It happened. It actually happened.
You read that right: Cloud9 is back. After four years of teasing the community, Cloud9 finally returns to Rocket League. With multiple posts across various channels, the org announces the signing of a full competitive roster and content creator.
The history
Very few organizations can rival the legacy that C9 has in Rocket League. From 2017 to 2020, their legendary starting roster won the org an RLCS World Championship, multiple major LAN events, and the hearts of nearly the entire Rocket League community.
In June 2020, to the dismay of many fans, Cloud9 announced their departure from Rocket League. During a Reddit AMA on r/Cloud9, team manager Tifa cited "frustrations with how Psyonix was handling RL esports and the RLCS" as one of the reasons for their exit. In the same AMA, CEO Jack Etienne stated he'd return if Psyonix created "a more team-friendly environment."
Jack's words in mind, Cloud9's return to Rocket League brings more than just a beloved team to cheer for. Their renewed presence in the scene indicates that RLCS and Rocket League esports as a whole are headed in a positive direction.
The new faces of Cloud9 Rocket League
Alongside its new competitive roster, Cloud9 also welcomes RLCS caster Elyse "herculyse" Herrera as a Rocket League content creator. In addition to representing the org during RLCS broadcasts, herculyse will be regularly streaming and hosting official Cloud9 watch parties on her Twitch channel.
Plans for the future
As of this moment, Cloud9 has not stated anything regarding its future plans within Rocket League. However, herculyse revealed a few exciting details during her stream when the announcement went live.
Firstly, she explained that Cloud9 reached out to her as early as January. They not only expressed interest in recruiting herculyse but also asked for help scouting a team that'd be "the best fit" for the organization. Following that, she revealed that her contract with the org is for the duration of two years.
Thus, it seems that Cloud9 intends to remain in the scene for at least another competitive season. In combination with well-received recent changes to the RLCS format, the future of Rocket League esports looks bright.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for more esports news and Rocket League coverage.