2K Games has a new WWE 2K title in the works, and they might be giving fans a preview of it at WrestleMania 37 this weekend. The sports entertainment juggernaut’s last mainline wrestling sim, WWE 2K20, was a disaster upon launch back in the fall of 2019, featuring countless game-breaking bugs and gaining such a poor reception that WWE 2K took a year off to assess what went wrong after longtime developer Yuke’s left the franchise during development.
In the place of a traditional 2K WWE installment, fans were greeted with WWE 2K Battlegrounds last year, an arcade-style fighter featuring current WWE Superstars and legends in cartoonish, exaggerated combat. However, the reception to this game was only slightly better than 2K20, with players criticizing its repetitive gameplay and reliance on microtransactions. Now 2K is getting back to the more serious, simulation approach of its main WWE series, and it looks like the developer might reveal its newest title at the Grandest Stage Of Them All.
Earlier today, WWE Games posted an enticing message to Twitter that teased a new WWE 2K game reveal at this weekend’s WrestleMania 37 pay-per-view. A brief view clip advises fans to tune into the show for a “special announcement” from 2K, which many believe is the unveiling of WWE 2K22. It's a brief ad, and WrestleMania viewers can likely expect a relatively brief announcement on April 10-11, but it's possibly a step toward somewhat a much-needed franchise reboot.
Even aside from its own gaming series, WWE and video games have always shared a connected relationship thanks to many of the company’s in-ring talent being gamers themselves - to the point that some of them have taken on voice-acting roles in titles like Gears Of War 5. Just recently, Xavier Woods of The New Day announced that he will be hosting a special gaming competition show on the revived G4TV after lobbying to join the network all last year. Meanwhile, this year’s WrestleMania looks to continue the annual event’s tradition of featuring high-profile match-ups and celebrity guest appearances.
With rival company All Elite Wrestling looking to enter the gaming business with own AEW wrestling simulation games in the coming year, the pressure is on for 2K to learn from the mistakes of WWE 2K20 and deliver a game that both repairs its broken reputation and gives players a new and exciting wrestling experience. Only time will tell if this happens with the rumored WWE 2K22, but wrestling fans could get their first glimpse of what 2K has on the horizon at WrestleMania 37, which will be streamed on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network for the rest of the world on April 10 and 11.
Source: WWE Games