Will it undo years of franchise damage?
This weekend saw WWE hold its annual WrestleMania event in Tampa Bay, Florida. Once again scheduled as a two-night affair, “The Grandest Stage of Them All” saw Asuka battling Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair taking on Sasha Banks, Rapper Bad Bunny performfarbetter than anyone would’ve given him credit for, and the WWE invite 25,000 fans into an open-air stadium in a move that remains questionable at best.
Alongside the in-ring carnage, 2K Games took the opportunity to announce the next release in its malignedWWE 2Kseries. A short commercial forWWE 2K22features legendary ring veteran Rey Mysterio donning his iconic mask while standing under a spotlight. This is followed by a brief clip of in-game action and then the new sequel’s title, along with the tagline “It Hits Different.”
WWE 2K22will see the franchise return to the ring following a one-year absence. The decision was made not to release an edition of the wrestling sim for the 2020 season following the abominable performance ofWWE 2K20, notorious for itspiss-poorandshamefulrelease state. In its stead, 2K Games released the abysmalWWE Battlegrounds, a microtransaction-heavy mess that dropped off of the map in mere weeks.
The new game offers 2K Games the opportunity to rise like a (Beth) Phoenix after years of terrible wrestling games. There were reports earlier last year that 2K Games is fully aware of the shitty state of its wrestling games, and has hired talent specifically to recapture theglory years of the earlierWWF/E Smackdown!titles. It should also be noted thatWWE 2Kisn’t the only wrassler in this rumble, as the fledgling AEW promotionhas its own wrestling game in the works. AEW’s title is being overseen by wrestlers such as Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, stars who genuinelylovewrestling games and know what separates aWWF No Mercyfrom aWCW Backstage Assault.
I’m aware that I have a particularly harsh tone about theWWE 2Kfranchise, but it’s with good cause – they’re slow, cumbersome, disengaging games. They’re awful. But don’t confuse that with me notwantingthem to be fantastic. I’d love to see an awesome, modern WWE title, But how many times can a developer fail, again and again, to capture even the mostrudimentaryelements of what makes wrestling games hit and still inspire any confidence?
2K Games has had a couple of years to re-evaluate its stagnant franchise.WWE 2K22is essentially the first opportunity inyearsto relaunch the brand, and on a new generation of gaming platforms. Like some dude said: It’s time to Grab the Brass Ring, pal.
