Turns out 'Rocket League without cars' is a good idea: Rematch beta test from Sifu devs flies past 150k players on Steam, suggesting Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 publisher could have another hit on its hands

Rematch, an unexpected 5v5 sports game from Sifu and Absolver developer Slowclap, is in the middle of its final beta test, and it's been an especially big hit on Steam. The previous beta capped out at around 133k concurrent users on Steam alone, but the final beta is sitting at 158,554 at the moment – with plenty of time to climb higher – according to SteamDB.

The final Rematch beta is also available on PS5 and Xbox Series X, though we don't have SteamDB-grade access to those platform figures, and it generally seems more open than previous playtests. That fact surely contributed to the beta's jump in popularity, but it's clear that players are coming back for the game itself too.

The stampede of players may be pressing on the servers. On Twitter, the official Rematch account says "we're closely monitoring matchmaking performance, and we've just released a patch on the server-side to decrease matchmaking durations. We are aware of latency issues affecting some players, and we're looking into it." That's what beta tests are for, I suppose.

Rematch has jokingly, but not unfairly, been described as Rocket League without the cars. If only there was a real sport approximation to that. It's a 5v5 game of foots and balls – football, they could call it – aiming to combine arcade feel and approachability with competitive and tactical depth.

So far, it seems to be doing a pretty job. The game isn't out until June 19, so final impressions are a ways out, but beta reactions seem fairly positive. Putting sports to the side for a minute, Sloclap is known for involved and satisfying action gameplay, which does bode well for a sports game that's all about physicality.

A few days ago, Sloclap released a deep dive on Rematch's monetization.

"Wherever you are, if you like the game, we think you will find amazing value for your money – because there is such replayability, and because there is no other game like it," the devs wrote. "Rematch is also a game we intend to keep working on for as long as possible: balancing, polishing, adding new game modes, new features, new maps, new outfits... we have plenty of ideas, and we'll be analyzing all feedback from our community to make sure we're going in the right direction."

To that end, "the game will also feature in-game monetization," mainly in the form of buyable Quants used to unlock the Captain Pass, which dishes out extra rewards each seasonal chapter over the free pass, or purchase items in the store, with some being exclusive to Quants and others you can earn with free currency called Blocks.

The devs insist "Rematch follows a structure many players are already familiar with: a low entry price, with optional, fully cosmetic purchases for those who want additional customization options. No pay-to-win, no lootboxes or hidden systems – it’s a transparent approach that we believe is best to support a strong community, in the long term."

As it happens, Rematch is published by Kepler Interactive, a pretty broad label who's recently been making the rounds as the publisher of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and for preaching the importance of sensible business decisions in games.

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