While it may feel like yesterday to some, Unreal Engine 5 was – technically – first unveiled over six years ago, via the devkit of the PS5, which also wasn’t released yet at the time. It was an appropriately major reveal at the time, but it looks like Epic Games has decided to switch things up a bit for the next version. Because it was revealed via an avenue that probably no one would have seen coming – Rocket League.
Or more specifically, it came as part of an announcement for a “new era” and a “new engine” for the now 11-year old title. That announcement was also slotted in between the semifinals of the Rocket League Paris Major. It would have simply been a graphics update announcement to the game, were it not for the Unreal Engine 6 logo at the end of it.
On one hand, Psyonix, the devs for Rocket League, is now Epic Games property, so it’s not a particular surprise that it’s among the first games to get the upgrade. But on the flip side, it is a tad surprising that the company chose not to use its flagship title Fortnite for the reveal of its latest middleware engine. No doubt the game will also get the upgrade somewhere down the line, but it not being first is still a tad odd.
And on that note, it’s worth remembering that Unreal Engine 5 is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, it seems to be wildly popular. So much so that some game developers with their own engines have opted to use UE5 instead, such as CD Projekt Red with the upcoming Witcher 4. But, hang around in the nerdier online circles and you’re bound to find complaints about either the engine being unoptimised, or games that use it suffering from stuttering issues.
(Source: Rocket League Esports / Youtube)
