A recent gameplay video for the the release of WWE 2K20 a few years ago, as it featured several game-breaking bugs and glitches that led it to be considered one of the worst wrestling video games of all time. Developer Visual Concepts would take a break from an annual WWE 2K release for the following two years to reassess and refine its approach to virtual in-ring action and has promised that its next WWE-based title would be a considerable improvement over what came before.
Sure enough, promotional trailers for WWE 2K22 have bragged that this new installment will “hit different” than WWE 2K20, and developer Visual Concepts has promised the return of fan-favorite features like GM Mode and a 2K Showcase featuring legendary WWE superstar Rey Mysterio. Visual Concepts has compared its struggle to regain the goodwill of the WWE gaming fandom after the disappointment of WWE 2K20 and the lukewarm reception to 2020’s arcade-style WWE 2K Battlegrounds to Mysterio overcoming the odds in the ring, and pre-release footage of wrestlers like Roman Reigns and John Cena have indicated that WWE 2K22 will at least be a visual improvement over past WWE games.
Earlier today, WWE 2K22 seem greatly improved over past games. The Visual Concepts development team discussed how it overhauled the way that characters look, move, and interact with each other in the ring, promising players that they will "no longer feel like [they’re] fighting to control [their] character… to do what [they] want them to do.” WWE 2K22’s physics system has also been reworked, simulating how weapons like Kendo sticks break as wrestlers use them. Even environmental elements like ringside barricades will bend and break in real-time, as opposed to the canned animations from past WWE games.
See the original video on YouTube here.
Visual Concepts also noted that one of its biggest priorities in revamping WWE 2K22’s gameplay was making sure anyone could pick up and enjoy the game regardless of their experience with previous WWE games. Hence, the control scheme for WWE 2K22 has been reworked from the ground up, something that insiders who have already had hands-on experience with the new title have taken note of. In the meantime, WWE and 2K are ramping up their promotional efforts for WWE 2K22, with in-ring WWE performers like Bobby Lashley revealing their improved in-game stats over the past few weeks.
The WWE 2K series has always aimed towards faithfully recreating the speed and intensity of televised WWE matches, and it seems this ethos is continuing with WWE 2K22’s revamped physics and character models. Only time will tell if WWE 2K22 will be the comeback that 2K and Visual Concepts is hoping for when it launches on March 11, but the gameplay footage shown so far has been very promising.
Source: WWE 2K/YouTube
