AEW Fight Forever is one of the biggest things to look forward to from the promotion in 2023. It will be the company’s first Video Game to come to consoles and PC.
A lot is riding on the success of the game as AEW is currently the second largest North American Wrestling promotion and, besides a few notable wrestling games over the years such as “TNA IMPACT!” (2008), “Fire Pro Wrestling World” (2017), “RetroMania Wrestling” (2021), etc. there really hasn’t been much competition for the WWE 2K Simulation series for the past 2 decades. AEW Fight Forever can be the one to change that.
What makes AEW Fight Forever stand out from all that have tried to compete against WWE 2K?
AEW has a massive roster including fan favorites such as The Elite, Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, The Hardy Boyz, CM Punk, etc. just to name a few.
These names alone bring eyeballs to the product and the game is being developed by Yuke’s which is a well-known and prestigious name in the wrestling community as they were the developers for WWE Games for over 20 years. Yuke’s is now on the other side and we get to witness what they can bring to the table without the backing of the largest Wrestling Company in the world.
It also has a large budget to work with according to reports that other Wrestling games did not have access to. It has also been confirmed that the game will be a single release instead of annually like WWE 2K with confirmation of DLC being released after the release of the game which is a good indication that the game will be heavily supported well for months and possibly years which should be good for its shelf life.
Another aspect that has pleased many fans is the fact that Kenny Omega has been heavily part of the development process and if you know anything about Omega, you would know he is a massive gamer and an avid fan of the Street Fighter franchise from Capcom.
He has even reportedly gone "above and beyond" for the game and as we have seen over the months, the company has no problem spending on marketing.
Now the elephant in the room may be the constant delays of the game and behind-the-scenes issues with Yuke’s, but delays may not necessarily be a bad thing and it may indeed be best for the game to come out in the best state possible.
Many fans have also shared their disappointment regarding the art style and the gameplay being more “arcade type’’ than the simulation-based that we are all accustomed to for the past decade with WWE 2K.
I believe the arcade feel is a plus and a huge advantage that AEW has of standing out, as the game is influenced by “WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain’’ and “WWF No Mercy’’, which are two fan favorites considered to be among the greatest Wrestling games of all time.
AEW Fight Forever has all the right pieces to make it work
The game could be the perfect alternative to WWE 2K and capture the feeling we had when playing older WWE games. That over-the-top and chaotic fun that we love so much about No Mercy, Here Comes The Pain, etc. compared to the more slow-paced “realistic” simulation-based games we have now.
AEW can capture the entire wrestling community with its continuous support post-launch and with the different approach it is taking to the genre. More competition will make WWE 2K step up and may even be influenced by AEW Fight Forever if it turns out to be a success and we may be going into a new era of Wrestling games which would be beneficial for all Wrestling fans.
Over the past three years, AEW has been trying to revolutionize the Wrestling industry and has succeeded in certain aspects, and it can do the same with Fight Forever in the gaming world and possibly bring a new taste of what made wrestling games so great and appealing 20 years ago to a new audience.
Will AEW Fight Forever change the way we perceive Wrestling games? Drop down in the comments section with your own thoughts.
