WWE 2K23: 8 Gameplay Details You Need To Know

Since its introduction in SmackDown vs. Raw 2011, Universe Mode has traditionally been an afterthought within WWE games, the developers instead focusing on other modes to sell the game. Several changes have been made, of course, but rarely has Universe Mode been a game-changer for the franchise.

The mode essentially lets you control your own WWE, allowing you to book weekly programming and Premium Live Events, create rivalries, and manage rosters. Not too dissimilar to MyGM, Universe Mode has long needed rebuilt - and now it has seemingly happened.

Lynell Jinks, Creative Director of the WWE 2K series, discussed the improvements made to the mode, addressing how it now runs on the same story system as MyRISE while still backed by its own framework to run as Universe Mode. It seems this will allow for more natural story progression through the years played in-game.

He told Sports Illustrated:-

“We’ve heard for years, Universe needs an update. One of the biggest things that we did when we finally took this game over, we reworked our story systems for MyRise. How we build MyRise, and now even in Showcase is built on one set of tools. Universe was completely different. It was still this very difficult system to work with and edit – it was just hard to add anything new to it because it was so fragile. So, what we ended up doing was basically bringing Universe over to the [MyRise] system, but have the Universe engine power underneath it.”

He elaborated, noting some of the actions you can now choose:-

“It unlocks the potential of what our designers are able to create or the users who have access to it. So you can choose certain actions before the match like, ‘Oh, I want these two superstars before the match starts to do a handshake.’ You can control what some of these actions are before the matches start during your card. There’s that level of fidelity that users have access to now.”