“the game is in the players’ hands”

There’s a limited window of time for Sloclap to capitalize on the runaway success of Rematch. Over the coming weeks, the Sifu studio needs to keep up with the game’s hype, which currently sits with over three million players stepping onto the pitch. Although Ranked mode is live in-game, I’m curious to see how Rematch can take on the eSports scene. In my chat with creative director Pierre Tarno, I asked him whether this is on Sloclap’s radar.

We already know that Rematch clubs and tournaments are coming, but right now, Sloclap is making it clear that other aspects of Rematch are a major priority. Specifically, Rematch crossplay is something the studio wants to rectify fast while the fire is hot. Once that’s fixed, I think Sloclap can look toward cultivating a fruitful eSports experience. Tarno believes there is still work to be done before that, though.

“Our objective is to create a deep, balanced, competitive game, and we still have work to make this as solid as possible,” he tells me. When tournaments do appear in Rematch, Tarno says the studio is implementing a spectator mode, an “important” feature for broadcasters. “Beyond this, the game is in the players’ hands, and it’s up to the community to decide if this game has eSports potential,” Tarno expresses.

Tarno is keeping an eye on what players are saying, and the call for tournaments is so strong that they’re already beginning to form. Rematch’s first foray into eSports begins with Toornament, an agency providing the tools to make the organization side of competing easier for developers. You can be a part of it right now, too.

Sign-ups for Rematch eSports are live here, but don’t expect cash prizes or Majors-level competition yet. These tournaments are community-led, and Tarno is happy to see them flourishing: “We’ve already seen tournaments being created, which is great, and we certainly intend to support these initiatives.” I think something special could come out of this corner of Rematch, as its gameplay is ripe for a highly competitive landscape. Once pro teams form, I can only imagine the clips that’ll come out of it.

It’s a testament to Rematch’s sense of pressure and collaboration on the pitch. “A huge challenge was promoting team play without forcing it. We didn’t want players to hog the ball; we wanted to reward passing, timing, and positioning,” Tarno says on the sports games‘ third-person approach.

He adds that “when you’re in possession, you’re exposed. That simple idea led to more cooperation naturally.” There’s more to read from my Rematch interview, including the possibility of a Rematch Nintendo Switch 2 port.

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