Rocket League to Add an Evolving Language Ban System

Vehicular sport game Rocket League is adding a language ban system that automatically bans players from online matches after using certain offensive words in chat.

Developer Psyonix announced the new ban practices, saying the system will target an initial multi-language list of 20 words that will be added to in the future. If you’re looking for a list of the naughty words you’ll get flagged for, you’re out of luck. Likely in an attempt to prevent spam, Psynoix chose not to release the list of words, though they did say it includes racial slurs.

“Each word has its own threshold, and once a threshold for any word has been reached, that player will be automatically subject to a ban,” said Psyonix. “These bans will typically start at 24 hours, then escalate to 72 hours, one week, and finally, a permanent ban.”

That means some words could result in an immediate ban, while others will get you kicked out after a certain amount of uses. Psyonix noted most reports they get for misbehaving players involve harassment and abusive language, so this system is attempting to weed that out.

Rocket League now has a whopping 34 million players worldwide, which is another reason this new system is necessary. More players= more trolls.

“As our community grows larger still, so too does the need to ensure that Rocket League is a consistently-safe, harassment-free place where players of all ages and backgrounds can come together and execute the sweetest of aerial goals and backflip saves,” said Psyonix.

Players of Rocket League already have player mute and report systems accessible from the in-game menu mid-match. The language ban system adds a new layer of automation to the report-ban process without replacing the existing tools.

Key to surviving these new ban practices? Just don’t be an asshole.