paid crate system and with no recorded trading incidents, it seems that Psyonix's move is intended to completely extinguish the trading market in "Rocket League," allowing players to only purchase in-game premium items and benefit from that. This action has drawn significant criticism from "Rocket League" players, with many accusing Epic of being solely focused on money and no longer caring about the gameplay and the health of the community. Currently, it seems that the financial difficulties Epic faces will not be alleviated in the short term. So, no matter how much players oppose it, the removal of the trading feature in "Rocket League" has become a foregone conclusion. In a situation where the company's finances are tight, giving games away for free may be a well-received gesture by gamers. However, it leaves us questioning whether Epic is acting in the best interest of players or if they have truly lost their way. Of course, as players, we gladly accept free games, and we will remember the good things even if one day Epic cannot sustain itself and closes its doors.
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