- Esports organization Pittsburgh Knights has recruited Rocket League team, The Peeps.
- The Knights chose Rocket League for its diverse sponsors, young audiences, and future Olympic potential.
- Having won the 2019 Dreamhack Pro Circuit, the team will now represent Pittsburgh Knights in the Rocket League Championship Series.
Pittsburgh-based esports organization Pittsburgh Knights announced that it has added a Rocket League team to its roster.
The team formerly known as The Peeps came in first place in the 2019 Dreamhack Pro Circuit and will represent the Knights in the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) Season 8 beginning Oct. 5. Each player on the team is 16-years-old, making it the youngest in the league.
“Rocket League is the best non-franchise game to get into right now from an organization standpoint,” former professional Counter-Strike player and Pittsburgh Knights Esports Consultant Garett Bambrough told The Esports Observer.
The Knights currently field teams in Smite, Paladins, PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS (PUBG), PUBG Mobile, Apex Legends, GWENT, Madden NFL 20, and Super Smash Bros.
Rocket League is a colorful, non-violent game that attracts a large, young audience, as well as more casual fans who might not understand the complexities of Counter-Strike or League of Legends, Bambrough said, giving Rocket League “limitless” potential. The game attracts a wide range of sponsors as well, he added, giving the Knights additional options when approaching brand partnerships.
Esports isn’t a part of the Olympic Games for a myriad of reasons such as intellectual property concerns and whether gaming requires an athletic skill comparable to traditional sports. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) president has publicly condemned gaming for being “too violent” for “Olympic values” as well.
For non-violent titles like Rocket League, which features cars playing soccer, the IOC may be taking a second look.
“If there was a game that would be in the Olympics down the road, it would be Rocket League because of its non-violent nature,” said Bambrough.
In fact, IOC has teamed up with Intel, Capcom, and Psyonix/Epic Games to host the Intel World Open, an esports competition that will take place in the run-up to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Players will compete in Rocket League and Street Fighter V with $250K USD awarded for each tournament.
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