2K Sports is well aware of how fans felt about WWE 2K20, with the game earning less than stellar sales and the worst review scores in the history of the franchise by a significant margin. The backlash to WWE 2K20 was so severe that 2K Sports let developer Visual Concepts take an extra year to develop the upcoming WWE 2K22, which is finally set to launch this coming March ahead of WWE's big WrestleMania event.
Fans have known for some time that the WWE 2K22 release window was somewhere in March, but now they know exactly when the game is going to launch. It's been announced that the WWE 2K22 release date is Friday, March 11. However, those that pre-order the Deluxe Edition ($99.99) or the nWo 4-Life Edition ($119.99) will get early access to WWE 2K22, able to jump into the game on Tuesday, March 8 instead. Standard Edition versions ($59.99 on PS4 and Xbox One, $69.99 on PS5 and Xbox Series X) and a Cross-Gen Bundle ($79.99) are also available, though pre-ordering them doesn't get players early access.
Pre-ordering the Standard Edition or Cross-Gen Bundle will instead net WWE 2K22 players the Undertaker Immortal Pack, which gives players access to three different versions of The Undertaker based on his Phantom Mask, Lord of Darkness, and Boneyard Match attires. Additionally, the pack includes Undertaker-themed content for the MyFACTION game mode. While it's a pre-order bonus for the Standard Edition and Cross-Gen Bundle, The Undertaker Immortal Pack will also be available to those that pick up the Deluxe Edition or nWo 4-Life Edition as well.
Besides confirming the WWE 2K22 release date and pre-order bonuses, 2K Sports has also pulled the curtain back on the game's cover athlete. Instead of going with newer stars like Roman Reigns or Sasha Banks, who were rumored for the WWE 2K22 cover this year, 2K Sports has decided to go with legendary WWE wrestler Rey Mysterio. And with Mysterio featured as the game's cover athlete, the 2K Showcase mode will naturally be all about his career.
More specific details on what all this 2K Showcase mode will entail weren't revealed, but a few different matches were pointed out by Mysterio himself. The WWE 2K22 2K Showcase mode, like previous iterations of the game mode, will let players relive some of the featured star's greatest matches. For Mysterio, this includes his match with Eddie Guerrero at WrestleMania 21, as well as his match with Shawn Michaels that took place on the Eddie Guerrero Tribute Show episode of Raw. Another match that fans can look forward to experiencing is the bout between Rey Mysterio and The Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship that took place at the 2010 Royal Rumble event.
WWE 2K22 launches March 11 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.