In addition to announcing the cancellation of WWE 2K21 after the debacle that was 2K20, 2K revealed a new wrestling game called WWE 2K Battlegrounds, which is a cartoony, arcade-style, over the top wrestling game, similar to 2011’s WWE All-Stars.
While speaking with IGN about 2K’s upcoming wrestling game, the game’s executive producer, Sean O’Connor, detailed the gameplay of Battlegrounds, saying that it’ll be easy to pick up and play, but it’ll also have a lot of different things to master. Moreover, he said that, because the game is an over the top, unrealistic arcade-style game, it’ll feature unrealistic, over the top moves and abilities — things like feeding your opponent to a crocodile, which is something that was shown during the game’s reveal trailer.
“We’re trying to be over-the-top, arcadey, easy to pick up and play,” said WWE 2K Battlegrounds’ executive producer. “A lot of stuff to master, though, so you can really take your game to the next level. It goes very much with the art style, where it’s kind of a wider appeal – it’s clearly not realistic, right? And our moves are not realistic, as you’ve seen. Think about throwing somebody into a crocodile! That’s not very realistic, but it’s super fun and it’s super over the top, and the power ups play really well into that as well.”
Recently, it was revealed that WWE 2K Battlegrounds will feature over 70 wrestlers, including legends like The Rock, Steve Austin, and The Undertaker, as well as current stars like Becky Lynch, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins. As of right now, the entire roster hasn’t been revealed, but it should be revealed in its entirety in the coming months.
Some of the game’s modes, including its campaign and a mode called King of the Battleground were also detailed by the developers, and you can check out the details below.
- Campaign: Join the adventures of seven new WWE hopefuls — created exclusively for WWE 2K Battlegrounds — in Campaign mode and compete for the chance to earn a WWE contract. Along the way, you’ll unlock new arenas, inspired by locations such as the Everglades, a military-style Bootcamp, Mexico, New York, and Scotland, while receiving guidance from legendary personalities including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Paul Heyman. King of the Battleground: Take on all comers in the King of the Battleground, an online, last-man-standing mode where four players start in the ring while four more wait outside to enter, challenging you to run the gauntlet and defeat them all.
WWE 2K Battlegrounds is currently scheduled to launch for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC on September 18.