Rocket League developer Psyonix is dropping Linux and Mac Support. Announcing that both will lose online functionality in early March. Which is bad news for anyone who bought the game on Humble Store or Steam.
Since the release of the Rocket League Beta in September 2016. There has been a lot of excitement from the Linux community. Knowing that native support will be part of all the game modes and arenas. Not to mention including support for the Steam Controller. Inviting players with sales for the base game and discounts on DLC‘s. Building up your Steam library to include all the content you can savor. Such as the Batmobile, The Fast and Furious cars and the Delorean from Back to the Future. You know, so you can play in style.
Now it seems Psyonix does not really care about their Linux player base. Dropping news in a Steam update post. They do explain what is happening in the coming months. But not really highlight “why” support is being dropped.
Rocket League drops Linux:
As we continue to upgrade Rocket League with new technologies. It is no longer viable for us to maintain support for the macOS and Linux (SteamOS) platforms. As a result, the final patch for the macOS and Linux versions of the game will be in March. This update will disable online functionality (such as in-game purchases) for players on macOS and Linux. But offline features including Local Matches, and splitscreen play will still be accessible.
If you purchased Rocket League for Mac or Linux on Steam. The game will still work with full functionality when installed and played on a computer running Windows 7 or newer.
There are some “new technologies” a foot. Which is not clearly explained. And it’s not like you can use a Steam refund at this point. So the next thought in my mind, maybe Proton / Steam Play. Since the game is built on Unreal Engine 3.
But there is another post from the Rocket League support site. Which is where things get interesting.
If you play Rocket League on Linux. You can try Steam’s Proton app or Wine. These tools are not officially supported by Psyonix. Please see the links to both below.
https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561
Psyonix does not value their Linux or Mac player base in Rocket League. Sure they throw out a couple of Wine links. But what really seals this massive disappointment, the “not officially supported by Psyonix.”
When it comes to Proton, this would at least offer the community a viable option. Instead, they take away the native release in favor of the expiring Windows 7.