Epic acquires Psyonix, will remove Rocket League from sale on Steam later this year

UPDATE: Epic has offered an update on the confusingly worded statement issued to press earlier today regarding Rocket League's future status on Steam, now insisting that it has "not announced plans to stop selling the game there".

In its initial press release, Epic wrote that "The PC version of Rocket League will come to the Epic Games store in late 2019. In the meantime, it will continue to be available for purchase on Steam; thereafter it will continue to be supported on Steam for all existing purchasers." That combination of In the meantime and thereafter reading as if Rocket League's sale on Steam would continue only until it transitioned to the Epic Games Store later this year.

In a new statement issued to US Gamer, however, Epic has said, "We are continuing to sell Rocket League on Steam, and have not announced plans to stop selling the game there...Rocket League remains available for new purchasers on Steam, and long-term plans will be announced in the future." All of which feels a lot like a game of semantic evasion, but for now the takeaway is that Rocket League may or may not continue to be sold on Steam post its Epic Games Store debut. Make of that what you will.

ORIGINAL STORY: Epic Games has announced, presumably in another giggling confetti shower of Fortnite cash, that it's in the process of acquiring four-wheeled footie phenomenon Rocket League and its developer Pysonix for an undisclosed sum.

That's significant news, given Rocket League's enormous popularity (it's sold over 10.5 million copies across all platforms, with 57 million registered players), and marks another wad-flinging gambit in Epic's aggressive grasp for PC storefront dominance. By the end of the year, Rocket League will be removed from sale on Steam and become an Epic Games Store exclusive.

Rocket League's large Steam player base has no immediate need to panic, however. Until the transition is complete, some time in "late 2019", Rocket League will remain on sale through Steam, and Psyonix says it will "continue to support" the game on Valve's platform. Speaking to Variety, the developer clarified that Steam users will continue to receive "patches, DLC and all other content that hits the PC version of the game through the Epic Game Store".

Additionally, in a short FAQ on the acquisition, Psyonix assured all players, across all platforms, that "In the short term, nothing will change at all! We're still committed to providing Rocket League with frequent updates that have new features, new content, and new ways to play the game for as long as you'll have us."

In the longer term, Psyonix hopes to "leverage our new relationship to grow the game in ways we couldn't do on our own before. We believe that bringing Rocket League to new audiences with more support is a win for everybody." It also says the Rocket League Esports ecosystem will benefit, as the deal "significantly increases our potential reach and resources".

The deal between Epic and Psyonix is currently due to be finalised at the end of the month or early June 2019, "subject to customary closing conditions".