Over the course of 2017, it’s evident that the organisational involvement in Oceanic Rocket League has boomed - and if we think back to PAX 2016, teams such as Abyss, Legacy and Athletico were the main driving forces behind the expansion of Rocket League in Oceania. After the departure of JAM Gaming from the list of organisations contracting teams, it’s clear that the above 4 teams were truly the founding fathers of competitive Rocket League in Oceania.
However, if we look at the present, organisational growth in Oceania has increased in levels unprecedented in our region’s history. With the guarantee of 2 Oceanic teams in the Rocket League World Championships every season, 2017 has hosted the involvement of some extremely well-known Oceanic organisations. We’ve seen teams come and go, but most notably, we’ve seen the inclusion of teams such as Chiefs eSports Club, Avant Gaming, and even the re-involvement of the first-ever organisation in Oceanic Rocket League; JAM Gaming.
With the region’s popularity booming, the player’s international pedigree beginning to form, and the overall popularity of Rocket League esports hitting higher viewer-counts with every season - now would arguably be the best time for any of the remaining higher-end Oceanic organisations to look to get involved. Currently, as the competitive Rocket League season comes to the beginning of it’s end for the year, we brace ourselves for what seems to be the annual team shuffles - kicking off the rotating season with the now-former JAM Gaming roster being allowed to explore other options as a team.
The members of the former JAM Gaming roster, that being Shadey, Express and Montyconnor, now sit unsigned in the highly-contested top 4 spots of the OCE Power Rankings¹. As with any top-contending unsigned team in an esport that is gaining popularity, it’s exciting to see what the potential future holds for them - as the team is unlikely to forego any roster changes, organisations looking to enter Rocket League at a top-level will be bustling for a team with their synergy.
However, the question remains; just what organisations should be looking to enter OCE Rocket League in the new season? Teams such as Tainted Minds or DarkSided¹ are likely the first to come to mind - with Chiefs being Oceania’s largest organisation and their Rocket League teams’ potential international success. It would be a shame to see two rather influential teams miss an opportunity like the ex-JAM Gaming roster. Another team to keep an eye on would potentially be Dire Wolves - with their League of Legends roster travelling overseas after winning the OPL Spring Split over Legacy eSports, they could potentially be looking to dive into some new games after their recent success at home.
There’s also the opportunity for smaller organisations to enter as well. Some organisations have found some commendable success in games such as CS:GO - notably, Greyhound Gaming, whom have had a great run contending some larger organisations in the ESEA Mountain Dew League. The OCE Rocket League shuffle is just around the corner, and the window for these teams could close before they even realise it was open.
¹ DarkSided have since signed the ex-JAM Gaming Rocket League Roster.