With the recent news that a WWE 2K21 game won’t be coming out in 2020, many fans may have disappointed. On Monday, 2K brought word of a new WWE video game with a different sort of spin. 2K has now revealed a new WWE 2K Battlegrounds title which looks like an interesting take on things. Here’s what we know about the new game and future WWE 2K games.
2K reveals WWE 2K Battlegrounds game
As mentioned, we reported that WWE 2K21 is canceled based on a recent statement at the end of a conference call. It’s been confirmed again in a more lengthy 2K statement.
However, WWE 2K Battlegrounds will take over for 2020 as 2K’s WWE wrestling game. Based on 2K’s statement it will have more of an arcade look and feel in terms of the gameplay. As 2K says it’s a new WWE gaming experience with “arcade-style action and over-the-top Superstar designs, environments and moves.” It will focus on “social pick-up-and-play fun” but also offer depth for other gamers.
In the 30-second teaser trailer, we see some crazy gameplay including a match involving The Rock vs. John Cena in a jungle-like environment. A snake hangs over the ring and Cena appears to get tossed over the top rope as a large gator has its mouth wide open.
In other scenes, we see “The Man” Becky Lynch on fire, literally in arcade animation as she fights Charlotte Flair. Punches and moves may even remind fans of classics like Tekken, Street Fighter, and Mortal Kombat.
In the WWE 2K20 game, the DLC content was WWE 2K Originals. It featured some outlandish concepts including matches in swamps, tombs, and apocalyptic wastelands. That very well could have been what helped bring about WWE 2K Originals, which most likely is going to involve some sort of in-game transactions to keep gamers spending.
Saber Interactive will be developing WWE 2K Battlegrounds. They previously worked on NBA Playgrounds, the arcade-style title for NBA fans. As one might guess, it’s not nearly as popular as the simulation title, but still fun for some gamers.
Time will tell if WWE 2K fans embrace the new Battleground title as fun, or shun it as they want a sim title instead. More information about the game will arrive in the coming months with a Fall 2020 launch on the calendar.
What about the future of 2K games?
In the 2K statement, they reiterate there will be no WWE 2K simulation game in 2020. However, they did say they will be bringing one out in the future. 2K said they are making sure they have a team to bring the sort of game fans want.
2K says:
We want to ensure the development team at Visual Concepts can create a great game that will entertain grizzled WWE 2K veterans, as well as newcomers who want to climb through the ropes and step into the ring for the very first time.
They go on to mention they’ve recruited Patrick Gilmore to become new Executive Producer for the lineup of WWE 2K games. He brings more than 25 years of experience including involvement with the Sega Genesis and franchises such as Killer Instinct and Medal of Honor. His most recent work was on Amazon’s New World.
So that means they are laying the foundation for the future of WWE 2K simulation games. In the meantime, fans will have a more arcade-style game to look forward to this fall with WWE 2K Battlegrounds. Will you be picking up the title, or waiting patiently for a new WWE 2K sim game?
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