Rocket League hosted the first official Rocket League Championship Series world championship in 2016. The competition was created by the game’s developer, Psyonix, as the premier global league for its vehicular soccer title.
The inaugural RLCS World Championship took place in Hollywood, California, in August 2016. Northern Gaming won the tournament, defeating FlipSid3 Tactics in the grand final and becoming the first RLCS world champion.
Rocket League is a sequel to Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars, a 2008 PlayStation 3 game. Although the earlier title established the basic concept, it did not host the RLCS; the championship series was built around Rocket League.
The RLCS helped formalize competitive play in a game known for simple rules and difficult mechanics. Teams compete in three-versus-three matches, using rocket-powered cars to score in an arena. The format and regional structure have expanded substantially since 2016.