WWE 2K22: 10 Ways To Successfully Reboot The Series
WWE 2K21 was recently cancelled, so how can the series be rebooted when it returns next year?
WWE 2K20 was a complete disaster. Despite making history by putting "The Man" Becky Lynch on the cover alongside Roman Reigns, reviews were negative thanks to the game being yet another retread of what we'd seen the year before, while there so many glitches and bugs when it later went on sale, it made headlines for essentially being unplayable.
Last week, 2K Games confirmed that we won't be getting 2K21 this year, as they're instead releasing the awful looking WWE Battlegrounds, a cartoony effort which looks like it should be some sort of bonus feature in the main series (similar to the "Zombies" mode in the Call of Duty games).
They have, however, promised "a renewed focus on quality and fun" in WWE 2K22, a title we won't see until next year. By then, new consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X will be available, and that alone should ensure a big step forward in quality for the series. With that in mind, we can't help wonder how 2K will reboot the franchise in order to put it back on the right track.
That's what we're taking a look at here, as we delve into how the series can be rebooted to make 2K22 the WWE video game we want and deserve...
10. Free Roaming Mode
In some of the PlayStation 2/Xbox era WWE video games, the story mode involved being able to wander around the backstage area. While there, you might bump into your fellow wrestlers (setting up matches later that night) or even get into altercations with an authority figure like the then General Manager William Regal.
It was awesome, and really gave the impression of being part of the WWE machine. These days, the technology is there to essentially deliver a game which feels more like WWE: Grand Theft Auto than just another WWE 2K instalment! There would, of course, still be an exhibition mode, but if the bulk of the game essentially revolves around you competing across RAW or SmackDown, that would be epic.
We've seen something similar in the WWE Universe mode. However, imagine a free roam mode where you play as your favourite wrestler - AJ Styles, for example - which entails branching storylines, and decisions which ensure that every time you go back and play the game, it could be completely different as you get involved in different rivalries, interfere in matches, and make both enemies and allies.