The Wall Street Journal published a feature story on the success of the smash hit indie “soccer with cars” game Rocket League in the past year. According to the Journal, Rocket League earned more than $50M in revenue.
One analyst compared it to surprise box office successes in the film industry. “That’s like a low-budget film that far exceeds expectations,” MKM Partners research film analyst Eric Handler noted. “It’s tough to get through the clutter.” However, Rocket League managed to hit the cultural zeitgeist.
Rocket League is a sequel of sorts to 2008’s Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars. One of the lessons developer Psyonix learned came when the game only took off when the price was lowered from $14.99 to $9.99. The studio later applied this strategy to Rocket League, making it free for PlayStation Plus subscribers. The game exploded from there, even though it was $19.99 for non-subscribers and Steam purchasers. The Xbox One version will be released in the next few weeks.
The game has kept up its popularity with both free and premium downloadable content. The next DLC is reportedly Knight Rider-licensed, with KITT being the main attraction.
