Rocket Leagues Event Radical Summer in the style of the 80s is in full swing! Having already celebrated 80’s culture and film classics, we are closing our big season event with a tribute to the television series of the era.

 

As Master of Ceremonies we have none other than K.I.T.T. even invited: the super-fast, talking, futuristic car with all its high-tech gadgets and personality of the cult series of the 80s par excellence – Knight Rider.

 

The Knight Rider Car Pack, which is available now, includes the K.I.T.T. Battle Car, K.I.T.T. wheels and the K.I.T.T. steering wheel roof attachment. For an 80s event, the inclusion of the anti-wrong super car seems more than logical, but K.I.T.T. was already in the early days of Rocket League more or less shortly before production. Psyonix Publishing Division vice president Jeremy Dunham admits that it has always been a goal of the team, K.I.T.T. to see flying around on the field.

 

“Already during the first few months after the release of Rocket League, we talked about including Knight Rider,” says Jeremy. “In the summer of 2015, we started discussing with Universal Games because of the inclusion of the DeLorean time machine ‘Back to the Future’. At the same time, we also started to sell K.I.T.T. to bargain. ”

 

“The only problem we had at that time was our significantly lower resources compared to today. In addition, we were not able to track projects for so long and did not (yet) know how successful a licensed DLC package would be. However, with Rocket League becoming a big hit and the DeLorean time machine coming so well to the players, the list of famous cars fans and partners would like to see in the game got longer and longer. ”

Today there are over a dozen licensed vehicles in Rocket League. But making it available to the community means much more than just copying and pasting previously created models that magically come to life.

 

Every new battle car, even those inspired by series or movies, needs to be redesigned from the ground up. There are some key features to consider, such as the rear rocket boost and team color. For a vehicle like K.I.T.T. – which is traditionally completely black and has no rocket boost – these considerations are very important and not an easy task. A task that was mastered by the artistic director of Psyonix Jason Rowells and his graphics team.

 

“We have worked out several concepts internally in advance,” recalls Jason. “The challenge was to include the team colors, because we did not want these colors to ruin the character and atmosphere that make up [K.I.T.T.] in any way. Retaining the elegant and classic look was a top priority.

 

Finally, a final version crystallized out of this attitude: we equipped the car with a subtle color stripe at the bottom to mark a player’s team color – that’s it. In Boost, we opted for a directional, horizontal boost tuned to the famous light strip on the front of the car. ”

 

Having a car that has such a recognition value as K.I.T.T. is an important part of Radical Summer. With almost a dozen creations, the event will celebrate the entire entertainment of this decade. Although the cult films, series and objects originated before the birth of many younger Rocket League players, Jeremy is nevertheless convinced that the style and artwork of this decade appeal to a younger audience.

“We know that our audience loves sports cars. And this is one of the most iconic sports cars of the last 40 years. PUTTY. is perfect for Rocket League, because you do not necessarily have to know it to enjoy it. Appearance and character of the car can also appeal without prior knowledge and feel exciting. That’s exactly what we want to achieve with Rocket League: the right combination of vehicle aesthetics and customization options that gives players out there the ability to create an ‘I’ feel in the field. ”

 

If you want to take a look behind the scenes of Rocket League and Radical Summer, check out the discussion between Jeremy, Jason and Game Director Scott Rudi, which took place as part of the E3 Coliseum roundtable, and by Greg Miller (Kinda Funny Games). was moderated.

 

Rocket League: Knight Rider DLC

The Gullwing Topper is the first topper to actually turn the battle car.

Play Radical Summer in Rocket League now through August 12 and collect tapes in online matches that you can exchange for Rocket League items inspired by the ’80s at the event store. In addition, you can now play the mode Beach Ball for a limited time! The Knight Rider Car Pack is available now!

 

The Knight Rider Car Pack is now available on PlayStation Store!