With the unanimously panned launch ofWWE 2K2oquickly becoming one of the worst in the annual wrestling series' history, it makes sense that fans want to see a massive change going into next year’s title. Whether that’s a new developer behind the wheel or perhaps simply having no game at all in favor of a longer development cycle, there needs to be some sort of massive shift in how2Kand Visual Concepts are running things ifWWE 2K21really wants to land with the fans. Unfortunately, it seems that might not be the case.
In a recent earnings call, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick confirmed that Visual Concepts won’t be removed from the series despite its incredibly lackluster last entry. Zelnick did assure investors, however, that the publisher will be actively working with the studio to heighten the quality of theWWE 2Kgames going forward, openly admitting that he was disappointed by the negative reaction towardsWWE 2K20upon launch.
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Zelnick was quoted saying, “While we’re disappointed thatWWE 2K20didn’t meet our expectations, both in terms of sales and in quality, 2K is actively working with Visual Concepts to ensure that these issues are addressed in the future.” He followed this by claiming thatVisual Conceptswill “have more to share on their plans soon.” What this means for the studio is anyone’s guess, but hopefully, this acknowledgment ofWWE 2K20’smajor faults will mean this year’s game will have more attention and care paid to it than before.
For those who somehow didn’t seeWWE 2K20’sdisastrous launch, the game was a mess when it released in October last year. A number of now-viral memes surfaced hours after the game’s release, with the title’s severe technical issues transforming it into an online phenomenon for the worst reasons possible. From wrestlers flying out the ring, spawning duplicates of themselves mid-match, and some even sinking into the floor,WWE 2K20was quickly branded the worst release the franchise had ever seen.
While 2K likely should’ve delayed the game, this lack of polish seemingly originated from the studiolosing its long-time collaborator, Yuke’s, during development last year. Supposedly the absence of the veteran wrestling development team meant that many of the resources Visual Concepts were accustomed to dealing with had to be redesigned exclusively for the new game. Whether fans trust Visual Concepts next year remains to be seen, however, here’s to hoping it can redeem itself whenWWE 2K20likely launches at the tail-end of 2020.
WWE 2K20is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
