Wrestling is all about conflict, and it looks like WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view event, with a release date currently set for next March and more information to come before that.
The decision to release WWE 2K22 in March was an unexpected one, as the worldwide sport’s entertainment juggernaut’s video games tend to launch during the fall. However, things are likely different this time around due to WWE 2K22's gameplay being reworked from the ground up after the disastrous launch of WWE 2K20 a couple of years ago – the backlash of which was so great that 2K decided to cancel its planned WWE 2K21 follow-up to assess just went wrong. However, it seems like this latest delay is the source of some very real brawling between the developer and the WWE itself.
According to a recent report by WWE wrestlers being released or fired over the past few months, which has made planning WWE 2K22’s in-game roster all the more difficult. There is also an increased amount of pressure from WWE to produce a better game this time, with WWE even threatening to pull its license from 2K in favor of other publishers.
This is far from the first time that bad blood has cropped up during the development of a WWE video game. Famously, former WWE developer Yukes left WWE 2K20 production back in 2019, which in turn led to that particular game being released in the glitch-filled shape that made headlines for all the wrong reasons a few years ago. Since then, Visual Concepts has been fighting an uphill battle to assure weary wrestling fans that WWE 2K22 will be better, offering up a more transparent look at the game’s development cycle (at least at first) and giving it the tagline of “It Hits Different.”
The rumored real-life schism between WWE and 2K Games over WWE 2K22 is worrisome but pretty understandable given 2K20’s controversial reception and the ongoing upheavals happening with WWE's roster of available talent at the moment. Hopefully, this growing tension doesn't hurt WWE 2K22’s quality when it finally launches next March.
Source: SportsGamersOnline
