Psyonix has announced the Rocket League Spring Series (RLSS) to replace the canceled Rocket League Championship Series 9 (RLCS 9) World Championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Having already promised online tournaments to make up for missing out on the culmination of the season, Psyonix now revealed what’s in store for Rocket League esports fans throughout April and May.
Rocket League Spring Series: A series of regional tournaments
The Rocket League Spring Series is set to be held throughout April and May. With both guaranteed qualifications for RLCS teams as well as open qualifiers, the tournaments will feature the very top of Rocket League. It follows a similar path to 2019’s DreamHack Pro Circuit, where everyone can sign up, though it’s likely most spots will be taken by current RLCS and RLRS teams. Hopefully, like DreamHack, we’ll also get to see some bubble teams again that are on the cusp of making it into the professional scene.
The RLSS will have two-day tournaments that span over four weeks with one region per week. The qualifiers begin in two weeks, while the first tournament is happening on April 18-19:
- South America: April 18-19, show begins at 7:30 a.m. PDT (2:30 p.m. UTC)
- North America: April 25-26, show begins at 11:30 a.m. PDT (6:30 p.m. UTC)
- Oceania: May 2-3, show begins at 6:30 p.m. PDT (1:30 a.m. UTC)
- Europe: May 9-10, show begins at 8:30 a.m. PDT (3:30 p.m. UTC)
The prize money
For an online tournament, the RLSS prize pool isn’t too shabby. While Rocket League has yet to reach even a fraction of Dota 2 numbers, a $125,000 prize pool for a two-day tournament is good pocket money. Here’s how the money is distributed:
- Europe: $125,000
- North America: $125,000
- Oceania: $50,000
- South America: $50,000
Where can I watch and how can I play?
The RLSS tournaments will be hosted on Rocket League’s Twitch and YouTube channels as usual. If you want a shot at qualifying, however, smash.gg will have you covered.
It’s great to see Psyonix is willing to fill the void that the RLCS World Championships left behind. Hopefully, this and potential other online tournaments will help us bridge the gap to RLCS Season 10, whenever that might happen once the pandemic is over.
