In a move that seems rather apt considering its upcoming Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view event, the WWE has announced a partnership with Psyonix, the maker of Rocket League. As a presenting partner, Rocket League will be playable at upcoming WWE events, as well as showcased on the WWE network and its social media accounts.
Although the move is being marketed as a partnership, in reality, WWE is helping to increase exposure to Rocket League, and not the other way around. While WWE fans will get a chance to play the game at upcoming events, for the most part, this is a way for the WWE to leverage its enormous audience and media presence to help increase the game’s already large player base.
The partnership will see Rocket League playable at the WWE’s upcoming Backlash, Great Balls of Fire, and SummerSlam events. To further promote the game, Rocket League materials will be shown across the WWE Network, on the WWE’s social media platforms, and during its Raw and SmackDown shows.
The WWE has also pledged to showcase the game on its YouTube gaming channel, with six episodes dedicated exclusively to Rocket League.
On top of all of that, Rocket League has also been announced as a presenting partner for the upcoming WWE Women’s Tournament, though in what capacity it will be involved — beyond a mention of the game — has yet to be announced.
“As WWE fans ourselves, we are well aware of WWE’s strong capabilities as a strategic marketing partner,” said Jeremy Dunham, vice president of publishing at Psyonix. “WWE has proven time and again that they know how to execute fantastic integrated programming, and with an audience that has similar interests to our own, it was only natural that we team up to see what we could do together.”
The WWE took the opportunity to highlight how successful its global platform is and said how much it’s looking forward to building a “one-stop shopping program” to help Rocket League reach new customers.
