During Ubisoft’s E3 2019 Showcase, Ubisoft Montreal announced their new free-to-play sports game, Roller Champions, coming to PC in Early 2020. Roller Champions pits three against three in a new skill-based multiplayer game that looks to be a mixture of Basketball and Roller Derby.
Roller Champions leaked last month, however, it wasn’t until the reveal that any new information was revealed outside of the games logo. In the year 2029, arenas have been built all over the world for a new sport called Roller League. Players will start out a new sports career as an underdog and work towards the goal of becoming a Roller Champion.
Each game takes place in a looped court with teams fighting for possession of the ball. In order to score a goal, players will need to complete a full lap of the court with the ball in possession, and shoot the ball through a large hoop that will pop-up on the side. If you complete multiple laps with the ball in your team’s possession, more point can be earnt. Competing in matches will unlock new gear that can be used to customize your character including wheels, knee pads, helmets, and shoulder plates.
PC players will be able to download the free E3 Demo on Uplay starting today by registering on the Roller Champions website. The demo will be available from June 10 to 14. Roller Champions will be completely free-to-play at launch and does not require Ubisoft’s recently announced Uplay Plus, a new video game subscription service coming to PC in September.
It’s clear that Roller Champions has taken inspiration from similar games like Rocket League, whose success recently lead to the developer’s acquisition by Epic. But from a gameplay perspective, at least from what has been shown so far, Roller Champions is far from a direct copy and distinguishes itself from the competition.
In an interview with Eurogamer, Ubisoft Montreal didn’t rule out the option of releasing on other platforms outside of PC so it will be interesting to see whether or not Roller Champions makes its way to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or even the Nintendo Switch.
Roller Champions is releasing on PC in Early 2020.
