WWE inks RPG game deal after 2K22 success

WWE 2K22 has been labeled a successful relaunch of the wrestling video game series, with Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon announcing a big deal for an RPG game on the back of its release. 

The world of wrestling was turned upside down by the global health situation of the last two years, as audiences around the world were prevented to attend WWE live events and the video game franchise was put on pause. However, on March 8, WWE 2K22 was released with a bumper set of DLC wrestlers being dripped out in the proceeding months. They’re not stopping there, though. While rival brand AEW is seeing some of its top stars reportedly frustrated with their video game developer, the McMahons have been quick to get the news out there that they’re working on something never-before-seen in sports entertainment – a roleplaying title.

WWE RPG game deal confirmed by Stephanie McMahon

During a recent earnings call, Steph commented on how WWE 2K22 had performed. According to PC Gamer, she said: “We were extremely pleased with the relaunch of our premium videogame console franchise, WWE 2K.

• Read More: WWE 2K22: How to get weapons from under the ring

“After taking a little more than a year off to improve the game engine, we worked hand in glove with our partners at Take-Two Interactive, listened to our customers and fans, and earned back their trust by delivering a game that exceeded their expectations.”

The WWE chief went on to mention the critically-acclaimed success of the 2022 entry, stating it was the best in history across Xbox and PlayStation platforms. On Metacritic, 2K22 picked up a 77 score on PS5, and 78 on Xbox Series X. For WWE 2K20, the ratings for the previous generation of consoles were 43 and 45, respectively. One thing that fans of the series will have been hoping for is that the developers, and sports entertainment giant, don’t remain complacent with the improved ratings.

• Read More: WWE 2K22 roster list: All wrestlers from RAW, SmackDown & NXT

Instead, McMahon has teased an expansion into the roleplaying video game market – which is expected to grow to a valuation of $22,471.3 million by 2023, according to market analysis. 

“We continue to see strength in the performance of our mobile games with 2K and Scopely, SuperCard and Champions, and recently signed a new deal in the roleplaying game space that will be announced soon,” continued McMahon. “We also continue to evaluate the metaverse, both walled-garden environments that already exist, as well as decentralized properties.” Previously, there had been speculation about WWE possibly linking up with Electronic Arts for a future game, though those reports have not held water just yet. As the new roleplaying game deal is not yet confirmed, fans and investors will be expecting to hear more later in 2022.