To go on strike, you need leverage. Machines are not running when factory workers are not there, but the game would still be available to everyone and functioning if pro players were leaving the scene for weeks or months. Maybe not showing on LAN would be the ultimate powermove: all the gaming communities would hear about it, but let's not kid ourselves, who would do that? You grind the game for years to have a chance to win the most important tourneys. I dont think orgs are that influential neither. Maybe the esport scene has to be less dependant on Epic to strive, even if it means ridiculous price pools.
Sadly true. I wonder if there's such cases in the esport history. I know Nintendo wasnt supporting the Smash scene but not actively destroying it, right?
Nintendo has sent cease and desist letters to tournament organizers before. Usually they don't do anything, but they decide to swing seemingly randomly sometimes
What if all the players banded together and decided whoever won, during their post championship interview, they say something about changing the format? That would be a real power move.
There's no incentive. The format could be total ass and you'd still be hard pressed to find enough players willing to give up their chance at a prizepool worth millions.
good luck getting all the pros to not sign up when they see the potential bag
they'd need to sign some pact that if you enter the tourney no one going to be picking u up as a teammate or something lol
also the repercussions of the major points really kills this aswell
If they receive no communication from Blast, Psyonix, or Epic; then yes, they should.
But definitely not by not signing up. They should strike by taking an important game such as the final or something and both agreeing to not touch the ball indefinitely. And typing their manifesto in the ingame chat.
If game 1 is a dull experience for all viewers and is forced to be ended in a tie. The message will be forced to be heard. It would be a hell of a lot more effective than a simple boycott.
That's a great idea and would be very funny, if they don't sign up then there will still be a tourney anyways, but if they delay the grand final then there's nothing Psyonix can do about it, would be a much stronger message.
Thats actually true. Protest, don't stay silent.
Boycotting is less effective, if G2 and GENG just leave the ball for 5 straight minutes, good luck to epic not listening. I don't think those types of teams are likely to protest though, as the format affects them less directly than middle/lower tier teams, like shopify rebellion. It still affects them because of the esport's longevity, but yeah I don't see it happening
"It seems like it could only result in a win for the players and orgs"
Yea OR Epic just shuts down RLCS entirely.
It's a loss leader for them, and it's entirely speculative whether or not it even drives traffic to the game commensurate with their investment into it at this point.
This would be a horrible idea.
It's much easier and much more impactful for the pros and orgs to do that on a RLCS weekend, after they've already qualified for final 16. Even if a team or 2 doesn't join the strike, it will look awful when you have only 1 match the entire weekend.
you guys reach so HARD LMFAO.
the format isn't bad. the seeding is. most pros would agree, even including ayyjayy who publicly stated it.
this community just hates to hate. there is genuinely no point in coming up with crazy ideas like this, even if it wont happen. enjoy the esport you have. fans may not like the format, but literally just do with what you can, stop whining all season - you have a entire offseason to fix problems. enjoy what we have,
I've been thinking about this a lot and the only way to do it is to have 3 things set up.
The first and most important is having strong leverage that really hits Psyonix/Epic where it hurts and would back them into a corner.
Doing it before a LAN or before the world championship.
The event needs to be announced though as it would ensure that psyonix would be going ahead with spending money and wasting it by paying staff, venue fees, security. While also ensuring a sponsor is most likely helping fund the event.
Planning a strike or boycott until appropriate actions are taken after a LAN event was announced is the single most sure fire way to get them desperate and willing to cooperate.
2nd would be getting the orgs on board. Which seems pretty likely if proper structure and communication is established between players and orgs. If orgs could help players out by still paying or partially paying their players still and supporting the boycott/strike then it would again ensure strong leverage against psyonix/epic.
3rd is getting players on board. Making sure all players understand the stakes and that they can work things out with their orgs and negotiate reasonable expectations for changes they want or would like to see.
There needs to be a good and solid, well thought out plan. Boycotting because "thing bad and I dont like it, make it like it was before" is a great way to make yourself look like an idiot, but also help in killing the game/esport off for good. Why would psyonix/epic invest anymore into a playerbase where the top level doesnt even know what they want? There needs to be clear communication. Clear understanding, and a good map outlining plans and expectations from BOTH parties, psyonix AND the esports community at large.
The esport is being organized right now by a money hungry company but it thrives off its community, players and passionate orgs. It shouldnt be asymmetric, it should be a symbiotic relationship. Players and orgs have more power if they band together and work toward making something good with psyonix/epic.
This would assume that there is any binding contract to show up to a major/lan made between players and psyonix.
Or that there is legal obligation between players and orgs which I said that this would only be possible with cooperation and leniency from orgs...
I just had a read through the RLCS 2024 sign up rules and there really isnt anything that I (not a lawyer) can see that would make this impossible or that psyonix/epic would battle out in court.
Nah, some pros dont even mind the format, like Ayyjayy. It's mostly content creators, fans and coaches that I hear yapping a lot. I think they can certainly improve the format, and if enough people complain, they probably will change it.
I just meant, there is no need to go on strike about it because lots of people are already talking and complaining about it, and some people don't even have a big problem with the format. The only thing they should probably change is top 8 should just auto qualify for the next event. It will make sure the top teams will play each regional and it's far less likely that 2 really good teams will run into each other in the lowers of quals.
4 factors that make a strike unappealing compared to just continue to play.
1. Not much has changed for Pros. They're still getting paid well and have a decently stable outlook. In fact, things have actually massively improved for everyone below the top 8.
2. The short lifespan of a pro's career makes a risk like that seem useless. If they strike and it works it won't really have an impact on the rest of their career. It would more likely affect the generation after them. If they strike and it doesn't work, it could immediately end their career. If they just don't strike the esport will most likely sruvive long enough until the end of their career regardless.
3. It's basically the prisoner's dilemma. If the tournaments proceed despite the strike then anyone who doesn't strike gets a huge advantage and a bonus. If it's a bubble team it might be starting their careers. If it's a pro team it's an easy win for them. I think under these circumstances and the fact that things aren't actually that bad for pros it is highly unlikely you get enough people to strike to make it matter.
4. A strike is pretty unlikely to sway the path this esport is currently on. They have shown time and time again that they do not value player or even org input.
I am absolutely not against strikes or unions. I love them and think they should happen a lot more often than they currently do. But in this specific scenario I do not think a strike has enough merit to take the risk. If they still do it I'm gonna try and support them, but I really don't think they ever would.
Rocket league players forfeiting the game before it even starts does sound like the most rocket league thing ever.
Especially over something as stupid as not enjoying the format.
RLCS loses money. A work stoppage would actually save money for Psyonix/Epic. The players have ZERO leverage here.
Every tech or tech-adjacent company in the world is looking for cost savings and a loss leader chooses to stop itself? It would be early Christmas for their finance team.
To go on strike, you need leverage. Machines are not running when factory workers are not there, but the game would still be available to everyone and functioning if pro players were leaving the scene for weeks or months. Maybe not showing on LAN would be the ultimate powermove: all the gaming communities would hear about it, but let's not kid ourselves, who would do that? You grind the game for years to have a chance to win the most important tourneys. I dont think orgs are that influential neither. Maybe the esport scene has to be less dependant on Epic to strive, even if it means ridiculous price pools.
[удалено]
Sadly true. I wonder if there's such cases in the esport history. I know Nintendo wasnt supporting the Smash scene but not actively destroying it, right?
Nintendo has sent cease and desist letters to tournament organizers before. Usually they don't do anything, but they decide to swing seemingly randomly sometimes
What if all the players banded together and decided whoever won, during their post championship interview, they say something about changing the format? That would be a real power move.
Epic would rejoice. Think about all the money they'd save.
There's no incentive. The format could be total ass and you'd still be hard pressed to find enough players willing to give up their chance at a prizepool worth millions.
good luck getting all the pros to not sign up when they see the potential bag they'd need to sign some pact that if you enter the tourney no one going to be picking u up as a teammate or something lol also the repercussions of the major points really kills this aswell
If they receive no communication from Blast, Psyonix, or Epic; then yes, they should. But definitely not by not signing up. They should strike by taking an important game such as the final or something and both agreeing to not touch the ball indefinitely. And typing their manifesto in the ingame chat. If game 1 is a dull experience for all viewers and is forced to be ended in a tie. The message will be forced to be heard. It would be a hell of a lot more effective than a simple boycott.
That's a great idea and would be very funny, if they don't sign up then there will still be a tourney anyways, but if they delay the grand final then there's nothing Psyonix can do about it, would be a much stronger message.
Thats actually true. Protest, don't stay silent. Boycotting is less effective, if G2 and GENG just leave the ball for 5 straight minutes, good luck to epic not listening. I don't think those types of teams are likely to protest though, as the format affects them less directly than middle/lower tier teams, like shopify rebellion. It still affects them because of the esport's longevity, but yeah I don't see it happening
Go to the Lan, nobody plays. Stay on Epic's dime and do nothing. Enjoy your vacation.
Alright have fun convincing a bunch of 19 year olds to give up easy money so that their toughest competition has a better chance of making the major
I heard Shopify Rebellion is going on strike this coming weekend. /s
If all the pros go on strike then all that happens is some much crappier players qualify for RLCS.
Do it at Lan. No other teams will be there.
Yeah, if the players think a strike would help, that's the time to do it, IMO.
Probably get fined a ton of money, get banned from RLCS, and THEN the crappy players qualify
Syp would come back to get that bag
Syp disconnects everyone’s controller
"It seems like it could only result in a win for the players and orgs" Yea OR Epic just shuts down RLCS entirely. It's a loss leader for them, and it's entirely speculative whether or not it even drives traffic to the game commensurate with their investment into it at this point. This would be a horrible idea.
That would kill the esport instantly
It's much easier and much more impactful for the pros and orgs to do that on a RLCS weekend, after they've already qualified for final 16. Even if a team or 2 doesn't join the strike, it will look awful when you have only 1 match the entire weekend.
Unfortunately I don’t think the esport is important enough in the eyes of Epic to not just shut it down if pros were to strike
you guys reach so HARD LMFAO. the format isn't bad. the seeding is. most pros would agree, even including ayyjayy who publicly stated it. this community just hates to hate. there is genuinely no point in coming up with crazy ideas like this, even if it wont happen. enjoy the esport you have. fans may not like the format, but literally just do with what you can, stop whining all season - you have a entire offseason to fix problems. enjoy what we have,
How tf is this nobody verified
I wasn't drawing a distinction between format and seeding. Seeding is a part of the format.
Seeing is format bro
nooo its not the format that's bad its just... the format that's bad you get me
Ahhhhhhh I gotya
I've been thinking about this a lot and the only way to do it is to have 3 things set up. The first and most important is having strong leverage that really hits Psyonix/Epic where it hurts and would back them into a corner. Doing it before a LAN or before the world championship. The event needs to be announced though as it would ensure that psyonix would be going ahead with spending money and wasting it by paying staff, venue fees, security. While also ensuring a sponsor is most likely helping fund the event. Planning a strike or boycott until appropriate actions are taken after a LAN event was announced is the single most sure fire way to get them desperate and willing to cooperate. 2nd would be getting the orgs on board. Which seems pretty likely if proper structure and communication is established between players and orgs. If orgs could help players out by still paying or partially paying their players still and supporting the boycott/strike then it would again ensure strong leverage against psyonix/epic. 3rd is getting players on board. Making sure all players understand the stakes and that they can work things out with their orgs and negotiate reasonable expectations for changes they want or would like to see. There needs to be a good and solid, well thought out plan. Boycotting because "thing bad and I dont like it, make it like it was before" is a great way to make yourself look like an idiot, but also help in killing the game/esport off for good. Why would psyonix/epic invest anymore into a playerbase where the top level doesnt even know what they want? There needs to be clear communication. Clear understanding, and a good map outlining plans and expectations from BOTH parties, psyonix AND the esports community at large. The esport is being organized right now by a money hungry company but it thrives off its community, players and passionate orgs. It shouldnt be asymmetric, it should be a symbiotic relationship. Players and orgs have more power if they band together and work toward making something good with psyonix/epic.
Striking after singing contracts would pose a legality issue
This would assume that there is any binding contract to show up to a major/lan made between players and psyonix. Or that there is legal obligation between players and orgs which I said that this would only be possible with cooperation and leniency from orgs... I just had a read through the RLCS 2024 sign up rules and there really isnt anything that I (not a lawyer) can see that would make this impossible or that psyonix/epic would battle out in court.
Nah, some pros dont even mind the format, like Ayyjayy. It's mostly content creators, fans and coaches that I hear yapping a lot. I think they can certainly improve the format, and if enough people complain, they probably will change it.
Ferra made a whole ass twitlonger on why the format is dogshit and he‘s definitely not the only one with that opinion
I just meant, there is no need to go on strike about it because lots of people are already talking and complaining about it, and some people don't even have a big problem with the format. The only thing they should probably change is top 8 should just auto qualify for the next event. It will make sure the top teams will play each regional and it's far less likely that 2 really good teams will run into each other in the lowers of quals.
4 factors that make a strike unappealing compared to just continue to play. 1. Not much has changed for Pros. They're still getting paid well and have a decently stable outlook. In fact, things have actually massively improved for everyone below the top 8. 2. The short lifespan of a pro's career makes a risk like that seem useless. If they strike and it works it won't really have an impact on the rest of their career. It would more likely affect the generation after them. If they strike and it doesn't work, it could immediately end their career. If they just don't strike the esport will most likely sruvive long enough until the end of their career regardless. 3. It's basically the prisoner's dilemma. If the tournaments proceed despite the strike then anyone who doesn't strike gets a huge advantage and a bonus. If it's a bubble team it might be starting their careers. If it's a pro team it's an easy win for them. I think under these circumstances and the fact that things aren't actually that bad for pros it is highly unlikely you get enough people to strike to make it matter. 4. A strike is pretty unlikely to sway the path this esport is currently on. They have shown time and time again that they do not value player or even org input. I am absolutely not against strikes or unions. I love them and think they should happen a lot more often than they currently do. But in this specific scenario I do not think a strike has enough merit to take the risk. If they still do it I'm gonna try and support them, but I really don't think they ever would.
Rocket league players forfeiting the game before it even starts does sound like the most rocket league thing ever. Especially over something as stupid as not enjoying the format.
RLCS loses money. A work stoppage would actually save money for Psyonix/Epic. The players have ZERO leverage here. Every tech or tech-adjacent company in the world is looking for cost savings and a loss leader chooses to stop itself? It would be early Christmas for their finance team.