XR League announces Racket Club singles and doubles leagues season 1 set to begin January 22.
Both XRL and Resolution Games’ Racket Club were launched in December and continue the tradition of VR sports that began with the release of consumer headsets HTC Vive and Oculus Rift in 2016.
Since then, the quality of headsets has improved, virtual reality is now a recognized household term, and communities that numbered in dozens now have tens or hundreds of thousands.
Access to immersive tech has changed countless lives, including that of XRL Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer (CCO) Kyle Glaser, 32.
“I joined VR while on tour and loved the aspect of being able to travel on the road with it,” Glaser states. “When the pandemic hit, I was looking to connect with people and found other online friends who were as obsessed with it as I was.”
“I’ve now made friends in VR that I talk to more than IRL [in real life] friends and love how immersive it is,” he continues. “Like you’re meeting them at a local park and playing a pickup game of soccer.”
While he was playing competitive VR games like Ready At Dawn’s Echo Arena, Glaser met Jason Ayre and David Tuell. After Echo Arena servers shut down last August, the three friends began to consider what their goals were in relation to VR, gaming, esports, etc.
“We saw a need in the community and what’s out there isn’t exactly what we wanted,” says 44-year-old Tuell, XRL Chief Operating Officer (COO), as the friends discussed starting a VR sport league. “We wanted to be able to listen to the people. To let the league grow in a way that was community-based.”
He went on to explain the premise of XRL that “community-based means allowing people to have a voice and that they’re not excluded from conversation.”
Racket Club
In December 2023, a limited number of people were invited to the XR League Discord server to test functionality, get feedback, and prepare for the initial league.
A very short pre-season of Resolution Games’ Racket Club began on January 6 and lasted ten days. Winners of the pre-season event are:
- JJJosie19
- Gutyzx
- Demoon
Players had positive feedback, shared suggestions for improvements, and were engaged in the Discord.
One of the things that became evident even during the pre-season was the level of interest in VR sports from around the world.
“That’s by far been the most rewarding part of the process thus far,” says Jason Ayre, XRL Chief Technology Officer. “The gravity of what we were building didn’t really hit me until I saw people from all around the world, scheduling times and working around each other’s schedules to play league matches.”
Indeed, there was enough interest from around the globe in Racket Club that XR League will feature both singles and doubles competition for the full first season that begins next week.
League Format
Rankings
- Rankings are based on results submitted.
- Everyone will be ranked by skill level in categories.
- Teams/Players will be matched against those of similar skill level based on rankings.
Scheduling
- Two matches will be assigned on Mondays and must be completed by Sunday.
- Players are responsible for scheduling matches each week.
Singles – 1v1
- Play best of three Matches
- First to 11 points = Set
- Best of 3 Racket Club Sets = Match
Doubles – 2v2
- Play best of three Matches
- First to 11 points = Set
- Best of 3 Racket Club Sets = Match
Season Begins: January 22
Registration is open now.
How to Register
Visit the XR League website.
- Click “Sign In” in the upper right corner.
- Authorize prompt asking permission for access to your Discord account.
Once you’re signed in, click on your profile in upper right corner.
- Go to “My Leagues.”
- Join the league you want to participate in.
Other Games
Normal’s Nock and Blue Duck Studios’ Gravity League will also be featured games in the XR League.
XRL Nock Season 1 begins February 5.
XRL Gravity League begins February 19.
More info coming soon on XR League, their featured games, and more!