Rematch Surpasses 1 Million Players on Launch Day

• Sloclap’s Rematch hits 1 million players on Day One, peaking at 92K+ concurrent on Steam.

• Xbox Game Pass and early access rollout fueled rapid growth across platforms.

• Celebrity endorsements, including Ronaldinho and Ter Stegen, boosted pre-launch hype and mainstream appeal.

On June 19, 2025, Sloclap’s third-person multiplayer soccer game Rematch crossed one million unique players across all platforms within its first 24 hours, the studio announced on X (formerly Twitter). The game saw a peak of 92,841 concurrent players on Steam, roughly 30,000 more than EA Sports FC 25 on launch day.

The rollout began with early access for Steam buyers, followed by a full release just ahead of the weekend. Its Day One inclusion in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate helped drive initial traction, expanding the player base across Xbox Series X|S and contributing to the rapid milestone. 

That big launch didn’t come out of thin air. In April, beta players hit about 133,000 at once, and in May, more than 2.5 million signed up to try it. Those tests proved there was interest in a skill-based team game. 

Adding to the hype were strategic celebrity endorsements. During the May beta, Sloclap had brought in known football figures like Ronaldinho, Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, and Manchester United rising star Kobbie Mainoo as brand ambassadors. Their involvement lent the game mainstream sports credibility and helped it stand out in a crowded multiplayer space.

But in contrast to most multiplayer games, Rematch went premium instead of free-to-play. The title is currently priced at €24.99 / $29.99 for the base edition, with Pro and Elite tiers bundling extra cosmetics, reflecting the studio’s view that a high-quality multiplayer experience need not be given away to succeed. Sloclap will rely on battle pass and micro-transactions for ongoing live-service funding.

On the gameplay front, Rematch is built in Unreal Engine 5 under the direction of Pierre Tarno. The game benefits from Sloclap’s expertise from Sifu and Absolver to deliver tight, skill-based gameplay. Players control a single avatar in fast-paced 3v3, 4v4 and ranked 5v5 matches set in enclosed, foul-free arenas. 

Despite hints during the beta that cross-platform play would be available at launch, Sloclap cancelled it just hours before early access opened. This decision drew in criticism, pushing the studio to issue a public apology and declare cross-play support its highest post-launch priority.

While Rematch launched with mostly positive reviews from critics, players saw several connectivity and matchmaking issues, especially in 5v5 ranked queues. A post-launch hotfix addressed some of these concerns, targeting ball-sync bugs, network crashes, and queue stability. Still, players on platforms like Reddit noted that certain modes, especially competitive ones, struggled due to server strain rather than a lack of players.

The roadmap states that a single-player AI teammate mode is planned for release in 2026, and the studio is actively developing tools for club creation, leaderboards, and tournament infrastructure. One major initiative in the works is a dedicated esports hub powered by Toornament,

Rematch’s quick start positions it as a niche challenger to Rocket League and EA Sports FC. Its next challenges will be sustaining engagement, scaling monetization, and proving that pay-up-front live-service titles can compete in a landscape dominated by free-to-play economies.