World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has reportedly opened talks with EA SPORTS over a future wrestling game, with a lot riding on the upcoming WWE 2K22 launch.
Having worked with 2K Games on the development of WWE 2K22, which releases on March 8, it appears that the wrestling giant is preparing for life without the studio.
The company, of course, will experience increased competition in the coming years as rival brand All Elite Wrestling is working on starting its own video game series.
An exclusive report from Fightful.com states that a deal being struck between WWE and Electronic Arts would be “huge for the WWE gaming brand” – which has experienced a period of stagnation in recent years.
WWE has had talks with EA for future video games, per @MikeStrawMedia on Fightful Select. This could be huge for the WWE gaming brand.
Read the full story at Fightful Select.https://t.co/GPnpemvBK6 pic.twitter.com/P30Io9HnVM
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) March 7, 2022
Fightful’s report claims that WWE 2K22 is being described as “make or break” for the series, with the likelihood of EA getting involved looking greater than ever before. While these discussions have been on and off “for years” this would suggest that sales will be a major factor in the decision-making process.
The story, which is behind a paywall on Patreon, says: “The sources say that the talks began after the disappointment that was WWE 2K20 and the lackluster reception to WWE 2K Battlegrounds.”
The troubled launch of WWE 2K20 during the pandemic affected the company’s bottom line, as seen in a Q4 2019 Results press release. The report from corporate revealed that lower video game royalties led to lower revenues that year.
It said: “Revenues decreased to $30.8 million from $32.8 million in the prior year quarter primarily due to lower video game royalties, which were driven by the Company’s franchise console game WWE 2K20.”
There is no official announcement, as of the time of writing, confirming a deal has been struck for a new video game partner to take on the series. However, this development will certainly put fans on red alert.
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