Sad news today Linux gamers, Psyonix emailed us directly to make sure we saw the news that they're officially ending support of Rocket League on Linux and macOS.
Their published statement on this was quite short and didn't really explain much:
As we continue to upgrade Rocket League with new technologies, it is no longer viable for us to maintain support for the macOS and Linux (SteamOS) platforms. As a result, the final patch for the macOS and Linux versions of the game will be in March. This update will disable online functionality (such as in-game purchases) for players on macOS and Linux, but offline features including Local Matches, and splitscreen play will still be accessible.
If you purchased Rocket League for Mac or Linux on Steam, the game will still work with full functionality when installed and played on a computer running Windows 7 or newer.
So the Linux and macOS versions will still be there, but left old and online play will be disabled. Not good. Not good at all and as a huge Rocket League fan I'm not pleased—annoyed you might say.
This "new technologies" bit was interesting, perhaps they've decided to go DirectX 12 with an Unreal Engine upgrade? At this point we can only speculate with so little information. In the expanded support page, for Linux they mentioned playing Rocket League with Steam Play Proton is possible although they will not be supporting it.
When Psyonix became part of Epic Games back in May last year, many speculated that Rocket League would not only drop Linux support but also leave Steam. I didn't think either would happen but here we are, Psyonix has still never said they will continue to sell the game on Steam only that it would see "continued support". Originally, I thought meant it would go free to play, but with this move it seems a little more likely it will move over to the Epic Store which doesn't support Linux.
Update: Psyonix are now suggesting to request a refund from them on their support portal.
Update 2 - 24/01: Psyonix are now telling us "macOS and Linux players can reach out directly to Steam to request refunds and they will be honored. In these cases, Steam will make an exception to their 2 hours limit rule.". Their own support ticket team are now also saying to ask Steam for the refund, although Valve has denied my own refund twice.
In situations like this, Valve ideally need a better support system in place or at least an option of platform removal to get around the usual way. As we end up going in circles.
Update 3: After making their PR team aware what was going on with the refund situation, they've now released a statement on Reddit. Refunds will be accepted on Steam now, plus they gave the reason behind removing Linux and macOS support.
It's what I suspected as written above, they're upgrading to a higher version of Direct X which is a problem as the "macOS and Linux native clients depend on our DX9 implementation for their OpenGL renderer to function" and they're not willing to put resources into Vulkan/Metal for Linux/macOS when the combined player-base was apparently "0.3%" of the active total and when "viable workarounds exist" with Wine being mentioned.
They could have gone for Vulkan though to get Windows + Linux (and Stadia) and possibly even macOS with MoltenVK. It's a shame another company decided to stick with a proprietary API. That said, it may not have been possible if they're on quite an old version of Unreal Engine.
If you do get a refund for it, be sure you use that Steam Wallet funding for a developer that does support Linux. Make it count.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
GustyGhost Jan 23, 2020
Maybe a little related, some time ago I noticed that the Vulkan feature of Unrel Engine for desktops got archived (cancelled? IDK) from their roadmap Vulkan
I remember the boiling steam interview, where Timothee Besset pointed out, that they showed them how to maintain the Linux port and that Psyonix was very interested in the quality of the port. So I guess it's not them who made the decision, but somebody above them... to maximize the profit.
Oh man... this was one was a bright light on the Linux gaming horizon...
Last edited by Corben on 23 January 2020 at 11:58 pm UTC
I always wanted to learn Godot, maybe I'll five it a shot when version 4 is out
Last edited by Blue22 on 24 January 2020 at 12:34 am UTC
Mountain Man Jan 24, 2020
Quoting: Comandante ÑoñardoKeep in mind I'm referring to long-term support. Most VR games are one-off releases.Quoting: Mountain ManWe're still niche, and that's a problem. Developing for Linux is more attractive than ever before, but we're still a tiny percentage which makes long-term support a problem for many studios.
VR is much more niche than Linux and there are several VR technologies, but that doesn't stop publishers...
This is not about the logic of market share; is about the emotions and personal point of views of each CEO.
It has a Windows and Mac version at the moment.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/485610/Ball_3D_Racing_Soccer__Sports_Games/
SuperTuxKart also has a car soccer game mode but I'm sure it's a far cry from Rocket League.
Quoting: tuubiHeck , I'd play FOSS games with you anytime.
Which certainly would be... err... Sudoku? :).
State of the FOSS games is - at best - somewhere between the times of win98/xp (sad but true - they're no way near of those proprietary ones)
Dang, I have nearly 1000 hours of playtime, several DLCs and two recent RocketPass purchased... and now I see how my money has been used. Ironically they will support a system that is just becoming dead already... to share the shining new technology among ALL the players...
At the beginning of the past year I thought the situation looked far more brighter in terms of playing on linux, but we've lost more that we've gained it seems, since the Rocket League is not the only one that dropped support.
Isn't it hypocrisy that Epic has awarded lutris?
Also I have nothing against social petition. What's the difference if they will actually show us the middle finger, if they have already done so. Let them know. It's like we all agree if nothing is done. Screaming and shouting is not a solution, however is always good to show our dissapointment.
Comandante Ñoñardo Jan 24, 2020
Quoting: HoriQuoting: Comandante ÑoñardoActually it does.Quoting: Mountain ManWe're still niche, and that's a problem. Developing for Linux is more attractive than ever before, but we're still a tiny percentage which makes long-term support a problem for many studios.
VR is much more niche than Linux and there are several VR technologies, but that doesn't stop publishers...
This is not about the logic of market share; is about the emotions and personal point of views of each CEO.
And even so, you can't compare it with VR. VR is something completely new and has a bright future ahead.
Linux is... what, really? There already is Windows, so what does Linux do? It does what has already been done but a little different.
Linux is nice if you want to tinker with it, customise it, or use it regularly but with a higher degree of privacy.
Apparently mos people don't care about that. And Microsoft isn't seen as a great evil or anything like that by most people.
So yeah, on an individual level, Linux is great. But in the eyes of the game companies... it's not worth supporting unless they have to. And they don't have to.
I remind you that STADIA IS LINUX and big publishers are supporting it..
As I said, this is not about market share; is about personal beliefs of the big companies CEOs...
Sadly, the CEOs of big companies are not Linuxians...
But if enough Linuxians get enough stock share of those Big publishers that are public traded, the thing can change for good: Anti-Linux CEOs can be fired.
Quoting: razing32Quoting: tuubiHeck , I'd play FOSS games with you anytime.
Which certainly would be... err... Sudoku? :).
State of the FOSS games is - at best - somewhere between the times of win98/xp (sad but true - they're no way near of those proprietary ones)
Dang, I have nearly 1000 hours of playtime, several DLCs and two recent RocketPass purchased... and now I see how my money has been used. Ironically they will support a system that is just becoming dead already... to share the shining new technology among ALL the players...
At the beginning of the past year I thought the situation looked far more brighter in terms of playing on linux, but we've lost more that we've gained it seems, since the Rocket League is not the only one that dropped support.
Isn't it hypocrisy that Epic has awarded lutris?
Also I have nothing against social petition. What's the difference if they will actually show us the middle finger, if they have already done so. Let them know. It's like we all agree if nothing is done. Screaming and shouting is not a solution, however is always good to show our dissapointment.
Yes they are old.
But what game can we say for sure will still be usable.
Closed source games can stop working on new systems and without access to source code, reverse engineering takes a whole team of dedicated people.
FOSS , even if severly lacking in the graphic department will still be there. And game complexity/story/comptetive play / enjoyment is not strictly tied to graphics. They help but they are not mandatory.
That said , this is one big blow back , not the end.
As i said in my earlier post a canary in the coal mine. Epic might try to be even more restrictive.
Streaming was a good alternative to TV while only a couple of services were there. Now there are what 8 providers each with exclusive rights ? Right back to cabletv.
Same for gaming. Steam and GOG were great. Now everyone has a client EA , EPIC , Activision-Blizzard etc. It's no longer easy and comfortable.
We Linux people are just the warning of things to come , more stores , more exclusivity to force consumers in the direction they want - just my two cents.
Cheeseness Jan 24, 2020
Quoting: Xaero_VincentThis might be a possible alternative if the developer could be convinced to port to Linux:Sounds like it's on their roadmap: https://steamcommunity.com/app/485610/discussions/1/133261370002367383/#c133261370002381789
It has a Windows and Mac version at the moment.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/485610/Ball_3D_Racing_Soccer__Sports_Games/
If it weren't though, convincing people who aren't specifically interested in embracing the hurdles that come with supporting an unfamiliar platform to support Linux has greater possibility for long term negative outcomes than positive ones.
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