With the WWE 2K series already having been in stagnation for many years in the eyes of most wrestling gamers, the infamous 2K20 installment certainly hasn't done the company any favors. The abundance of glitches and tortoise-speed gameplay left many fans wondering if WWE games will ever be as top-notch as they once were.

Following the unrelenting backlash the game received, 2K decided to cease operations on WWE 2K21 and instead focused on creating WWE 2K Battlegrounds, an over the top arcade-style wrestling game akin to THQ's WWE All-Stars. While this may fill a quota for fans who enjoy a more cartoony approach to wrestling games, there will always be a larger market for people who want a more sim-based product.

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WWE 2K Battlegrounds

Considering the one-year hiatus the company is taking from the annual WWE 2K release schedule, this gives them time to focus on creating the best pro wrestling simulation in years with WWE 2K22. With all that's been going on this year, such as the multiple changes to the set design and the rise of cinematic style matches, 2K will have a lot of work to do if it wants to capture the insanity of the current WWE landscape in its next release.

It would be in their best interest to incorporate these things into the game, though. Although there will (hopefully) be arenas full of fans by the time 2K22 rolls around, it would be exciting to see how the game implements things like the Thunderdome, the Performance Center with NXT talents in the audience banging on the plexiglass, the Boneyard Match and more. This year's Money in the Bank match would make for a thrilling stipulation for any fighting game, from beating down enemies in a race to the top of a penthouse to throwing opponents off the roof of the building.

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Before they get to all that, though, developers should focus on what is arguably the series' most glaring weakness: gameplay. One of the things that made older wrestling games more enthralling was that they were simulations combined with a faster-paced, hard-hitting style. Fans want realism while also feeling like they're playing a video game. The strikes need to have punchier sound effects, the grapple moves need to have a more substantial impact and certain wrestlers should be able to move at breakneck speed. To date, though, WWE 2K has fallen into the habit of rehashing the gameplay styles of previous games. 2K should instead find new ways to enhance the player's experience by taking inspiration from popular fighting game franchises like Dead or Alive or Tekken, as those games incorporate wrestling moves with immensely more ferocious animations.

Another area where the WWE 2K series has seemingly rested on its laurels is the Universe Mode, but this mode has rarely been significantly upgraded since its debut in Smackdown Vs. Raw 2011. Fans have been begging for the return of GM Mode for the better part of a decade, and considering 2K's success with management modes in its NBA series, it's hard to imagine why they couldn't implement a similar experience with its wrestling games. Contracts, wrestler morale and interactive cutscenes are just a few things that could drastically improve the quality of Universe Mode. For instance, if a player releases a wrestler who still has a year left on their contract, there could be a cutscene of them yelling at the GM and angrily storming out, eventually signing with a rival promotion and significantly boosting their ratings. A wrestling sim deserves to have just as strong of a GM feature as any sports game because the behind-the-scenes aspect of pro wrestling is sometimes just as exciting as the action on the screen.

Only time will tell if WWE 2K22 will be worthwhile, but there undoubtedly needs to be a change in the direction of the series in the future, especially if they want to compete with upcoming wrestling games like Virtual Basement's The Wrestling Code and AEW's planned video game release.

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