Rocket League's birthday party kicks off on special pitch

Thrilling futuresport Rocket League celebrated its third birthday on Saturday and, presumably having been held up by the football, today kicked off the birthday party. Guests will get to play carball on a new pitch inspired by Rocket League's big sister, Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars, and can come home with shiny party favours including party hats and cakes to sit atop their sportscars. The event's arena is a special one, in one of those 'non-standard' shapes that developers Psyonix stopped making and even with its own slightly different ballphysics. Goals on!

Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars turns ten in October, so Psyonix are comboing the two in one big birthday bash with the 'Throwback' arena. It's shaped more like an ice hockey arena, with a little extra space behind the goals, in that SARPBC way. And, Psyonix warn, "Throwback will also feature SARPBC-style ball weight, so expect the ball on Throwback - and only Throwback - to act a little 'lighter' than normal." In a similar spirit, I propose the World Cup use progressively lighter balls as it progresses through rounds until we reach the final with a giant inflatable beach ball. Show us some real magic.

60-odd new SARPBC-themed cosmetic items are available through trading in 'Balloons' earned by playing matches online. Balloons can also be swapped for Golden Eggs, "a new type of Anniversary surprise" containing items from retired Champions Series loot boxes.

The Anniversary Event is due to start at 6pm today (10am Pacific - either way, it should be right about nnnnow) then end at 1am on July 24th (5pm Pacific on the 23rd). Balloons will instantly vanished (pop?) as the event ends, without the usual one-week trade-in "grace period" you might expect after other events. Look, no one wants people hanging around after a party's end - go hard for the next fortnight then promptly shove off home.