Following the announcement of no new WWE 2K sim this year, 2K Games said it would detail the franchise’s future today. Along with revealing WWE 2K Battlegrounds, a more arcade-style wrestling game, it also confirmed that the next WWE 2K sim would release in fiscal year 2021. The desire is to provide more time for the development team to deliver a better experience.
In a recent statement to GameSpot, the publisher said, “We hear you and we know you want more from the franchise, so here’s what we’re going to do: we are applying what we’ve learned to the next WWE 2K simulation game with a renewed focus on quality and fun. 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.”
Interestingly enough, former Amazon Game Studios Orange County head Patrick Gilmore has been brought on. Gilmore will lead the new title with more details promised in the coming months. 2K Sports added that, “We hope you find this news as exciting as we do. We are confident it will lead to better games in the future.”
It’s no secret that the WWE 2K titles have been on the decline for the past few years. WWE 2K20, Visual Concepts’ first tile after splitting from developer Yuke’s, was an unmitigated disaster with bugs, glitches, performance issues and bizarre depictions of the wrestlers. Though WWE 2K21’s production was reportedly affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, it is good to see 2K Sports taking some time to improve the next game.
The real question now is whether it releases for Xbox Series X and PS5 in addition to Xbox One, PS4 and PC. In the meantime, WWE 2K Battlegrounds is set to release this Fall.
