WWE's Next Games Could Be Developed By EA, Says Report
A recent report suggests that WWE could be moving its video game license to EA, citing years of friction with current WWE publisher 2K Games.
The WWE video game license could be moving to Electronic Arts after WWE 2K22, at least according to a new report. 2K Games acquired the rights to the popular professional wrestling promotion after THQ went bankrupt in the early 2010s, and since then the series has struggled to connect with enthusiasts of the squared circle. This reached its nadir with WWE 2K20, which contained numerous game-breaking bugs and glitches that lead to WWE 2K22 developer Visual Concepts delaying the game to refine and reevaluate what went wrong. In the interim, 2K Games released an arcade-style spin-off, WWE 2K Battlegrounds, which was met with a lukewarm reception at best in the fall of 2020.
However, Visual Concepts is promising that this diminishing track record with its line of squared circle simulators will change with WWE 2K22, a potential return to form that is set to launch later this week. Since the game’s initial announcement during last year’s WrestleMania, the developers behind WWE 2K22 have shown off its revamped graphics and combat system, as well as returning gameplay modes such as MyGM and Universe. WWE 2K22 will also feature a new team-building mode titled MyFaction, and this year's 2K Showcase campaign will be centered around the legendary career of Rey Mysterio. For both developers and fans, a lot is riding on WWE 2K22 to win back the crowd that was put off by previous WWE 2K installments.
According to a new report by Fightful (via GameSpot), WWE could transfer its gaming license over to EA if WWE 2K22 isn’t successful. Multiple sources tied to this report claim that WWE has had “preliminary discussions” with EA to this effect, dating as far back as just before WWE extended its contract with 2K Games for six years in 2016. The poor reception of WWE 2K20 seems to have accelerated these talks, with WWE reportedly concerned that both it and alleged budget cuts on each previous 2K-published WWE title could be damaging to the WWE brand. At the time of writing, none of the involved parties have responded to the unverified claims.
Rumors of friction between WWE and 2K have been popping up in the two years since WWE 2K20’s ill-fated release, and it is said that WWE 2K22’s aforementioned delay has strained things even further to the point where WWE has considered pulling its license. Not helping matters is WWE's recent wave of layoffs and resignations over the past year or so, which naturally affected Visual Concepts' rumored plans to focus WWE 2K22 on the rookie-centric NXT brand. Previous reports have suggested that WWE 2K22 would have one of the most outdated rosters in the history of the series in light of all the upheaval, and sure enough, the game still features several wrestlers that were either let go or quit of their own accord throughout the past couple of years.
The recent report of WWE looking at EA as a new gaming partner adds credence to this apparent ringside drama between the world's biggest wrestling promotion and 2K Games, but it is still worth pointing out that WWE 2K22 might be well-received enough to change WWE’s mind. After all, the game has already gained a considerable buzz surrounding the returned MyGM mode and new MyFaction mode, and active WWE wrestlers like Bobby Lashley have helped promote WWE 2K22 in the run-up to its release on March 11. However, Electronic Arts could be adding WWE games to its line-up of sports franchises alongside Madden NFL and UFC if alleged tensions between WWE and 2K don’t cool down soon.