'Rocket League' Autumn update removes non-standard maps from game

Psyonix's "Rocket League" is about to receive a slew of new changes with its Autumn update. Just yesterday, the studio announced that transparent goalposts are coming to the game with the Autumn update. It's a change that can easily be turned off in the Options section, but for those who enjoy the feature, it will enable players to see through areas that were previously blocked by solid walls.

But aside from transparent goalposts, the Autumn update for "Rocket League" will also no longer have any non-standard arenas in its Casual and Competitive play. According to PlayStation Lifestyle, players can still access the non-standard version of Wasteland and Starbase ARC as long as they are in Private matches. However, these arenas are going to be replaced in standard versions of online play.

Psyonix explains the move to remove non-standard arenas

According to a recent blog post, Psyonix has long been contemplating removing non-standard arenas in Casual and Competitive play. The reason why they finally decided to remove it is because it has always been a "hot topic of debate" among "Rocket League" players since the Wasteland Arena was launched in 2015.

The studio admits that they have listened to player feedback and listed three main reasons that led them to remove the non-standard arenas in both Casual and Competitive play. According to the studio, the game is a "digital sport" and therefore, in order to create a level playing field and a healthy competition between players, there must be some semblance of standardization.

Studio outlines reasons for removal of non-standard arenas

In a recent blog post, Psyonix also explained that the introduction of non-standard areas to "Rocket League" was to add "variety" to pro play. The move seemed futile, however, as it hasn't been well received by players. Therefore, the studio felt that it was no longer "needed or appropriate" for competitive play.

They added that only a few of the arenas were truly "well-received" by players and that the Octagon and Starbase arenas looked very much like the conventional arenas of the game. The studio concluded that such non-standard arenas "simply didn’t add enough strategically to offset the corresponding loss in predictability and muscle memory."

Moving forward, the studio is determined to focus on standard arenas for "Rocket League." While the Autumn update has no release date set in stone just yet, players should expect these changes to come before the end of the year.