It’s no secret thatWWE 2K20was a disaster.WWE 2K20earned scathing reviewsat the time of its release, with many labeling it as possibly the worst WWE video game ever made. TheWWE 2K20backlash was so severe that 2K Sports decided to put the franchise on ice for a year, skippingWWE 2K21and giving the developers at Visual Concepts a little more time to work on the next game,WWE 2K22.
WWE 2K22was revealed a few months ago atWrestleMania 37with a brief trailer that showed Rey Mysterio and Cesaro battling it out in the ring. While the footage was brief, it was crisply animated and visually impressive, giving fans some hope thatWWE 2K22will help get the franchise back on track. And now a new report should give those looking forward toWWE 2K22even more hope about the new game.
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Forbes' Brian Mazique recently discussedWWE 2K22, claiming sources have informed him that the gameplay footage of the latest build is currently looking “fantastic.” Mazique noted that these sources are “somewhat close to 2K” and so the praise should be taken with a grain of salt, but it should still be taken as good news. Mazique added thatWWE 2K22is apparently using a “completely rebuilt” engine as well, which hopefully means it will be able to avoid some of thepitfalls suffered byWWE 2K20.
Mazique also touched onWWE 2K22’s controls, suggesting that they are “much cleaner” than previous iterations. He added, “[…] this feels like a wrestling fan’s wrestling game.” Again, fans should take this glowing approval ofWWE 2K22with a grain of salt, but if the reports are accurate, it seems professional wrestling fans have a lot to look forward to when the game releases later this year.
If these reports aboutWWE 2K22’s development progress are accurate, it seems the developers weren’t kidding about learning fromWWE 2K20’s mistakes. And ifWWE 2K22truly is a “wrestling fan’s wrestling game,” it seems they weren’t kidding about the game takinginspiration fromWWF No MercyandSmackDown: Here Comes the Pain, two of the most beloved pro wrestling video games produced to date.
HopefullyWWE 2K22is able to back up this report soon with a gameplay presentation. SummerSlam has traditionally played host toWWEvideo game reveals, and so it’s possible thatSummerSlam 2021on Saturday, August 21 will have some freshWWE 2K22footage for fans to check out, though that remains to be seen. Those looking forward to the game might want to tune in just in case.
