An important feature will finally be returning toRocket Leaguesoon, as an upcoming update will finally allow players to use in-game voice chat again. Voice chat was absent from the game for several months, and its return brings important quality-of-life changes and upgrades.
As an eSports game,Rocket Leaguerequires fast communication and teamwork to succeed. Voice chat is an effective communication method for many eSports, so its removal from the game was a surprise to many players.
In a new report, Psyonix detailed what changes will be coming to voice chat when it returns in an upcoming update, and the overhaul brings with it many useful options forcustomizing theRocket Leagueexperience. Players will have a persistent connection to party chat between games, seamlessly switching to team chat during matches. Device options and selective player muting will also be available, an especially welcome feature considering how easy voice chat is for toxic players to abuse.
The removal of voice chat last year was an issue mitigated with third-party solutions like Discord, but it could still be frustrating to console players - especially since theNintendo Switch lacks a convenient voice chat solution. Fortunately, games likeFortnitehave already implemented in-game voice chat without much issue, and it seems likeRocket Leaguewill follow suit, especially since it comes from the same publisher asFortnite. Psyonix clarified in a reply to the news release that voice chat will work cross-platform, so hopefully, the problems with voice chat on consoles will be mitigated as soon as the update launches on May 9.
While voice chat’s return is welcome, the nature of voice communication also means it will be much more difficult to moderate than text chat. Voice chat cannot be logged the same way and cannot be filtered in real-time for specific words and actions reliably, so bans will probably be implemented by report volume, as is common with in-game voice chat. Alternately, Psyonix could constantlyrecord what players say in voice chat, but such solutions can be uncomfortable prospects for players. No voice chat moderation solution is perfect, so some players may opt to use the less effective but still useful Quick Chat option for easy non-verbal communication.
Overall, voice chat’s return is good news for all currently supported platforms and will add to the staying power of the alreadymassive popularRocket League. Despite being released in 2015,Rocket League’s continued support keeps the gamers playing, especially with Season 6 currently underway.
Rocket Leagueis available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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