Chinese New Year is here to usher in The Year of the Tiger, and Rocket League is here to help you celebrate. Let's take a look at this year's Chinese New Year celebrations...
Each and every year, Rocket League launches into the Chinese/Lunar New Year with much glee and excitement. With wild skins, some smashing toppers, and great events. Back in 2021, Psyonix brought us what we have all been expecting: Lucky Lanterns, the game's annual Lunar New Years celebration. This year, however, we're getting something different, something... kind-of terrible, to be honest.
In the aforementioned Lucky Lanterns Event, we were able to unlock an insane selection of fantastic items. From the Lucky Cat to the Ozzy Ox Toppers, to the Cherry Blossom Boosts, there was little to complain about. There were even some celebratory items in the Rocket League Item Shop, and everything looked bright and beautiful. We regret to inform you, though, that you won't be getting any of that this year. It's a bummer, isn't it?
Chinese New Year falls on February 1, with sixteen long days of celebration to come. The event culminates with a Lantern Festival on February 15, and this is why Psyonix chose to call the Rocket League Event "Lucky Lanterns" back in the day. In addition, 2022 is The Year of the Tiger, the third of the Chinese zodiacs. Last year was The Year of the Ox, and the last time we had a Year of the Tiger was back in 2010.
What is Replacing Lucky Lanterns in 2022?
Instead of the annual Lucky Lanterns celebration, Psyonix have opted to celebrate with a single free bundle, and the Neon Nights Event. Now, it might seem nice that they have come up with some kind of alternative celebration, but we have a little something to inform you: Neon Nights has nothing to do with the Chinese/Lunar New Year. Instead, it is a celebration of music, and it features Grimes.
Now, there's nothing wrong with this either. Celebrating music is a great thing to do in Rocket League, but it certainly isn't a good substitute for the Chinese New Year. Surely they could have done more than this, surely they could have moved the musical celebration to a later date and kept Lucky Lanterns going? Well, apparently not. Nope, instead we have a Bundle... and not a very good one at that!
Neon Nights ft. @Grimezsz has landed! Complete Challenges, unlock cosmic Items, and defeat your opponents with the power of music. pic.twitter.com/I5LKeNjMmS
— Rocket League (@RocketLeague) January 26, 2022
What is in the Year of the Tiger Bundle?
| Item | Item Type |
| Tiny Tiger | Limited Topper |
| Octane: Tyger | Rare Decal |
How Much Does the Year of the Tiger Bundle Cost?
On the bright side, the Year of the Tiger Bundle is completely free. Yep, that's all they're giving us, a free bundle that's so bad they won't even monetize the bloody thing. I mean, it's against our ethos to complain about free stuff, but really guys? Is this truly all you can bother doing? It seems a little weak to us. It really, really does. It's not even that the items are all that bad. The topper is pretty cute, and the Tyger Decal looks dope! The problem is that, well, that's all that they're giving us this year.
Ultimately, we really hope that Psyonix improve their celebrations next year, or even just bring back Lucky Lanterns. We understand, of course, that Chinese New Year is not the biggest thing in the world outside of China and the Chinese community, but it's a nice little celebration and can be a whole lot of fun. Why not celebrate our friends over in China? They wouldn't avoid Thanksgiving or Christmas, would they? So why avoid Chinese/Lunar New Year?