Published: 24 minutes ago by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: 10 hours ago by Dave Adamson
Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.
WWE/2K Games
When it comes to professional wrestling video games, the annual WWE 2K release is up there, but there’s more to the genre.
Due for release next year, WWE 2K27 is the latest entry in the long-running video game franchise, with fans able to vote on a star to adorn the cover of an edition.
While gamers may be looking forward to the next edition, there are plenty of WWE games out there deserving of a return:
WWF Betrayal
Released in 2001, WWF Betrayal was a Game Boy Color exclusive and one of the few games in the professional wrestling space to be a side-scroller.
Stephanie McMahon had been kidnapped, with her father offering a championship opportunity to the star who rescues her. With players able to choose from The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and Triple H, the game played a bit like Double Dragon, resembling the NES version, graphically.
There’s plenty of stories in WWE that would fit the Double Dragon-style gameplay, particularly with the 946 having recently kidnapped and released Solo Sikoa. Imagine a game where the player had to rescue a current WWE star, with photorealistic graphics, from the clutches of the bad guys, using character specific traits to pull off the mission.
WWE Immortals
Developed by NetherRealm Studios, the team behind the Mortal Kombat and Injustice: Gods Among Us franchise, WWE Immortals recast a roster of stars as fantasy beings, godlike in their abilities.
Similar to Injustice: Gods Among Us, which cast DC Comics heroes and villains in one-on-one battles for supremacy, WWE Immortals saw players take to mobile platforms in a free-to-play title that launched in early 2015 and would shut down just four years later.
As video games go, one-on-one fantasy fighting games continue to have popularity, with Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat being proof of their longevity. A new version of WWE Immortals on current platforms could be a high seller with the current roster and legends featured alike.
WWE SuperCard
Launched in August 2014, WWE SuperCard is the anomaly on this list, as it is still running over a decade later, with a dedicated player base.
A digital collectable card game, it’s available on mobile platforms with its twelfth season dropping in November of last year.
Despite its longevity, the game hasn’t seen a release on modern gaming platforms, not even the Nintendo Switch, which may seem like an ideal home with its touchscreen-enabled offering in handheld mode.
The cost of developing new games
Every year, new entries in many long-running game franchises drop, and it can leave gamers wondering where all the new stuff is.
There are, of course, many new games, particularly in the indie gaming space, with a large number going on to success in their own right.
For big developers, however, the cost of bringing a new vision to life is likely weighed up against just launching the next Call of Duty, WWE 2K, NBA 2K, or other established franchise release. Knowing that there is already an established fanbase there, eager to buy the latest entry, it’s hardly a surprise that some executives err on the side of caution before putting money behind a new and untested IP.
At the time of writing, a date for the release of WWE 2K27 is yet to be revealed, although recent entries have been released in March.
WrestleTalk will keeps fans updated in the goings-on for WWE 2K27 as they emerge.
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