Beginning Dec 6, the option for players to trade items amongst themselves in popular video game Rocket League will be abolished. This decision was announced by the game's developer, Psyonix, which was acquired by Epic Games in 2019.

Originally, the ability to trade items was incorporated into the game in 2016 and it allowed players to swap various items like cosmetic enhancements and certain blueprints that they unlocked, with one another. According to Psyonix, this trading change is important to align with Epic's strategy toward in-game items and merchandise stores.

The developers have hinted that this could potentially facilitate the transfer of some Rocket League vehicles into other Epic games in the future. In such instances, players who already own the vehicle in one game could also possess it in other games.

However, some fans remain skeptical, suspecting that this policy shift might be a ploy to encourage selling more microtransactions. Despite player backlash, Psyonix stressed that duplicate Core Items, Tournament Items and Blueprints can still be traded using Rocket League's in-game system. Through this process, players can receive a different random item in exchange.

Amid this situation, Epic Games revealed last month that it planned to lay off about 830 employees, which constitute approximately sixteen percent of its total workforce. CEO Tim Sweeney expressed that despite their ambitions to evolve Epic and expand Fortnite into a metaverse-inspired ecosystem for creators, the layoffs were ultimately unavoidable.