Universe mode is nothing drastically different to previous WWE 2K releases, with you again having the choice of focussing solely on the career of one particular wrestler or instead going the 'sandbox' route where you essentially take control of the pro wrestling world.
For the latter, you can add and remove brands and shows/PLEs, you can change up rosters, you can book matches, you can instigate rivalries, and you can just generally enjoy yourself playing as a wide variety of characters, with storylines playing out naturally and at random should you opt to not get too involved in that side of things. As for focussing on one single wrestler, that's pretty self-explanatory, with you working your way through the week-to-week wars of the business.
For those who enjoy Universe, you'll have plenty of the same to sink your teeth into in 2K25. Sure, it may not reinvent the wheel, but hey, your writer will always get a kick out of bringing back WCW and putting together a roster of '80s and '90s favourites.
In terms of minor changes, you can now create two-day Premium Live Events, and a slight tweak to the faction listings means, for example, you can have Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa be used in tag team matches while Jacob Fatu and Solo Sikoa are held back for more singles matches. Previously, WWE 2K had a habit of throwing out random combinations in those situations, such as having Tonga Loa and Solo tag up, while Tama became the more featured singles player.
Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics.
As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic.
Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.
