Despite widespread disapproval, the Psyonix team has proceeded with the removal of player-to-player trading in Rocket League, effective today. Many aggrieved fans have even gone so far as to declare the game "dead" in the aftermath of this decision.
One of the game's unique features was the ability to trade items with fellow players, many players used this to obtain a skin they desired while trading duplicates accumulated over countless hours of gameplay.
As 5 December arrives, Rocket League players will no longer have the option to trade cosmetic items with each other. Psyonix explained that this decision was influenced by the cosmetic policies of parent company Epic Games, which restrict sales and only permit in-game trades.
Player-to-player trading will be removed from Rocket League today
On 10 October, the Psyonic team dropped a bombshell on the Rocket League community: Player-to-Player Trading will be removed from Rocket League on 5 December at 4 PM PST / 7 PM EDT / 12 AM BST.
Despite the staunch disapproval and disappointment from the Rocket League community, Psyonix did not backtrack on this decision, and Player-to-Player Trading is set to be removed today.
According to the official post, this decision aligns with Epic’s overarching stance on game cosmetics and item shop policies, where items aren’t tradable, transferable, or sellable. Furthermore, it opens up “future plans for some Rocket League vehicles to come to other Epic games over time, supporting cross-game ownership.”
However, it's no secret that Epic Games has experienced financial difficulties, prompting them to lay off 900 employees in an effort to stabilise its finances. This has led many to speculate that the decision to remove player-to-player trading in Rocket League may be financially motivated, as it eliminates one potential revenue stream they were previously missing out on.
While the shift from the crate and key system to blueprints has caused player-to-player to lose some traction, players have continued to acquire rare items through trades, often relying on the fan-made website Rocket League Garage for these transactions.
Rocket League Garage expressed concerns about the removal of item trading, stating, “While one could argue that trading isn’t the core part of Rocket League, many players still think this change will negatively impact the game in the future. The trading community will be gone, which makes up a lot of the casual player base. This will result in fewer players playing the game.”
The Psyonix team also included a FAQ in their announcement. For the complete FAQ, you can refer to this link. For those who have been playing Rocket League since launch, you may want to take advantage of the player-to-player trading system ahead of 5 December.