WWE 2K18 First Footage Released

Footage of WWE 2K18 has been released for the first time, giving a fans an early glimpse of the game ahead of its October launch.

In a YouTube video posted to the official 2K channel, the title's creative director Lynell Jinks told fans to expect "the best looking wrestling game ever".

Jinks said: "With that goal in mind, our team of artists and engineers worked effortlessly to up the quality on pretty much all of our art assets from our props to our environment to our superstars."

And a tantalising selection of in-game shots, comparing graphics in 2K18 with those of last year's game, speak to the dramatic technological gains made by its developers in the meantime.

In particular, Jinks points to a new lighting model and changes to shading approach, leading to an improvement in rendering quality of the wrestlers. The crowd also appears to look noticeably more realistic in the 2K18 footage.

Last month we learnt that the game will be released on the Switch, marking the return of the 2K series to Nintendo after a five-year absence.

2K18 is also expected to feature the largest roster of any in WWE history - with Kurt Angle, for the first time in a decade, among the first to be confirmed.