Latest Rocket League update replaces loot boxes with an item store

The latest update to hit Rocket League wipes out the game’s loot box system entirely, replacing it with a storefront where players can purchase a rotating selection of individual items, and the more transparent blueprint system detailed before.

The change was announced shortly after Rocket League developer Psyonix was acquired by Epic Games earlier this year, and backs the game away from an increasingly controversial, and in some places illegal, monetization method.

Explained in the 1.70 patch notes, the previous crate and key system has been replaced with a blueprint and premium credit system. While the old version awarded players locked crates and required them to purchase a single-use key to both reveal and obtain the item, blueprints can be revealed before any money is spent, letting players decide if they want the item before dropping any in-game currency to unlock it.

A new item store has hit the game alongside blueprints as well that bears some similarities to how games like Epic’s Fortnite or Respawn’s Apex Legends peddle cosmetics. Items are rotated through the store as either Daily or Featured offerings, with a set premium currency price attached.

As with the blueprints, it’s a more transparent way of selling in-game items though, as spotted by PC Gamer, the price tags attached to certain goods and the impact the new system has had on Rocket League’s in-game economy already have community members up in arms.