A recent decision by Epic Games, the publisher, and Psyonix, the developer of the popular game Rocket League, to put an end to player-to-player item trading has caused a stir in the gaming community. Announced to be effective on December 5, this move is supposedly to align Rocket League with Epic's policies concerning item shops, where in-game goods can't be traded, transferred, or sold. Psyonix assures players that they can still trade duplicate or unwanted items for a new, higher rarity object using the game’s built-in trade-in system and warned against utilizing illicit third-party trading websites or servers. This news, however, has been met with frustration by the Rocket League community, with worries about the impossibility of getting certain achievements due to this policy, and frustration over higher priced items in the in-game shop. Many community members aired their grievances on social media platforms and the Rocket League subreddit, with some threatening to quit playing the game altogether. Several users pointed out that this decision could be financially driven, forcing players to buy more in-game credits. A petition on Change.org challenging this decision has been rapidly gaining signatures. This decision is seen as the latest in a line of unpopular moves from Epic Games since their acquisition of Psyonix back in 2019, leading to claims that the game has degraded ever since. These controversies, coupled with recent layoffs impacting 830 staff, have escalated criticisms against Epic Games and its CEO, Tim Sweeney.