There will be a new WWE video game this year after all, albeit in the form of an unexpected arcade-like title serving as a major departure from the franchise’s more recent simulation-style efforts called WWE 2K Battlegrounds. Last year’s WWE 2K20 made headlines for all the wrong reasons, featuring a multitude of game-breaking bugs and glitches that tarnished developer Visual Concepts’ name and put the future of 2K Games’ WWE titles into question.
As such, it was little surprise to many that 2K announced that they were canceling this year’s installment of the WWE 2k series after many online rumors of its impending delay. However, rather than stay down for the three-count, last week the publisher teased that a new announcement regarding the future of the long-running sports entertainment simulator would be revealed this morning, and now fans have been given their first look at how the WWE gaming franchise is going to look for the foreseeable future, with a direction that very few saw coming.
Earlier today, 2K Games released an open letter (full letter down below) announcing their new, retooled approach to WWE licensed titles in the form of their newest release, WWE 2K Battlegrounds. Set to be released sometime this fall, this new game will feature a mix of both classic WWE wrestlers like The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin alongside modern favorites like John Cena and Becky Lynch as they engage in more outlandish arcade-fighter combat consisting of aura-powered super moves and environmental attacks such as feeding their opponents to a giant crocodile at ringside, all of which are topped off with a short-bodied, big-headed art style to complement the change in tone. Reactions to the new game have been mixed so far, with some fans decrying the more cartoon-like character models and others praising the promise of a more arcade-like style of gameplay.
These latter fans might note that WWE 2K Battlegrounds’ more cartoon-like art style and arcade fighter gameplay bare a few similarities to 2011’s WWE All-Stars, another lighthearted reimaging of the brand by former WWE game publisher THQ. This title also featured caricatures of WWE Superstars and Legends engaged in exaggerated combat, and received warm critical reception due to its fun, fast-paced action, earning its place among the most fondly remembered WWE games.
Still, given the WWE 2K series’ more realistic take on Vince McMahon’s long-running “soap opera with fists,” fans likely weren’t expecting an outlandish, arcade-style fighter to take the canceled WWE 2K21’s place this year, and there are some that might be taken aback by WWE 2K Battlegrounds’ more cartoon-like aesthetic. Still, it’s clear from the disaster that was WWE 2K20’s infamously glitch-riddled release that new direction is needed for the franchise, and perhaps WWE 2K Battlegrounds is exactly that. Fans will be able to step into the squared circle to see if that is the case for themselves when WWE 2k Battlegrounds hits stores sometime this fall.
Source: 2K Games
