With no official 2K wrestling game launching this year, avid WWE fans will be getting their annual video game fix through WWE 2K Battlegrounds, Mad Dog Games' fresh take on the license. Unlike the traditional yearly entries in the franchise, this will follow a more arcadey take on the seminal wrestling promotion, with players pulling off earth-shattering finishers, fighting in outlandishly wacky arenas, and lacing up the boots of caricatured wrestling icons.
Speaking of the wrestling legends that will appear in the game, WWE 2K Battlegrounds roster has recently been unveiled to the world, with 70 wrestlers available at launch. The names included range from contemporary modern stars to iconic legends of the scene, with fans of all eras in the WWE able to conduct matches between their favorite superstars.
Looking at the modern generation, the game will feature some of the biggest main event talent that WWE fans tune into every week. AJ Styles, Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt, WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, Becky Lynch, Finn Balor, Ronda Rousey, and Universal Champion Braun Strowman will all appear. Alongside that, players can also expect to jump into the shoes of John Cena, Andre The Giant, Hulk Hogan, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, and, of course, The Undertaker. They'll also be joined by more of WWE's most impressive talent, including Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, Daniel Bryan, and, for those who pre-ordered the game, Edge.
Evidently, there's going to be a huge roster of characters for players to fight as and clash with when they pick up Battlegrounds next month on September 18. It seems the game will also have a significant number of additional fighters who will make their way to the title post-launch, with the game teasing over 60 wrestlers that will be joining the main roster in the months following its release. These include Goldberg, Sting, and Batista.
The game itself is shaping up to be a fun new take on the WWE license, standing as a welcomingly fun break after the admittedly disastrous WWE 2K20. Launching last year, the game was quickly branded as one of the worst releases of the year and easily the most broken title in the annual franchise to date. It even took over social media, with the hashtag "FixWWE2K20" seeing users show off videos of wrestlers flying in mid-air, teleporting outside the ring, and even multiplying. As a result, WWE 2K21 was canceled to give the developers more time to work on WWE 2K22, so Battlegrounds will no doubt be an entertaining distraction while fans wait.
WWE 2K Battlegrounds is coming to PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Google Stadia on September 18.