For years, Take-Two Interactive label 2K Sports has published WWE video games, and for the most part, the companies have had a positive relationship. That changed with the launch ofWWE 2K20, a game that was panned by critics and shunned by fans for its lackluster content, glitches, and generally being broken. After the disastrous launch ofWWE 2K20,WWE reportedly had talks with EAto make future WWE games instead, with 2K Sports having one last shot to get the series back on track.
2K Sports cannedWWE 2K21and gave developer Visual Concepts more time to work onWWE 2K22. As a result,WWE 2K22was miles ahead ofWWE 2K20, earning significantly more positive reviews and embraced by the community as one of the best wrestling video games in years.WWE 2K20saw the return of many fan favorite features and made sweeping improvements to the core gameplay, with many praising it as a massive step forward for the franchise.
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Shortly afterWWE 2K22’s critical and sales success, WWE and 2K Sports announced that their partnership would continue for the foreseeable future. And now we know when to expect the next game in theWWE 2Kseries. Take-Two’s latest financial report has givenWWE 2K23an official announcement, confirming that the game is expected to launch at some point during the 2023 fiscal year.
Interestingly, Take-Two’s financial report didn’t list any platforms forWWE 2K23. This could be a sign that the publisher is still deciding on exactly what direction to take the game in. While the PS4 and Xbox One have massive install bases, makingWWE 2K23with the PS5 and Xbox Series X in mind could result in a more impressive product. Unfortunately, console supply issues continue to plague the industry, so it may be inWWE 2K23’s best interest to make it a cross-gen game, even if doing so will hold it back in some areas.
As for when fans will get to playWWE 2K23for themselves, that remains to be seen. 2K Sports was already promotingWWE 2K22at this time last year, releasing the first teaser for the game at WrestleMania 37 andshowing more gameplay footage at SummerSlam 2021. Considering this, it’s possibleWWE 2K23will launch later than expected. While many would think it would release in March 2023, maybe it will instead release in the fall, putting the series back on track with its usual release schedule. There are still many questions that need to be answered aboutWWE 2K23, but at least fans know for sure that it’s in the works.
