WWE 14 Screenshots

There's been a lot of acquisitions within the game industry lately, and that's thanks largely in part to THQ going bankrupt. As a result, a number of its franchises were auctioned off to the highest bidder, but the WWE series' new home wasn't officially confirmed until earlier this month. Now 2K Games has announced plans to incorporate the WWE property into its 2K Sports lineup, and as a result has officially announced WWE 14.

Initial reports pegged WWE 14 to be re-branded as WWE 2K14, but the official press release has since clarified that the game will keep its original name for the time being. It was also confirmed that 2K and WWE have signed a five year deal for the video game franchise, so there's still plenty of time for that re-brand to take place if 2K so desires. There will be further changes behind the scenes, too, but Yuke's (the Japan-based developer responsible for a number of wrestling games) will remain hard at work on the upcoming installment — albeit with aid from the employees at Visual Concepts.

In an interview with ESPN, WWE’s executive vice president of consumer products, Casey Collins, stated the decision to go with 2K Games came between a private meeting between THQ, WWE, and the new publisher. One of the biggest reasons for choosing the Take-Two Interactive subsidiary, however, came from the desire to bring future iterations to the forthcoming next-gen consoles.

“We looked at a lot of different leaders in the industry and talked to all of the big guys, and for us, we had been with THQ for so many years, it was nice to finally go out and date a few other companies and see what kind of thought process they had about the video game industry going forward."

"As we look at the next-gen systems coming out, whether that’s this holiday or next holiday, we want to make sure we align our property with who we thought would be a leader going forward on these next-gen systems.”

WWE 14 2K Games

There will be no delay in the game's arrival either, as Yuke's, Visual Concepts, and 2K Games plan to have WWE 14 ready and available to consumers later this October. Whether or not that means it'll land on the PlayStation 4, a console confirmed to launch this Fall, is up for debate. With Collins already expressing interest in bringing the series to next-gen hardware, gamers may be able to see WWE 14 on the PS4 and Xbox 720 later this year. That said, fans probably still can't see John Cena.

More details are sure to land regarding the next WWE video game in due time, so stay tuned to Game Rant for more information on the action-packed successor to WWE 13 as it becomes available.

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You can follow Riley on Twitter @TheRileyLittle.

Source: ESPN